You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

There are a variety of different types of dog chew available and many of them claim to help prevent dental disease - but do they really ?

Under various codes of practice and legislation regarding advertising standards any claim that a product will improve dental health must be true or the advert is misleading and illegal. However the situation is much more complex than this because if a claim is made that a product treats or prevents a recognised dental disease eg gingivitis or periodontal disease, plaque or tartar build up - these are technically drug claims and the product should be licensed as such with the regulatory authorities.

Some dog chew products do have sound scientific studies to support their claims, but others rely on the general acceptance that the physical act of chewing alone helps to remove or prevent plaque or tartar build up on teeth. In the future it is likely that all such products will have to submit scientific test results to an independent authority to confirm that the statements are true - but what can you do in the meantime to be sure that you are not wasting your money on chews that are not actually helping your dogs teeth ?

• Read the supporting literature that comes with the dog chews. Reputable companies will usually make reference to the work that has been done to support their claims
• If there is no supporting reference quoted on the packaging write to the manufacturers and ask them to give you the references to the studies that have been performed to substantiate their claims. If they refuse to reply or are unable or unwilling to send you copies of the studies that they have done  you can safely assume that the work does not exist.
• Ask your veterinary practice to recommend chews, foods or other methods to help you keep your dogs teeth healthy

Finally, beware of dried dog chews because in Canada and the USA these have been implicated in an outbreak of Salmonella poisoning in people CLICK HERE for further information

Updated October 2013