Background and Aim: Pomegranate is known to possess antibacterial properties, partly because of its punicalagin content. However, its effect on canine oral bacterial species has not yet been elucidated. In this study, we evaluated the effect of pomegranate extract present in pet dental products on the growth and survival of five canine oral bacterial species in biofilms. Materials and Methods: Five bacterial species, Neisseria shayeganii, Neisseria canis, Porphyromonas gulae, Porphyromonas macacae, and Porphyromonas crevioricanis, were individually cultured for biofilm formation and exposed to pomegranate extract (or control) for 15 min. Cell survival was analyzed using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and was compared between different conditions using a student's t-test. In addition, the individual strains were grown in planktonic suspensions and exposed to serial dilutions of the extract to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration. Results: At a concentration of 0.035% w/v, the extract significantly reduced the survival of P. gulae (–39%, p < 0.001) and N. canis (–28%, p = 0.08) in biofilms. At similar concentrations, the extract also completely or partially inhibited the growth of N. canis and Porphyromonas spp. in planktonic suspensions, respectively. Conclusion: The pomegranate extract found in some pet dental products can limit bacterial growth and survival in the biofilms formed by N. canis and P. gulae in vitro. As P. gulae is involved in periodontal disease progression, limiting its proliferation using products containing pomegranate extract could contribute to disease prevention. Further studies on dogs receiving such products are necessary to confirm these effects.

Periodontal disease is one of the most common problems in veterinary practice. It begins with the formation of dental plaque, which then mineralises to form calculus. VeggieDent ® is a vegetable dental chew that has proven effective in the mechanical prevention of dental plaque and calculus in dogs. An important point to ensure proper owner compliance is the sufficient palatability of the dental chew. Long chewing times are necessary for the mechanical action required to clear food debris from the oral cavity. The first objective of this study was to assess the palatability of VeggieDent ® in dogs. The second objective was to measure chewing times.Two trials, A and B, were conducted in an independent research centre experienced in palatability trial performance. 38 and 35 healthy adult dogs of various breeds, manually verified for case inclusion and further data extraction on clinical management. Multivariable logistic regression was used for risk factor evaluation.The study population comprised 210,824 dogs attending 119 clinics. Verification of 31.5% of the candidate cases identified 854 PL cases overall, yielding a 1.30% (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22-1.39) prevalence overall. Breeds with the highest prevalence included the Pomeranian (6.4%, 95% CI 5.0-8.1), Yorkshire terrier (5.3%, 95% CI 4.8-5.8) and Chihuahua (4.8%, 95% CI 4.2-5.4). The crossbred prevalence was 1.2% (95% CI 1.1-1.3).Of the 751 incident cases first diagnosed during the study period, 28/751 (3.7%) were referred for further case management. Medical management was used in 293/751 (39.0%). Surgical intervention was recorded in 99/751 (13.2%). The median age at the first recorded surgery was 2.9 years (interquartile range [IQR] 1.5-5.6, range 0.4-13.1).Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified the These results identify some breeds with substantial PL prevalence, suggesting an opportunity to reduce the frequency of PL by improved breeding programmes. The proportions of affected dogs receiving medical and surgical management confirm that PL can have substantial welfare as well as financial implications.both males and females, were included in trial A and B, respectively. In trial A, mean body weight (BW) of dogs was 6.0kg [2.6-7.9] and each dog received one VeggieDent ® XSmall. In trial B, dogs received Small, Medium or Large sizes of VeggieDent ® if they weighed from 3 to 9.9kg (mean BW=6.4kg), 5.9 to 36kg (mean BW=19.3kg) and 17.8 to 39.5kg (mean BW=31.79kg), respectively. Two criteria were used to assess palatability: prehension and total consumption. Prehension was defined as the act of taking the product spontaneously into the mouth, independently of whether it was then consumed. Total consumption was defined as the act of swallowing more than 95% of the quantity of product offered. Chewing time was defined as the time during which the dog chewed the product.Prehension was noted in all dogs (38/38, 35/35), regardless of chew size. Total consumption was recorded for most animals, in all sizes (84%, 100%, 73% and 90% for XSmall...