Toothbrushes for felines (Petrodex Finger Toothbrush)

Member Name: Tracy_1127

Product:	Petrodex Finger Toothbrush
Date:	20/04/09 (116 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: see review

Disadvantages: see review

My two boys (cats) are approaching 15 years old and as most people know this is the time, more so than previously, for dental issues. Both of them have eaten biscuits on a regular basis throughout their lives which helps keep the teeth clean but as animals get older it's a good idea to give them a helping hand with the teeth cleaning.

Now, finding a toothbrush that cats will accept is difficult. There are a couple of different kinds out there but I plumped for these finger toothbrushes by Petrodex. The reason I chose these over the others is because of the degree of control you can get with something that slides on your finger. You can tell how hard you are pressing and avoid being too harsh on their delicate little mouths.

Some people will, I'm sure, think sticking your fingers inside a cat's mouth is foolhardy at best! My two are a bit different to your average cat though and I have to go near their mouths every day to pop pills in there and with one I even use my finger on his teeth to keep his mouth open while I drop the pill in and he doesn't bite me so I have no fear of being near their mouths, they're used to it and so am I but I'm sure this isn't the case for alot of feline owners!

So I bought a two pack of these brushes for a mere £2.39 online. I also bought some enzyme toothpaste to use with them but you can use them with or without paste, NEVER human toothpaste though, animals must have their own type of toothpaste.

The brushes themselves are a pliable rubber and as you can see from the picture they are shaped to slide onto your finger with the bristles at the end on the pad of your finger. The bristles are also rubber and fairly soft which is a good thing as you can't overdo the brushing with them and hurt your cat and they last ages because the bristles don't wear down. They are red like the picture and I've never seen them in any other colour, not that it matters! I initialled each one so I knew which brush belonged to which lad, well we don't share toothbrushes so why should they?!

So onto the brushing. The first thing you're supposed to do is put one of these on and just hold it against your cat's teeth. No paste, no movement, just hold it there so they get used to that aspect. Once they accept that without a struggle you move onto light brushing and then eventually add the paste.

The first time I held these against my boy's teeth neither struggled and they just looked at me like I'd gone a bit loopy. I decided we could move onto brushing quickly so the next time we went for a quick brush. This is where they didn't like it so much!

It's difficult to get into a cat's mouth with your finger as their mouths aren't very big so you have to do the outsides of the teeth with their mouths pretty much closed and the inside surfaces of teeth require a wide open mouth so you need to crack on and not dither! It should take no longer than 30 seconds according to my vet so it's a swift event.

The outsides of my lads teeth were easiest to get to, although they squirmed and kept moving their heads I managed to do some light, circular brushing of these quite easily but they hate, and I mean hate, having the inside surfaces done and wriggle around constantly. You have to be careful to miss the tongue and the back of the throat so you don't make them gag too.

Although they didn't much like it, I never expected them to if I'm honest, I moved onto the enzyme paste after a few tries without. This they hated even more! The paste I got is like a gel consistency and you use a small pea size blob on the bristles then brush as you did without the paste.

The paste gets everywhere! When you have big male felines squirming and wriggling and turning their heads away you end up with paste on their cheeks, sometimes their bibs and naturally on your "mouth opening hand". It doesn't matter that it gets everywhere as once you're finished and you release your cat they will wash the paste off which helps with the teeth even without brushing so it's not a problem just an annoyance for your cat!

My vet suggested 3-4 brushing sessions a week with enzyme paste to avoid dental problems. We do manage this even though my lads have started to take cover if they see the brushes and paste come out! As it only takes 30 seconds each lad it's over in a jiffy and they quickly relax and forget about it afterwards, until the next time! They aren't hugely bothered by it, it doesn't upset them or I wouldn't do it. If your cat won't accept a brush you can just put enzyme toothpaste directly in their mouths or on a paw that they then wash and it helps a bit on its own.

As for how much these brushes work, we've not had any necessity for dental work (touch wood) and it leaves their breath nice and fresh if you use the paste and a definite sign these actually do remove bits of food trapped in the teeth is that I often find a bit of chicken or biscuit comes out on the brush so they do exactly as they promise.

The one downside, apart from my boys not being too keen on the procedure, is the paste collects at the base of the bristles after a few uses and the only way to get it clean in to brush it either with the other toothbrush or a scrubbing brush which obviously must not have any chemicals on it so a brush specially designated is best.

You can use these brushes on cats or dogs and it's best to start when they are young really, that way when they start to need the brushing they will already be used to it. You need to only use light pressure when brushing their teeth and it's best to also use an enzyme type toothpaste with the brushes.

I'd recommend these to any cat or dog owner, they do remove debris from in between the teeth and are long lasting as they are rubber and simple to use once you and your pet get used to them. However I'm sure my boys would not recommend them!

Summary: Highly recommended