I’ve been trying to keep up with my dachshund’s dental care since he was a puppy. The thing about dachshunds — narrow jaws, tiny teeth, and a stubborn streak a mile wide. Every brushing session used to be: me holding a finger brush, him turning his head away, toothpaste smeared everywhere except on the teeth. I’d heard about the Vet’s Best Dental Kit from a few small-breed owner forums and figured I’d give it a shot.
So here’s what the kit is: a triple-headed toothbrush plus a 3.5 oz tube of peanut-butter flavored enzymatic toothpaste, all for $8.28. The brush has bristles on three sides — front, back, and chewing surface in one pass. The toothpaste is safe to swallow (no rinsing needed), and the peanut butter taste is strong enough that most dogs won’t fight it.
I’ll say up front: this is marketed as a puppy kit, but I tested it on my 3-year-old adult dachshund. His muzzle is narrow, his teeth are small, and — like most doxies I talk about in my dachshund socialization guide — he’s got opinions about what goes in his mouth. Figured if it works on a stubborn adult, puppies will handle it fine.
First impression: the brush head is actually small enough for a dachshund.
That’s rare. Most dog toothbrushes are sized for labs or goldens. The heads are too wide to fit comfortably between a small dog’s cheek and teeth. This triple-head design is about the width of my pinky — it slides right into the side of his mouth without forcing his jaw open. That alone made the first attempt less stressful for both of us.
The three-sided bristle layout is the real time-saver here. With a finger brush or a regular flat brush, you have to angle the bristles to reach each tooth surface separately — outside, inside, top. With this, you just position the brush over the tooth and the side bristles do the other surfaces in the same stroke. I timed the first session: about 90 seconds for all his teeth. That’s way faster than the 3-4 minutes it took with a finger brush, and he started squirming way less.
How it compares to other brushing methods I’ve tried
| Approach | Time for Full Mouth | Dog Resistance | Surface Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vet’s Best triple-head brush | ~90 sec | Low — fast = less struggle | All 3 sides per tooth |
| Silicone finger brush | ~3-4 min | Medium — more time to squirm | 1 side per pass |
| Gauze wrap on finger | ~3 min | Medium-High | Partial — misses back molars |
| Dental treats only | 0 sec | None | Inadequate for plaque |
But the toothpaste texture surprised me most. It’s thicker than human toothpaste — almost a gel-paste that sticks to the bristles instead of dripping off. That matters when you’re working inside a small mouth: no dripping down the chin or getting wiped off on the first touch. Honestly, if you’re looking for the best dog toothpaste for small dogs, the texture and the peanut butter flavor are a solid combo.
Now the peanut butter smell is intense. But my dachshund actually licked the brush before I even got it near his mouth. That never happened with the finger brush style, where he’d turn his head as soon as he saw it coming.
The first session was rough in a different way — he didn’t hate the brush, he was just confused by the three-sided thing. Still he kept trying to chew on it. By day three, he’d stopped chewing and was tolerating the full pass. Which, for a dachshund, is basically a win.
What to watch out for.
So the brush handle is short. Not a dealbreaker, but my fingers sat within an inch of his mouth during brushing, which meant toothpasted hands a couple times. A longer handle would keep your hands cleaner — but at this price point, I’m not complaining.
Still the kit is marketed for puppies specifically, with teething-focused language on the box. The triple-head bristles are on the soft side, which is actually better for adult gums too, but don’t expect the “puppy teething” claims to mean much for an adult dog. For what it’s worth, the brush head is small enough that it fit my adult dachshund’s mouth without issue.
One more thing: the toothpaste tube is 3.5 oz. So for daily brushing of a single small dog, that’s maybe two months before you need a refill. The refill toothpaste tubes run about the same price as the kit. You’ll also want to replace the brush head every 3-4 months — the bristles on this one are soft, and they’ll wear down faster than stiffer brushes.
Bottom line.
For $8.28, this kit solves the main problem I ran into with daily brushing — the fight. The triple-head brush cuts session time roughly in half compared to the finger brush I was using before. The peanut butter flavor actually got my picky eater to cooperate. The small brush head fits narrow dachshund jaws without the usual struggle. So worth trying if brushing has been a daily wrestle.
What to buy
- Vet’s Best Dental Kit ($8.28) — the triple-head brush + peanut-butter toothpaste combo reviewed above. Single kit lasts about 2 months with daily brushing.
- Greenies Teenie Dental Chews — VOHC-certified dental treats for dogs 5–15 lbs. Great for days when brushing isn’t practical. 130-count pack covers 4+ months.
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