Colgate Savacol

[bingo]

Hi there just wondering if anyone's had experience using colgate savacol as a cheaper more readily available alternative to Mavlab dental spray gel or Virbac hexarinse?

[Stitch]

I have only tried the Virbac one on one of my dogs.

When I found out the active ingredient was a low grade poison to dogs I decided not to continue with it, even though it must be pretty safe for them to sell it. I love my girl to bits and I don't want to take any risks with her has she has ongoing gut problems.

My dog also wasn't keen on drinking the water with it in it, and she doesn't drink alot in the first place so I decided that the dog knew best!!

Now I give her Nylabones to chew which she loves (first dog I have had that likes them) PLUS the thing that made the biggest difference was to give her a course of Angels Eyes.

It really made a BIG difference to the type of bacteria in her mouth which really lessened the tartar build up and so eliminated the bad breath.

Having said all that, and if you really want to give the dog something to rinse its mouth with, I think that a spray on would have to be the easiest and most effective way of doing it.

[bingo]

I have only tried the Virbac one on one of my dogs.

When I found out the active ingredient was a low grade poison to dogs I decided not to continue with it, even though it must be pretty safe for them to sell it. I love my girl to bits and I don't want to take any risks with her has she has ongoing gut problems.

My dog also wasn't keen on drinking the water with it in it, and she doesn't drink alot in the first place so I decided that the dog knew best!!

Now I give her Nylabones to chew which she loves (first dog I have had that likes them) PLUS the thing that made the biggest difference was to give her a course of Angels Eyes.

It really made a BIG difference to the type of bacteria in her mouth which really lessened the tartar build up and so eliminated the bad breath.

Having said all that, and if you really want to give the dog something to rinse its mouth with, I think that a spray on would have to be the easiest and most effective way of doing it.

Thanks for the reply and useful input the active ingredient hexarinse by Virbac is called chlorhexadine which is commonly used in veterinary clinics with many different useful applications. It's widely used as an effective antibacterial in various pet products like medicated shampoos, oral preparations and disinfectants. I haven't done much reading in to it's potential harmful side affects no doubt they exist but due to it's wide use and varied applications I'm not too concerned. Virbac also makes another dental preparation your supposed to add to their drinking water called Aquadent which I think may be the one your speaking of I too was quite shocked read that the active ingredient was xylitol which is a sugar alcohol sweetener that if consumed in too high concentrations can cause potentially life threatening hypoglycemia in your dog. Since owning my pups I've also come across many other dangerous additives used in pet products and cant really understand why safer alternatives aren't used. Also on the topic of dangerous additives and dental products can anyone tell me why so many pet toothpastes have tee tree oil and fluoride in them. I went to the pet shop the other day and it wasn't even possible to get some with out one or the other I guess the manufacturers assume the likely benefits will out way the potential harmful side affects which to me is completely unethical when you consider that there supposed to be specialty pet products for which a premium is paid it's hard enough as it is keeping pet healthy or caring for them when ill or injured with out being undermined by the people who produce the products to treat them.

[anniek]

I use savacol as suggested by my vet - the one in the white bottle (no alcohol). I wrap a a bit of cloth around my index finger, dip it in, then rub around the gum line.

Chlorhexadine is the 100% ingredient - vets use it as a topical disinfectant.