This year’s Dental Care Month in June will be the most ambitious yet and is set to benefit thousands of dogs by raising awareness of oral health issues.
Pedigree will be supporting Dental Care Month with a £2.3 million media campaign, including a fun TV advert featuring the successful ‘doggy dentures’ creative. This will be supported by print advertising, digital and social media and PR aimed at driving dog owners to take advantage of free oral care check-ups at participating vets. At these check-ups dog owners will receive advice and educational materials about a healthy oral care routine and a free DentaStix sample.
As well as making significant improvement to dogs’ quality of life, canine oral care represents a huge opportunity for specialist pet retailers. Research shows that 90 per cent of owners still believe that their dog’s teeth are good or perfect, despite 80 per cent of dogs over the age of three showing signs of gum disease. In addition, gum disease is the most common problem in adult dogs and oral care is the number one reason to visit a vet.
Despite the prevalence of oral health problems, only 47 per cent of dog owners bought an oral care product in the last 12 months and only 3 per cent feed their dogs an oral care product every day. Dental Care Month will put oral health front of mind for both consumers and vets, leading to increased demand for dental care products.
As part of the campaign, Pedigree will be actively supporting pet stores in a number of ways. This includes comprehensive Oral Health education packs, which will help all members of staff educate their customers about dental health issues and re-inforce vet advice. In addition, impactful point of sale materials will be available and the ‘Recommended by Vets’ claim will be on all packs, increasing visibility and awareness of the product.
Alastair Smith, trading director at Mars Petcare, commented: “This Dental Care Month is the most extensive yet with our aim for 1,800 practices to provide 100,000 free dental check-ups to dogs throughout the UK. We are already well on our way to meeting this goal, with over 1,400 practices signed-up. This is a huge opportunity for retailers – the check-ups will increase demand for DentaStix and stores can capitalise on this by educating their customers on the importance of a good oral care routine.”
Dog owners can find their nearest participating veterinary practice by visiting www.freedentalcheck.co.uk
