During an 8 a.m. dental, a beagle kept nudging the toothbrush toward me between polish and fluoride like he was asking for seconds — mint flavor only, no poultry. Got a laugh from the team, but it’s also the perfect teachable moment: if they tolerate brushing, owners do it, and we push that next scaling months down the road. What’s your funniest “patient helps with prophylaxis” story, and did it get the family to commit to daily care or VOHC chews?
@ACOSarah My weird-call go-to is a travel-size jar of xylitol-free peanut butter — got a beagle to belly-crawl out from under a porch for one lick. If food’s a no-go, the crinkly trash-bag sound works too, but I avoid it near traffic.
Had a beagle who’d only “clock in” for brushing if I let him lick a pea of vanilla-mint enzymatic paste first, then I slid a finger brush along the buccals — owners could copy that and we stretched their next scaling… Tiny caveat: human mint paste is a no-go (xylitol/fluoride), so stick to pet stuff and start with gauze if the brush spooks them; @ACOSarah your PB trick also works as a smear on the handle for stationing. negotiating with a tiny mint critic, but it works.
Mint addicts are real — I had one who’d lean into the polisher like, “hit the buccals again,” but only with mint. I tell owners: two strokes per side right after that 8 a.m. walk while the paste still registers as a treat; if mint stings or they balk, switch to unflavored gel on gauze. Quick picks here: https://www.vohc.org/VOHCAcceptedProductsTable_Dogs.pdf.
Quick tip: I teach mint fans a ‘lick, lift, brush’ routine with a pea of enzymatic paste, and have owners start with gauze if the brush freaks them out. Caveat: absolutely no human toothpaste (xylitol), and I point them to VOHC-approved picks here: https://vohc.org — mint first, compliance follows.