Happi Doggy: fruity dental chews for dogs

By ALMA J. BUELVA

“Eat your vegetables,” says actor Will Smith to his German shepherd dog in the movie “I Am Legend”.

The line stuck to me ever since and taught me to include vegetables in my dogs' lunch or dinner. I also want them to eat fruits, except only apples mildly interest them.

But things can change after they have a taste of fruits in the form of dental chews called Happi Doggy. Available in fruity flavors of strawberry, apple, avocado and orange, Happi Doggy helps introduce fruits in a dog's diet (without them knowing it). Milk and mint flavors are also in the mix which, like the fruit flavored ones, are designed to give dogs a health boost while cleaning their teeth and gums.

We tested Happi Doggy on four dogs: a labrador, a beagle, a chihuahua and an aspin to see how they would like it. All four are used to gnawing on meaty bones, rawhide bones and other types of chew treats.

The first positive sign we looked for was in the dogs' level of interest at seeing and smelling something different. The excitable nature of the labrador and aspin canceled out any conclusive finding in this department, but the beagle's reaction, with its highly-sensitive sense of smell, conveyed that it was picking up something that didn't conform to her concept of a chewable treat. 

The chihuahua eyed the Happi Doggy chew stick with suspicion and, after much ado, decided it's too big for her and gave it the cold shoulder.

Each Happi Doggy chew is packed in a colorful bag that corresponds to its flavor. Because dogs apparently can only see shades of gray, yellow and blue, it's safe to surmise that Happi Doggy's vividly colored packaging are made for humans, not dogs. I know because that's what pulled me to check them out the first time I saw this product.

But we're not judging this product by its cover. Dogs are after its taste so we pulled each and every flavor of Happi Doggy out of their bags and all hell broke loose, so to speak.

The beagle hoarded three in her mouth, the aspin ran away with the mint flavor (good choice, he needed a breath freshener!), the labrador ate the rest, including the rest of the milk flavored Happi Doggy that the chihuahua earlier snubbed.

These dogs are “foodies” and know the good stuff. Documenting how they reduced the flexible and rubbery Happi Doggy dental chews to bits until there were no more took only a few minutes. Clearly, they like it and it's a big plus that an apple Happi Doggy a day could keep the vet away!

THE BEAGLE'S HOARDING HABIT KICKED IN AT THE SIGHT OF THE FRUITY DENTAL CHEWS.

Happi Doggy dental chews are supposed to benefit dogs by:
* giving them strong teeth and healthy gums
* freshening their breath, whitening their teeth and preventing plaque buildup
* helping improve their coats and
* providing dogs with additional source of vitamins and minerals, Omega 3 and 6

Animal doctors say pet dental disease, if left unchecked, could cause pets much pain and damage to internal organs. Bad breath, yellowed teeth, missing or loose teeth, swollen and bleeding gums are symptoms of periodontal diseases. The aspin, who was rescued from the street, had some blood stains on his dental chew, a definite red flag that regular tooth brushing and serving of Happi Doggy hopefully could address.

Happi Doggy is a product of Singapore and is sold here in pet supply outlets such as those in Tiendesitas, at Pet Express branches and at Paws Hotel and Boutique branches. One can also order Happi Doggy dental chews from Lazada.com and have them home delivered.

Most shops would sell each dental chew for P50, but Lazada's price could be a little higher to cover delivery cost.

Shelf life of an unopened Happi Doggy is about a little over a year. Once opened, it's best to keep it in a ziplock or airtight container and refrigerate.

As for the chihuahua, she later nibbled contentedly at some specially cut pieces of Happi Doggy.

Here's a little video of our dog testers enjoying their Happi Doggy dental chews.