Oragenics, Inc. Is a biopharmaceutical company that sent me a sample of “Teddy’s Pride,” a new all-natural probiotics breath freshened and teeth cleaner created just for cats and dogs. The company claims that daily use of their odorless, tasteless product provides a quick and simple way to clean teeth so that you can avoid teeth brushing and vet cleanings.

But how does it work? The company states that the active ingredient is “ProBiora3″ which is a probiotic. PrioBira3 binds to the teeth, and it’s beneficial bacteria prevents the destructive bacteria from staying in the mouth. As a result, the sulfur compounds that result in bad breath are directly reduced. It also reduces the bacteria that causes tooth stains.

Teddy’s Pride Oral Care was developed by Dr. Jeffrey Hillman (DMD and PhD), the Chief Scientific Officer for Oragenics. His 25 years of research taught him that good oral health is not as much about plaque and tarter as it is about the composition of the plaque and in maintaining a healthy balance of bacteria that live in the mouth:

“Biscuits and chew toys are often touted as promoting fresher breath…while other products claim to eliminate bacteria that cause pets to have bad breath. However, while these products may temporarily curb the side effect of unpleasant breath, they represent only short-term, topical solutions. The probiotics in Teddy’s Pride Pet Oral Care fight the bacteria that directly cause bad breath. Instead of simply scraping the plaque off of your pet’s teeth, the ProBiora3…address bad breath by reducing the bacteria known to cause bad breath and tooth stains.”

But would it work? Since Dash has moved out to my parents, I was unable to do a long term test on him. I did try it once mixed in with his food, and he refused to eat it so I wonder about the odorless/taseless claim. However, I thought I would try it out on my cat, Mabel, who has notoriously bad breath.

The product is a white powder that you just sprinkle on the food. Mabel ate it her food with no problem. Just once a day a little scoop into her wet food. She never knew the difference. I gave it a month and I noticed a significant reduction in her bad breath. I wasn’t sure about the whitening of her teeth, though, because I never really noticed whether she had stained teeth to begin with. I suspect she didn’t, since she is only 6 months old.

So, if your dog (or cat!) has bad breath, I recommend giving Teddy’s Pride a try, especially if you aren’t bruising your dog’s teeth. Good oral health care is vital to having a healthy pet. You can get Teddy’s Pride at http://www.teddyspride.com and at drugstore.com. It will be coming to the mass market this fall, so keep an eye out for it. Suggested retail price is $24.95 for a 60-day supply.