Oratene Oral Gel

Love this gel! I bought it a couple of months ago but was afraid to use it consistently on my elderly cat. I just didn't want to stress her out or bog down her kidneys. If you have an elderly pet you understand. She's very independent so any effort to assist her in her daily care is a huge battle. However, I noticed she's been eating tenderly and her breath is RANK, and I was worrying about periodontal disease and about stressing her by taking her to the vet at her age, so I took the dive. I've been giving her this gel consistently, once a day for about a week, and already I can see a difference in how she handles the food in her mouth, and I also notice she eats more frequently and doesn't shy away from food as much. I also noticed she's gaining a bit of weight and is even more energetic. Her rank breath smells less like something rotting, and more like fish now. The fish breath isn't pleasant, but it's a HUGE improvement. I am so happy! I know it's having a good effect from her mouth all the way to her insides. She's petite (about 6lbs and small frame) so I use about 1/3rd dose as what is recommended and she is doing really well with it. I don't know how it tastes, but I know my cat doesn't like it. Fortunately it's applied to the gums just under the lips and not on the tongue, so she doesn't fly into a rage over the flavor immediately. The gel is clear and smells like a dental office, or like a brand new shirt you bought at a department store before you wash it. Also, because of being primarily right handed, I often accidentally apply slightly more on one side of her mouth than the other, and the side with the greater application seems to be developing whiter teeth. It's a slight difference so I'm not sure how accurate this is, but I am PRETTY sure her teeth had been a little darker on that side before using the gel. If you have any struggles brushing your pet's teeth or are concerned about tartar/dental issues, I 100% recommend this product. It should definitely be one of the things you try along the way to help your cat live a better life. Pros -It seems to whiten teeth/remove tartar -the smell isn't unbearable -the tube tip is narrowed so with larger animals I think you could probably insert the tube tip directly under the lip along the gumline to apply. (wouldn't work for smaller animals) -reasonable price -a little goes a long way -doesn't seem to overload the system or kidneys of an elderly cat (assuming the dosage is reduced) Cons -cats don't like the flavor (it might be more the gummy consistency they don't like, hard to tell) -packaging gives one blanket dosage on the back, which I think is geared toward dogs. Have to play around with the dosage for smaller animals and hope it's right. -For small cats, you have to apply the gel with your finger so as not to poke their gums.

I adopted a 5-yr-old male cat in April. He was diagnosed with feline stomatitis at the first visit to the vet. Red inflamed gum (especially in the back), stinky breath, excessive drooling (often blood-tinged) are the primary symptoms. We switched to primary wet cat food at the vet's advice as chewing hard dry food tend to cause the sensitive gum to tear and bleed. The chronic oral infection also causes the white blood cell count to be high and red blood cell count to be low, which explains why his nose, lips/gum, and paws are not as rosy pink and why he is not as energetic as should be at his age. We are lucky the blood test comes back negative on all viruses. Ever since he had a steroid shot once and oral antibiotics twice. We have been giving him L-Lysine (at the vet's recommendation) to boost his immune system, and also been using CET oral rinse applied on a wet cosmetic wedge to wipe clean his lips/sides of gum, CET toothpaste rubbed using a finger on his teech and gum (toothbrush often causes bleeding to his senstive gum), Petzlife gel (regular flavor) rubbed to both sides of teeth/gum. The Petzlife gel does help with the plaque and the bad breath, but it works only marginally in controlling the blood-tinged drooling. I stumbled on the Biotene products on Amazon and it comes highly rated by pet owners who are in a similar situation. The product arrived well-packaged in about 3-4 business days in CA from Entirelypets. The drooling is cut down significantly after only 3 applications. I use a clean finger to rub 1/4 inch of gel to each side of the upper/lower gum. He does not mind the taste of gel. (with Petzlife gel, I struggle to apply it each time). It is the most effective product so far to treat the symptons of feline stomatitis, perhaps even better than the antibiotics, which was not effective controling the drooling. However, he breath is still bad and he still drools a bit overnight. I am supposed to use the gel for 5-7 days twice daily and switch to the Biotene maintenance gel. I will likely give the maintenance gel a try when my CET toothpaste runs out. But I will continue to use the Petzlife gel every 2-3 days just to keep the bad breath and tartar build up in check. My cat has gained almost 1 pound since May. He also started grooming himself again (he didn't groom when he first found us). He just stinks a little because of his stinky saliva. :-) I wish I knew about this product earlier. 11/8/2012 update The gel seems less effective after a few days. I wasn't sure if it is safe to use on a long term basis so I reduced the frequency to once a day (before going to bed) as his drooling is worst overnight. Back to the frustration of trying to manage the symptoms of feline stomatitis. I read on the Virginia Veterinary Dentistry about brushing teeth using oral rinse containing germicide. I now apply the CET oral rinses using cleaned fingertip on both sides of the gum before his breakfast and the same time wipe clean the drooling using a wet cosmetic wedge with CET rinse. He appears to be much more comfortable after the routine.

One of our cats had a gouge out of the side of his gum which wasn’t healing for a long time. We took him to the vet and they said to just let it heal and if it didn’t, they would do a cleaning and maybe pull the tooth next to it. I don’t like putting our cats under if we can avoid it, so I gave it another two weeks. The spot didn’t get worse, but it didn’t get better, so I looked around and found this product. Actually, I found the Oratene enzyme toothpaste, used it for two weeks with a little improvement, and then realized I should have gotten this one. This Oretene is stronger and more runny, but it really works. I used it for about ten days and then switched back to the toothpaste. Since we started, it’s been about 6 weeks and the spot on his gum is much, much better. I’m probably going to use this one for another ten days soon and then keep using the toothpaste continuously after. His breath is a lot better, too, and the redness on his gum line next to his teeth farther back has also calmed down. Anyway, if you buy this, be aware it is kind of runny, not as gel-like as the toothpaste and the flavor doesn’t seem to bother my cat. I mean, he’s not happy I’m sticking my finger in his mouth, but he doesn’t throw a fit during or after application.

I must say I am pleasantly surprised by this product. I bought it because I was told by my vet that my sick elderly cat was currently too sick to have a dental cleaning done but that she had what appeared to be resorption lesions on her back teeth. I bought this to try and make sure she had no pain until she was well enough to be put under anesthesia to have the dental work done. After using twice a day for just a few days I felt a bit of sharpness when applying it at the gumline today. After taking a look in her mouth I was able to see where the tooth meets the gum and there is actually tarter covering the tooth but melting away from the gumline. I had read reviews that people were saying it was removing the plaque and tarter from their pet's teeth. I did not even realize my cat had such bad tarter build-up, she just had a cleaning and polishing less than 2 years ago and only eats dry kibble. The vet was not able to take a really good look because cats do not care to sit and hold their mouth open for a good look. I am glad she was mistaken because it prompted me to purchase this product. I am fairly certain if it can remove tarter it should also help prevent it from even forming after it is gone as well as keep the mouth healthy by preventing bacteria. The best aspect of this gel is that you do not have to brush, just simply slide your finger into the side of your pets mouth and gently run your finger across the gum line. I do one side in the morning and the other side at night. I have only been focusing on the top teeth but will start switching it up to get the bottom teeth/gums. The product says use 5-7 days, I am not sure if I can use it longer as a maintenance; I will most likely contact the company to ask or just switch to the brushless toothpaste and hope it works just as well. I had considered the water additive they make to avoid even having to mess with her mouth at all but I use a filtered water fountain and I believe it would just filter out the enzymes. It is nice to find a product that actually works without harsh chemicals.

Within three days my cat's sore and bleeding gum was a healthy pink! Miracle product! Highly recommend! My beautiful Persian cat is a happy boy again! I was washing my cat's face and mouth one day and he jolted. I examined his molar and saw that his gum was inflamed by that tooth and even bleeding a little! I looked online and saw the ingredient chlorhexidine in this product. It's a potent antiseptic and disinfectant. After several days, this product did the trick! Whew! Thank you!

I gave this a three cause I did not receive Biotene antiseptic oral gel. I received their new packing and formula. I specifically ordered from this vendor cause it said Biotene in the description. I knew the name changed but thought I was getting the last of the old formula. I still have the old formula left and see the ingredients are slightly different. I don't have the package in front of me at this time but I think the order in the ingredients have changed so you don't know if it will work the same. I gave a 3 for not telling me I wasn't going to be getting the original Biotene. Time to change the pic and description to fit the true product. I came back to answer a question on ingredients and wanted to edit my review. I bought this in Nov 2013 but didn't need to use it till now in Feb 2014. It seemed to work like the original Biotene on my dog, Her gums get inflamed every so often and the inflammation seemed to go away. I liked the original and so far this one Oratene seemed to work great. Still wish they would change the pic and name or at least tell you you will get "Oratene" which ingredients are slightly different. No other complaints with vendor as it came promptly.

UPDATE*** Absolutely fabulous results. Real buyer. My kitten had a real serious problem with bad breathe and ulcers all around her mouth. She is healed fully! We are using every other day for maintenance! My 7 month old baby kitten has a red spot on her lip. I noticed it immediately but she never once seemed to be uncomfortable so I didn’t give it much thought. A few weeks went by and I thought “whew you are stinky,” and realized she had a swollen lip. I examined her and found ulcers all inside her mouth. I felt terrible. I immediately started doing some research. She doesn’t seem to have any of the symptoms of other cats so I assumed this is a one time occurrence. I started my search for a home remedy instead of calling the vet immediately simply bc it was late in the evening on a weekend. I thought there has to be something I can buy over the counter to keep her comfortable until we can be seen. The reviews really sold me on this product. The bad breathe and ulcer comments really lead me to buy. It came in the same day so that was really helpful. My kitty is small and hyper active so I did have to hold her down apply the cream with a q-tip. The first time did not go well. I felt so bad, thinking it was burning or stinging her. After 24 hours I immediately saw the swelling go down and the redness become more pink. So I did this routine twice a day for two days. Then on the third day, my kitty laid down for me and let me apply the cream to her directly. She was calm and almost happy I was doing it. She knows I am trying to help her and she is feeling better. It has been five days now and her ulcers have started to scab over on her lip and the inside of her mouth, the swelling is gone. The ulcers are reduced by 80%. This is my best guess so far. After a few more applications I anticipate the ulcers and bad breathe to be gone. I will continue to use this product for maintenance. The pictures are of the discoloration but it’s actually healing quite nicely. She is so precious. Taking the photos did not disturb her or harm her in anyway.

I've been using this product for several years now ever since my kitty had many teeth removed. He's going on 17 and I don't want to put him through the stress of having whatever teeth he still has cleaned, besides the cost so I continue to use this and it seems to work well for him. Instead of directly wiping it across his gums and few teeth, I put a dab on his paw. So far, so good. He's a happy kitty.