Thought I would add something to this category. Eli has a congenital heart defect. The vet won't do his teeth without an echocardiogrm before anestesia. I can't afford it. Have been using Prodent(?) Plaque Off, and lots of chew toys, and I must say, E's teeth look soooo much better! Once again, the vet is mad because I don't need to bring him in!

A good alternative for cleaning your dog’s teeth is a solution of vitamin C and water in a ratio of half teaspoon of vitamin C to a cup of water. An effective method for preventing tarter buildup and for maintaining clean teeth is giving your dog raw knuckle bones (the joints) from your local butcher or meat counter at the supermarket. They have tendons and muscle meat to provide a nice oral workout as well as a healthy amount of natural calcium. Your dog will enjoy a knuckle bone; will be content and relaxed while chewing and a little sleepy Supervise your dog to make sure it doesn’t swallow a large piece, leading to choking or digestive problems. Give your dog bones that are too large to swallow and NOT cooked. Cooked bones can splinter and cause mouth injury as well as intestinal problems. Do NOT give unthawed frozen bones which may possibly break your dog’s teeth. Raw carrots are a good substitute.

Thanks Jay. How do you use the Vitamin C solution? Do you put it in the water bowel, or brush the teeth with it?  Eli ALWAYS knows if I added something to the water bowel, and just won't drink from it until the substance is removed.  I do give bones now and then. It's a bit of a production, as E and his sister Dixie both have a bit of food agression when it comes to something special like a bone.  I also use Twistix, Texas toothpicks, munchy stix, dried sweet potato(they don't like that much), and, most recently, dried chicken feet. They look gross, but are all natural and made in the USA. Salmon skin rolls are also a favorite. I will try the bones again this weekend. I would like to do the dental cleaning, but don't want to do the echocardiogram. The vet is perplexed by this. E is doing so well, I just don't want to know if something is wrong.

 The vitamin C is used as a cleaning solution with a tooth brushing. You are on top of the game to know about the chicken feet, regardless how they look they will do wonders in keeping the teeth clean. If the vet does not see impending difficulty via stethoscope or through general observation and you are not going to put the dog through any extraordinary procedures derived from the testing information, I am with you there is no reason to do it except to give the vet the opportunity to cover all the procedural bases and charge a fee. Spend the money on chicken feet and knuckle bones and try to do some brushing at the gum lines. From here it seems you are one of those that is doing a wonderful job all around.

Thanks Jay, for all the encouraging words. E seems just fine. We do know that he has pulmonary stenosis diagnosed by ECHO as a puppy, when a vet heard a loud murmur via stethoscope. He does not require meds, and last ECHO 2 years ago was stable.  I was looking at E's teeth earlier today, and they really do look much better than a few months ago. His gums look pretty good too. I plan to keep up his supplements and chewy things, and increase my tooth brushing techniques. Hopefully, E won't need that cleaning any time soon.

I didn't know it's dangerous to give a frozen bones. Thank you!