Neelix the dog, as well as being the world's greatest dog, is something of a gap-toothed gypsy. His teeth are in a shockingly poor state which has largely been caused by neglect in puppy and adolescent years combined with a wet food diet (before I got him). As soon as he came to live with me I got him on to a mainly dry, high quality diet and took him to the doggy dentist to assess the damage. The results weren't good: on his first visit he had to have quite a few teeth out with some being so rotten that the vet was able to simply pull them out by hand. On subsequent visits he's had to have a couple more out each time. It's all done under anaesthetic so he's not in too much pain, but still, it's unpleasant for him and I'd rather he had as little anaesthesia as possible. To that end, and on the vet's recommendation, I bought some of this Logic toothpaste.


~*~Why should you brush a dog's teeth?~*~

Admittedly, you do feel a bit daft the first few times you do it, but it's worth persevering. For a start, poor dental health can cause sore and bleeding gums. Obviously, this is no fun for your pooch but it can also mean that bacteria from the mouth is introduced to the bloodstream which can weaken the heart. Aside from that, you'll notice a definite improvement in your dog's breath if you do it regularly and it may prevent huge vet's dental bills (I speak from experience: it would've been cheaper to take Neelix to my dentist and have him fitted with a set of false gnashers).


~*~How should you brush a dog's teeth?~*~

It's best to start this in puppyhood and reward the dog with lots of praise. Little and often is a good idea, gradually building up to brushing all the teeth in one go. Most vets' will sell little plastic toothbrushes that are designed to fit over your finger which you may find makes things easier; personally I opt for a child's toothbrush that I clean in boiling water on a regular basis.


~*~Why Logic?~*~

It seems to work and Neelix quite likes the taste of it. Neelix tolerates having his teeth brushed under sufferance but makes it pretty clear that he doesn't particularly enjoy the experience. When I asked in the vets' if there were any alternatives the only product they had on offer was a supplement that is added to the drinking water. This seemed like a much better proposition until one of the veterinary nurses confided that it supposedly tastes quite bitter and most dogs will avoid drinking their water because they don't like the taste. Neelix already drinks puddles with gusto any time we're out and he's been known to take the odd cheeky chug out of the toilet, so I didn't want to buy anything that would discourage him from drinking out of his own bowl. Aside from all that, this product is also suitable for cats and all two of my kitties will eat it straight from the tube while the third will lick it off his paws. Obviously trying to encourage cats to have their teeth brushed is to take your life in your hands, but Logic claim that just ingesting the stuff is still beneficial as it mixes with the animal's saliva and prevents tartar build up. Whilst this seems like a lot of marketing hype, having used the stuff a fair bit I can understand the claim: the toothpaste has a thick, gelatinous quality and I can imagine it really would adhere to the surface of the teeth effectively.


~*~Where to buy~*~

Most vets' surgeries seem to have it in stock, but it's often priced way over the odds. Much better prices are to be found online if you don't mind searching back and forth between various pet websites. It can usually be bought for between £10 and £12.


~*~Any negatives?~*~

The smell isn't terribly noticeable, but a close-up whiff reveals that it isn't overly pleasant. The animals seem to like it, which is the main thing, but if you get it on your hands it's a bit sticky and meaty. There seems to be a lot of residue which gets crusted on the tube and around the lid and it can make cleaning the toothbrush out a bit fiddly but those are pretty minor gripes really.