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There are numerous treats/chews available for passive home care. The original and most common are the biscuit‐style treats. Plain biscuits have not been shown to aid in the reduction of periodontal disease (Roudebush et al. 2005). A better choice appears to be biscuits coated with hexametphosphate (HMP), though there are studies that support as well as question their efficacy (Stookey et al. 1996; Logan et al. 2000).

Over the last few years, several new edible treats have been brought to market, with varying efficacies. Many of the relevant studies are unpublished, but there are several products with VOHC approval in this class.^23,24,25

The most prevalent and proven products of this type are the rask and rawhide chews (Lage et al. 1990; Hennet et al. 2006) (Figure 5.12). These work like tartar‐control diets, with the abrasives cleaning the tooth surface, but additionally may include calcium chelators or other substances to further increase their antiplaque efficacy (Warrick 2001). The addition of CHX to rawhide chews was found to further decrease plaque accumulation, but not gingivitis level (Rawlings et al. 1998; Brown and McGenity 2005). Of the products available, only a handful^{26,27,28,29,30} have been shown to decrease periodontal disease markers (Gorrel et al. 1999; Gorrel and Bierer 1999; Warrick et al. 2001; Brown and McGenity 2005; Mariani et al. 2009; Stookey 2009; Clarke et al. 2011; Quest 2013). A new chew‐based treat³¹ has data to support plaque and calculus control and has been shown to decrease halitosis. This same product contains an antiplaque agent,³² which may provide some protective effect on the canine and incisor teeth.

Figure 5.11 Hill’s Dental Care T/D diet for dogs and cats.

Figure 5.12 Dental treats/chews must be attractive for pets.

One important point to remember is that many chew treats that claim to help control dental disease are very hard in texture. The chewing of these products may (and often does) result in tooth fracture. A good rule of thumb is that if you cannot make an indentation into the product with your fingernail, it is too hard (Niemiec 2013). Also, just because a product is effective for dental disease does not necessarily mean it is safe. For this reason, VOHC describes the risk of tooth fracture caused by chew treats, and recommends that companies provide mechanical testing results (Figure 5.13).

Figure 5.13 With bones or very hard chews, there is danger of (a) breaking the teeth or (b) trapping pieces of bone between them.