Freya has reached the point in life where finding a dental chew she can actually eat is harder than it sounds.
At 10 years old, she has some pretty significant dental issues, including damaged teeth that would normally warrant dental work. Unfortunately, she also has heart disease, and right now her veterinarian feels that putting her under anesthesia would be too risky.
So, no, I am not ignoring my dog’s teeth. We’re stuck between two less-than-ideal options and following her vet’s recommendation.
The dental problems also mean that most traditional dental chews are out. They’re simply too hard for her to comfortably chew anymore. And, as you might imagine, damaged teeth don’t exactly give a dog minty-fresh breath.
That’s why I was interested in trying PupGum. It’s a daily dental chew designed to tackle plaque and bad breath using a combination of mechanical cleaning and ingredients including postbiotics, flaxseed and blue spirulina.
More importantly in Freya’s case, it’s softer than the dental chews we’ve tried in the past.
A daily dental chew made with postbiotics, flaxseed, blue spirulina and real turkey to help reduce plaque and freshen your dog’s breath. PupGum has a softer, easy-to-chew texture that’s especially nice for dogs who struggle with harder traditional dental chews.
What Is PupGum?
PupGum comes from Spot & Tango, the company best known for its fresh and UnKibble dog food. They already have a solid track record of making dog food with straightforward ingredients that dogs actually seem to enjoy, so PupGum feels like a pretty natural extension into the dental care side of things.
Despite the name, PupGum isn’t actually chewing gum. Your dog doesn’t need to chew it for 20 minutes and then politely dispose of it in a wrapper (although that would be impressive). It’s an edible daily dental chew available in different sizes based on your dog’s weight.
PupGum’s approach works in a few different ways. The ridged shape and flaxseed provide some physical cleaning action while your dog chews, while its postbiotic formula is intended to target bacteria associated with plaque and bad breath. Blue spirulina is included to support gum health, and real turkey provides the flavor.
The company also reports some pretty impressive results from its testing, including reductions in plaque-causing biofilms and volatile sulfur compounds, which contribute to bad breath. It’s worth putting those numbers in context, though. PupGum notes that some of its efficacy data comes from in-vitro testing, while its postbiotic ingredient was studied in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
In other words, there’s more going on here than simply covering up dog breath with something that smells better.
PupGum Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
What’s In PupGum?
The ingredient list was actually one of the things I liked most. Because of Freya’s heart disease and medications, I have to pay much closer attention to ingredients than I did when she was younger. Something being “natural” doesn’t automatically make it appropriate for every dog, either. I still check ingredients against her health issues and, when necessary, ask her veterinarian.
A few of PupGum’s key ingredients are worth looking at more closely.
Postbiotics: Unlike probiotics, which contain live microorganisms, postbiotics are compounds produced by microorganisms. PupGum uses its postbiotic ingredient specifically to target bacteria involved in plaque and bad breath.
Flaxseed: The flaxseed serves a more straightforward purpose here. Combined with the chew’s ridged texture, it helps provide gentle mechanical cleaning as your dog chews.
Blue spirulina: This is also what gives PupGum its rather distinctive blue color. Spirulina comes from blue-green algae, although the blue component is largely associated with a pigment called phycocyanin. Spirulina has been studied for a variety of potential nutritional and anti-inflammatory effects, including research in dogs, although that doesn’t mean every claimed benefit has been conclusively established.
Because Freya has heart disease, this was the ingredient I specifically asked her veterinarian about rather than making assumptions. She said the amount Freya would get from the small-dog PupGum was fine for her.
That’s an important distinction: it was fine for my dog based on her health history and the amount she was getting. If your dog has a serious medical condition or takes medications, it’s always worth checking unfamiliar supplements or functional ingredients with your own vet.
Turkey: And finally, there’s real turkey, which is probably the ingredient Freya cares most about. PupGum describes its turkey as human-grade.
Our Experience With PupGum
First and perhaps most importantly: Freya eats it. That shouldn’t be the highest bar in the world for a dog treat, but anyone who has ever purchased an expensive bag of dental chews only to have their dog sniff one and walk away knows otherwise.
Technically, Freya should be using the large-dog PupGum based on her weight. We have the small-dog version, though, and in our particular situation I actually prefer it.
The smaller size is much easier for her to manage with her damaged teeth. PupGum also has some give to it. I wouldn’t describe it as “soft” in the way you’d describe a soft training treat, but it’s noticeably softer and easier to chew than the traditional hard dental chews she can no longer handle.
I can also cut one in half if she’s having a bad tooth day. So far, though, she’s been able to chew the small ones without a problem.
Obviously, using a smaller chew means she’s not getting the same serving intended for a dog her size, so I wouldn’t expect the same results you might get when following the normal weight-based feeding guidelines.
For us, that’s a reasonable tradeoff. Something she can comfortably chew is more useful than the theoretically perfect dental chew sitting untouched in the bag.
Did PupGum Actually Improve Freya’s Breath?
Yes, with a fairly big caveat. Freya’s breath is bad because she has underlying dental problems. No chew is going to magically fix damaged teeth, nor should anyone expect one to replace veterinary dental care when that care is an option.
I wasn’t expecting PupGum to suddenly make her breath smell like she just left the dentist. It did, however, make a noticeable difference.
Her bad breath didn’t disappear completely, but it was significantly less offensive after she started eating PupGum regularly. Given what we’re working with, I consider that a pretty decent result.
I actually appreciate that result more than I would an artificial minty smell temporarily masking the problem. PupGum is designed to address some of the bacteria and biofilm associated with odor rather than simply perfume dog breath.
Again, it isn’t fixing the underlying reason Freya has bad breath. Nothing sold in a bag can do that. But it’s helping us manage it while we’re in a situation where traditional dental treatment isn’t currently considered safe for her.
Final Thoughts: Is PupGum Worth Trying?
For Freya, PupGum has filled a surprisingly specific gap. I needed something that she would willingly eat, that wasn’t too hard on her damaged teeth and that had ingredients I could reasonably evaluate around her existing health problems and medications.
Most importantly, I wanted something that might help with her breath even though I knew perfectly well that a dental chew couldn’t solve the underlying problem. PupGum checked those boxes.
I’m particularly happy with the texture. The fact that she can chew these comfortably makes them much more useful to us than harder dental chews, and being able to cut them into smaller pieces gives me another option if her teeth are bothering her.
And while PupGum certainly hasn’t erased every trace of Freya’s dental breath, I’ve noticed enough improvement that I can tell when she’s been getting them consistently.
For a dog without Freya’s dental problems, the standard weight-appropriate size makes the most sense. Our situation is a little different, which is why the small-dog version happens to work better for us.
No dental chew is going to replace brushing, veterinary exams or professional dental treatment when it’s needed and medically appropriate. But sometimes you’re dealing with an older dog where the ideal solution isn’t necessarily the available solution.
In our case, PupGum gives Freya something she can comfortably chew, she thinks she’s getting a treat, and her breath is noticeably better. I’ll take that as a win.
A daily dental chew made with postbiotics, flaxseed, blue spirulina and real turkey to help reduce plaque and freshen your dog’s breath. PupGum has a softer, easy-to-chew texture that’s especially nice for dogs who struggle with harder traditional dental chews.
