This study followed on from the one above, and involved 104 dogs of different breeds and ages, suffering from chronic halitosis and manifesting at least one symptom among drooling, gingivitis, ulcers, stomatitis, laryngitis, tartar, dental caries, abscess, and lingual lesions.
Given that daily tooth brushing, which is considered the most reliable approach to remove plaque and in turn reduce the onset of gingivitis, periodontal disease, and oral malodor, is accomplished only by approximately 2% of pet owners, the researchers wanted to assess the efficacy of a commercially available nutraceutical diet .
What they found
Fed the diet (the same as in the first research study) for 30 days, halitosis significantly decreased as did drooling, gingivitis, ulcers, stomatitis, laryngitis, dental caries, abscesses, and lingual lesions. These results are in agreement to what was previously observed in dogs affected by chronic halitosis, achieving an overall and long-lasting improvement due to a significant reduction of methyl mercaptan, hydrogen sulfide, and dimethyl sulfide
Something to think about…
Along with gingivitis, ulcers, stomatitis, laryngitis, abscess, and lingual lesions, halitosis shares an overall inflammatory condition that can also be a consequence of a daily intake of contaminated food. In fact, the researchers recently identified the presence of an antibiotic (oxytetracycline), widely used in intensive farming that tends to bind bone of treated animals remaining fixed for long periods, causing inflammatory and cytotoxic phenomena… We hypothesise a role for oxytetracycline as a possible cause of the inflammatory condition that characterises halitosis, and that a diet deprived of such antibiotic may represent a valuable alternative to counteract such an unpleasant condition.
Canello, Sergio & Guidetti, Gianandrea & Di Cerbo, Alessandro & Cocco, Raffaella. (2018). Unraveling a Commercial Formula to Relieve Halitosis in Dogs. Journal of Applied Research in Veterinary Medicine