Chihuahuas are particularly prone to dental disease. This means that part of owning a chihuahua is regular maintenance of their teeth, more so than other dogs. The gold standard for dental care in dogs is toothbrushing, ideally twice daily. This should be accompanied by a dental under anesthesia annually.
Unfortunately, it’s not always possible to follow this advice. Veterinary care prices have been rising, and not all dogs love having their teeth brushed.
When it’s a struggle to get dental care done, dental sticks seem like an easy solution. Simply hand your dog a treat and let them brush their own teeth! Do dental sticks help with plaque reduction though?
2020 Study Says Yes
A 2020 study published in the Journal of Animal Science found that dental sticks do indeed help with plaque reduction. The study tested 3 different types of dental sticks, and had a control group who did not receive dental sticks as well.
The study revealed that while all dental sticks reduced plaque to some degree, some dental sticks did a better job than others. Greenies for example did the best job at reducing overall coverage of plaque, while Dr. Lyon’s dental chews (appears to be discontinued) won out overall.
Another study, also conducted in 2020, confirmed this with yet another dental chew. This study is important to us at All Things Chihuahua because over half the dogs in the study were chihuahuas!
Dental First
All of the studies we found were conducted on dogs whose teeth had been cleaned professionally by a veterinarian before the start of the trial. They started the dogs with clean teeth and measured build up from there.
In our own personal trials with dental treats, we gave our dogs due for their annual dental various dental sticks and noted no change in calculus build up on their teeth. This wasn’t a formal study, but just my personal comparisons between pictures of my dog’s teeth.
Not A Complete Solution
Dental chews are a useful tool in keeping our dog’s teeth clean, but they’re not a complete solution. Dental chews alone can reduce build-up by about 50%, but that other half still needs to be cleaned off. This may mean a dental for your dog, or regular toothbrushing if your dog allows it.
Other ways to help your pet include water additives, mouth sprays, and powders that get added to their food.. At the time of this writing, we’re in the process of testing a product called “Plaque Off” in combination with toothbrushing and dental sticks.
We will update this as soon as we can safely say whether Plaque Off help prevent or remove build up.
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