Greenies Canine Dental Chews is the first brand of pet treats to receive the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) Seal of Acceptance for both plaque and tartar control.
As with the ADA seal on human toothpastes and toothbrushes, the VOHC seal provides confirmation of efficacy of the product, the organization said. It indicates that the product has met or exceeded the preset VOHC standards of efficacy in reducing dental plaque and/or tartar.
The VOHC's product testing protocols are similar to those of human medical trials that use a control and test group.
For dental treat trials in dogs, for example, both groups utilize dogs with clean teeth that are fed a dry food diet, while only one group gets a daily dental treat. Plaque and tartar buildup are measured after 30 days and, if the test group shows significantly cleaner teeth, the seal is awarded to that treat.
"There are a variety of pet treats and foods that claim to clean teeth, but not all products provide significant benefit," said Jan Bellows, a veterinary dentist and president-elect of the American Veterinary Dental College, the administrator of the VOHC. "The VOHC seal confirms a product is efficacious in reducing buildup of plaque and tartar."
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