We all know the importance of dental health; and choosing to feed your dog plant-based is one step to ensuring that they have both healthy teeth and gums.
Any painful gum infections or tartar build up can impact so much on your dog’s overall quality of life, but also on their general health where bacteria in the gums could enter the blood stream if those gums are badly inflamed, and result in heart or kidney disease that may end up irreversible.
I see it time and time again in elderly pets with sore, red gums and smelly tartar-coated teeth from years of eating scraps and licking the plates of owners at the end of meals that are full of sugar-laden sauces and foods (yes, we are as guilty of this as any family!)
A simple solution to preventing this, is to feed plant-based and brush their teeth each night. We do it with Ruff, as being a stray, he had very bad teeth (photo showing his ‘sore’ side before having a dental and going plant-based).
He does not particularly like having his teeth brushed – we use logic gel (contains enzymes and is flavoured but no animal proteins in it) and a soft toothbrush, but we make it into such a fun game that he sits patiently and then gets SO excited about his reward – a dental chew!
We have reviewed the main plant-based dental chews available that we recommend that are affordable and as ‘natural’ as they can be (for a treat!) as well as effective to help clean the teeth.
There are some that we do not recommend too below.
Read about 16 year old Border Terrier Nancy whose owner noticed after transitioning to a wholesome plant-based diet, that her teeth seemed to self clean!We have reviewed some dental chews below that we recommend and have used
Soopa
Soopa are a dedicated plant-based company in Ireland and we are very happy with the ‘superfood’ ingredients in their dental chews. They are popular, but the chews do not last very long.
Lily’s Kitchen Woofbrushes
Lily’s Kitchen Woofbrushes have a spongey texture to get down to the gumline and supposedly wipe away plaque. We have not tried them, but many of our plant-based dogs seem to love them.
Benevo Sweet Pawtato Knots
Recommended sweet potato & rice based knot-shaped chews from Pawtato! Reasonably priced and sustainable company.
Veggie Dent Chews
We use these chews on Ruff – he loves them and although flat, they do last for a while. More expensive than other brands, but only plant-based dental chews that are vet recommended.
Whimzees
Whimzees are very reasonably priced and made in Holland. They have natural ingredients and last a long time.
Edgard Cooper Apple & Eucalyptus
We have reviewed some dental chews below that have a warning, but are still fine to use as shown below
Benevo Pawtato Tubes with Mint & Parsley
These tubes are very reasonably priced with healthy ingredients, but we have tried them on Ruff and although they last a long time, due to their tube shape, they get caught in your dog’s teeth as happened with our little Ruff! He then chose to leave it so it must have hurt his gums!
GoodWood Chewable Stick Coffee Tree Wood
Instead of feeding bones, we want to allow our plant-based dogs the enjoyment of chewing, and these natural wood coffee tree posts are very popular. The only concern that we have with them, is that your dog (especially if young), may not differentiate between the natural wood stick he is allowed to chew and the expensive dining room table leg!
The dental treat below IS NOT RECOMMENDED!
Antos Antler Dog Chew
Please DO NOT feed these antler chews to your dog. I have seen first hand the damage that these very hard chews do to your dog’s teeth as dogs can fracture their molars when chewing them! I even had a Staffy with the strongest jaw who had a fractured and very painful molar from being given an antler chew, so not to give to your dog.
Rupert had crystals from eating Benevo
Rupert suffered from an extremely painful urinary tract infection and blood in his urine which ultimately led to him needing surgery
FREE TUB OF SUPPLEMENT for your help
If you have safely transitioned your dog from raw to a plant-based diet, please fill out our form to receive some FREE supplement and treats as a thank you!
New Year’s Intentions
We have chosen to share dear little Simba’s weight loss story and the advice given as it may echo your own experience
Vet Reflections Of 2020
They say that to be truly happy, you need to have gratitude and I have to end the year with thanks to these wonderful people (and dogs)
Wispa’s guilty pleasures
We live in a zero carbon house. Wispa seriously offsets our carbon savings!
Can I Afford A Vegan Diet?
We are so passionate about plant-based feeding in dogs, that we want to support you and hopefully make it affordable for you
Wonderful David Attenborough
When our future seems so precarious, we finally have hope for our fragile natural world with the very wise and passionate words of Sir David Attenborough
The kindest pet owner you can be
At this stressful time, our vet offers advice on being the kindest pet owner to your sensitive dog
Never use the word VEGAN!
Only by convincing vets that it is the way forward, will we together have any success as plant-based feeders of ensuring that it becomes a very viable and superior option to feeding our dogs
*The Top 10 Zoonoses In Your Home*
There are cases of dry food or treats (especially the raw hide treats and chews) causing transmission of diseases to people
Evidence Based Medicine
The meat-based fed control group showed 11 deficiencies while the long-term vegan fed category presented only two deficiencies
The Vit D3 and Vegan Dog Food Debate
Can vegan dog foods be classed as vegan in the UK with Vit D3 from lichen?
