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Most people recognize that healthy gums and teeth are pivotal to a healthy life, not to mention a great-looking smile. That is why we regularly brush our teeth and gums, and practice preventive oral hygiene. That commitment to oral health also

goes for our pets. While they don’t care how beautiful their smile is, oral problems can diminish a pet’s quality of life and can even lead to premature death.

Since dogs and cats can’t brush their teeth by themselves, they depend on doting pet owners to do the work for them or provide products like dental treats, toys, and water and food additives for oral hygiene. Fortunately, there is no lack of solutions for keeping our pets’ mouths healthy.

Jewel of the Dental Treat CategoryEmerald Pet Products manufactures

high-end dental and specialty treats for dogs and cats. The company’s offerings include treats for pets that suffer from allergies. They are grain, gluten, soy and dairy free and made with all-natural ingredients.

“Consumers are becoming more educated and taking a closer look at what they are feeding their pets and are looking at them like their children,” says Glenn Novotny, vice president of sales and marketing for Emerald Pet. “That includes

treats for dental care and for pets with allergies.”

The company’s Smart n’ Tasty canine and feline dental treats are available in various flavors in both soft and crunchy compositions. They fight tartar and plaque with increased scraping action while improving breath.

For pet owners looking to avoid potato-based dental treats, Emerald came out with

its Smileys line, which uses a chickpea and lentil base with high protein content and a minty smell.

A Multi-Pronged ApproachPet King Brands offers both a dermatological and an oral care

line for dog and cats under the ZYMOX brand. The oral care line is designed for daily use and features a water additive, a toothpaste gel

and a breath-freshening spray.

According to Deborah Brown, vice president of marketing and advertising, pet oral care has been a hot topic in the industry, and not all consumers have grasped or embraced the idea of preventive care for their pets.

“Many consumers are still in denial, as it is perceived as one more thing that they have to do,” she says. “This is precisely why effective, simple-to-use and non-toxic brushless daily oral care is the smartest thing for retailers to offer and merchandise in order to get consumers on board.”

Based on a dual-enzyme system technology, ZYMOX works to dissolve plaque biofilm and eliminate odor-causing bacteria without brushing. It can also benefit pets that, because of medication use, have developed dry mouth, which can result in halitosis, tooth decay and tooth loss.

Natural SolutionsFor more than 20 years, Ark Naturals has manufactured

scientifically formulated health, remedy, wellness and lifestyle products for dogs and cats.

“In the 20 years we’ve been in business, family pets have gone from the porch to the kitchen, from the kitchen to the living room, from the living room to the couch, from the couch to their humans’ beds,” says CEO and founder Susan Weiss. “The pet industry is growing rapidly and products and services that are part of the landscape today would have been laughed at 20 years ago.”

According to Weiss, Ark Naturals’ No. 1 selling product is Breath-Less Brushless Toothpaste, a digestible, all-natural chew that features outside ridges to provide abrasive cleansing action and contains ingredients developed to control plaque, tartar and bacteria and freshen breath.

Ark Naturals also markets a companion product called Breath-Less Plaque-Zapper, which is an odorless, colorless and tasteless water additive that helps neutralize the pH level of saliva, deters the

Brushing Up on Dental HealthBrushing a pet’s teeth is nobody’s idea of a good time. Luckily, there is a wide range of

alternative oral care solutions available to today’s pet owners.By William F. Kendy

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growth of bacteria and controls plaque, tartar and bad breath.

“On a simple level, as our relationships with our pets have gotten more intimate, humans kissing

pets and vice versa, the issue of stinky breath is the easiest to understand,” says Weiss. “However, now pet owners understand that stinky breath is just the tip of the iceberg, and if they ignore their pets’ dental health, serious complications become a reality.”

Weiss noted that there was increasing interest in life-stage-specifi c items, so Ark Naturals introduced the Gray Muzzle brand for senior dogs and cats.

The Gray Muzzle dental line includes the Senior Friendly Dental Chewables, which are easier for pets to chew, and the Breath-Less Brushless Toothpaste.

Oral Care Made EasyPetzLife offers a plethora of products running the

gamut from oral care to grooming products to wound care. For oral care, the company offers gel, spray, natural chew treats, a three-sided toothbrush and a fi nger brush.

The leaders in the company’s lineup are the brushless sprays and gels, which are formulated to break down plaque and tartar, work under the gum line to help heal gum tissue and reverse gum disease, and kill the bacteria that cause bad breath.

“The active ingredients of PetzLife Oral Care spray and gel are a blend of herbs and oils, including grapefruit

WHAT’S ON THE SHELF: ORAL CARE PRODUCTSFetch... for Pets! (fetch4pets.com): The company offers Arm & Hammer baking-soda-infused dental toys, including Ora-Play toy bones, Denta-saurus toys and Teether Totter toys, all of which are made with a super tough, non-toxic nylon material for extreme durability in a variety of flavors. The toys are designed with multi-shaped, deep scrub-bing grooves that reach up to the gum line as well as micro nubs to help remove food, tartar and plaque buildup.

TropiClean (tropiclean.com): The company’s Fresh Breath Clean Teeth Gel for dogs and cats combats plaque and tartar without brushing. It is a proprietary blend of natural, holis-tic ingredients that produce a healthy oral environment. The no-brushing gel fights germs that cause bad breath, plaque and tartar, which can lead to periodontal disease, while soothing minor gum irritations and cleaning teeth.

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According to the American Veterinary MedicalAssociation, 80% of dogs and 70% of cats

show signs of oral disease by age 3!

AccordingAssoc

sho

an Veterinary Mg to the Ame iding

BEFORE AFTER 30 DAYS

• Flea and Tick• Anxiety• Wound Care• Ear Mites• Waterless Shampoo• and more

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seed extract, a natural compound known for killing bacteria,” says PetzLife founder and president Bud Groth. “The ingredients are 100-percent natural and ‘human grade,’ so they’re perfectly safe for dogs and cats.

“Our special blend even reverses gum disease by penetrating under the gum line and destroying bacteria allowing the gums to heal and the teeth to tighten. Our product even fights stomatitis in cats.”

A New Addition to a Well-Rounded LineupA division of MannaPro, Inc., Boise, Idaho-based Nutri-Vet Wellness

offers a variety of wellness solutions for dogs and cats. These include products that address dental health, which vice president Stephen Twohig says are on trend with today’s pet owner demands.

“As consumers move toward more proactive and preventive health measures for themselves, they are transferring this thinking to their pets,” he says. “They are willing and want to be proactive, as seen specifically in the growth and purchase of dental wellness related products.”

Twohig points out that dental disease remains the

No. 1 most common issue in dogs and cats, affecting 68 percent of all cats and 76 percent of all dogs. Risk factors in dogs increase with age and are higher in small breeds.

To address these issues Nutri-Vet Wellness offers toothpaste, toothbrushes, cleaning biscuits, liquid breath fresheners and a flossing chew.

The company’s recently introduced three-in-one Flossing Chew cleans teeth, controls tartar build-up and features mint and parsley to help freshen a dog’s breath.

Twohig believes that the humanizing of pets, the growth of premium brands and the emphasis on natural products will continue to drive business in the oral care category and beyond.

“Pets are increasingly viewed as family members and that humanization leads to higher spending levels and legitimizes the expense,” he says.

“Consumers are embracing premium growth and willing to pay more for quality products for ‘family members.’ Those factors, along with demand for more natural products and the concern for the health and safety of pets are fueling growth in the pet industry.” u

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