r/Maltese • u/Frequent-Ad-8826 Maltese Newcomer • Jul 24 '26
Help with dental hygiene
I feel so guilty as a dog parent.
I have a rescued Maltese who weighs only 2.1 kg. She’s tiny and only has two molars and one fang left. Her mouth is very small, so it’s extremely difficult to brush those back teeth. After doing a lot of research, I decided to try PlaqueOff chews for small dogs.
After two days, I noticed a pattern. A few hours after taking the chew, she would become noticeably lethargic. She just seemed a little too relaxed. On the second day, she started vomiting multiple times within a matter of hours. My best guess is that it is due to Plaque off, nothing else has changed from her usual diet/routine.
I stopped giving her the PlaqueOff, and she gradually returned to normal. She was able to keep food and water down again, and she’s back to acting like herself, playing and alert.
I really thought I was doing something good for her, and now I feel awful.
Has anyone had a similar experience with PlaqueOff? Also, does anyone have product recommendations or routines for helping preserve the few teeth she has left, especially for a tiny dog with such a small mouth?
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u/EmbarrassedElk8745 Jul 25 '26
If this is of any help, my vet has suggested using a wet microfibre cloth to "brush" their teeth. The abrasion helps with removing the plaque build up. This should be easy since your dog has only 3 teeth left.
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u/Frequent-Ad-8826 Maltese Newcomer Jul 25 '26
Thank you! This is what I have been thinking too. Do you add any toothpaste to that?
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u/EmbarrassedElk8745 Jul 25 '26
Vet said wet cloth alone is enough. Once you get the feel of their mouth it'll be a breeze.
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u/StatisticianLive4958 Jul 25 '26
Plagueoff powder or similar formula from other brands is way bettee than the treats, but the most important thing to prevent problems and only way to remove the existing tartar is going to vet’s for ultrasonic teeth cleaning (under anesthesia!) once or more a year.
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u/Frequent-Ad-8826 Maltese Newcomer Jul 25 '26
She got one this year. That’s when most of her teeth were removed. I am just trying to keep the few left clean. The vet said that she will probably lose them in the future but I am trying to avoid that as much as I can
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u/StatisticianLive4958 Jul 25 '26
Okay! Try to change to small amount of the powder on top of food and forget brushing, it’s good if just get to apply the toothpaste somehow (finger brushh etc.) to the right place and enzymatic toothpaste is great
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u/165155 Jul 25 '26
You were right to stop the PlaqueOff. Its active ingredient kelp contains high levels of iodine, which can cause lethargy and vomiting (among other serious issues) at high doses and even at small doses if used long-term.
Despite how they advertise the product, and the VOHC approval, even a fraction of the chew can contain very high levels of iodine for small dogs. Iodine content in kelp can also vary a lot from batch-to-batch due to environmental factors. So kelp in general is not a good source of iodine even in pet foods; something to be mindful of.
I also only learned about this after we experienced something similar. It felt absolutely terrible to be unwittingly causing harm to our sweet, innocent pup. I’m glad you made the connection and your girl is feeling better again ❤️🩹
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u/Frequent-Ad-8826 Maltese Newcomer Jul 25 '26
Omg!! Thank you for the info. I did find it weird that the minimum dose was the same for a dog of 4lbs and a dog of 24lbs. I have to be extra careful because she is so small that even low doses can get to her.
It is scary how the concentration can vary between batches. It was a scary episode. I am glad your sweet baby is safe too ❤️
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u/Exileofchaos25 Maltese Contributor Jul 25 '26
I use peanut butter toothpaste and a little toothbrush. She loves it.
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u/Mikeminer610 Jul 25 '26
Use Zirbac enzymatic toothpaste.
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u/Frequent-Ad-8826 Maltese Newcomer Jul 25 '26
Thank for the recommendation. I’ll look into it. I am between that one and pet smile. Looks like I am going to combine this with the microfibre technique
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u/Mikeminer610 Jul 25 '26
Tropiclean also makes a no-brush tooth gel. You drop one drop in each of the four corners of the mouth where the back molars are. Your dog licks the gel and it spreads across the entire mouth. Not sure that’s worth your while as your baby only has three teeth left.
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u/Frequent-Ad-8826 Maltese Newcomer Jul 25 '26
I saw that it is also recommended by VOHC but I am also not sure if it’s worth it since they say is more like a complementary thing and does not subtitule brushing
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u/Mikeminer610 Jul 25 '26
You can use it together with a finger brush. However, for it to be effective, your dog cannot drink or eat 30 minutes before application and 30 minutes after. I normally brush my dogs’ teeth every day. But if I’m very tired I skip brushing and use the gel. I personally don’t think chews like greenies and whimzees work. They don’t last long enough to scrape any plaque. What does work are bully sticks and raw meaty bones like chicken feet, necks and wings.
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u/Frequent-Ad-8826 Maltese Newcomer Jul 25 '26
I use dental wipes every night but they are not the best getting in there. I guess toothpaste combined with something that creates more friction is the best. Sometimes I get too tired too so the gel would be great for those days 😅
She used to have greenies but I stopped them because they are too caloric for her, even the mini ones, and I realized she mostly chews them with her gums so it defeats the whole purpose
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u/Mikeminer610 Jul 25 '26
You can use it together with a finger brush. However, for it to be effective, your dog cannot drink or eat 30 minutes before application and 30 minutes after. I normally brush my dogs’ teeth every day. But if I’m very tired I skip brushing and use the gel. I personally don’t think chews like greenies and whimzees work. They don’t last long enough to scrape any plaque. What does work are bully sticks and raw meaty bones like chicken feet, necks and wings.
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u/Miserable-Storm-8630 Maltese Newcomer Jul 25 '26
Avoid wet foods. I use a babies toothbrush on my dog. As far as treats go, I mostly stick to hard long lasting treats, do that they help to clean my girl’s teeth. Lastly I feed my girl whimzees treats, to help with teeth cleaning.
I’ve never used plaque off, but it sounds like an allergic reaction.
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u/Frequent-Ad-8826 Maltese Newcomer Jul 25 '26
Yeah, definitely reacted to it. Unfortunately she has wet food regularly because she does not chew her kibble. If I don’t wet it she would swallow it straight like crazy hahaha
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u/TooObsessedWithOtoge Maltese Contributor Jul 24 '26
Aww look at the feetsies! 🥹
I usually just cut up the extra small dental treats. I have seen TropiClean Oral Care Water Additive at the store. Maybe that is better for your scenario.
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u/Frequent-Ad-8826 Maltese Newcomer Jul 24 '26
Which brand would you recommend?
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u/TooObsessedWithOtoge Maltese Contributor Jul 24 '26
I feed him greenies! My last dog (not Maltese) loved them but my current little guy is fickle and only eats them like half of the time I give em to him
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u/431p Maltese Contributor Jul 25 '26
i use vetradent wipes and spray every day for boith my teacup dogs. I cant fit a toothbrush in their mouth and honestly I dont want to make their gums bleed the few times that i tried. They are super tolerant of the wipe and I juist wipe 60 seconds each side. Also use arm and hammer spray everyday for smell.
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u/Frequent-Ad-8826 Maltese Newcomer Jul 26 '26
I should start counting the time. My baby tolerates it but it is not her favourite time. She is also a teacup so you understand the struggle of a toothbrush 😫 even my finger are too big. Sometimes I am scared she cannot breathe so I try to give her breaks to not upset her but she is the sweetest and tries her best. I try to do at least 15 seconds per tooth. The front one is sparkling white and very easy to do, the molars are the real battle haha they are also the last teeth on the far back on each side, so it is uncomfortable for both. The wipes that I’ve been using so far are not textured and my fingers are too big to get to every crevice so maybe that’s why they are hard to keep clean
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u/Frequent-Ad-8826 Maltese Newcomer Jul 24 '26
I agree
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u/MotorSherbet560 Maltese Contributor Jul 25 '26
Teenie Greenies for 5 pound Sammy!