Dental caries are very rare in dogs (but they CAN get caries)! Though I bet you brush your teeth more often than you do your dog’s. Then why are caries that rare in our canine companions?

It’s because of a biochemical difference in our saliva. Human saliva contains an enzyme, amylase, that brakes down starch into glucose molecules. Digestion of this complex carbohydrate therefore already starts in the mouth.

This is not the case in your dog as there is no amylase in dog saliva. So starch just passes on and gets broken down later. No glucose molecules are formed in the dog’s mouth.

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