Pet dental care fails at the same point every time. It needs doing daily, to a mouth with no interest in the project, by somebody who is already late for something else. Whatever is easiest is what actually happens, and the rest is a good intention sitting in a cupboard next to a toothbrush nobody has used since March.

A spray is about as low-effort as that shelf goes. Bugalugs build this one on hypochlorous acid, which they describe as nature's disinfectant and as something a pet's own immune system produces, and they state it kills 99.99% of the bacteria that cause bad breath. By their account it is dermatologically tested, pH balanced and hypoallergenic, and it contains neither alcohol nor fragrance. The bottle is 200ML, and they list it for dogs, cats, horses, birds and all other small animals.

• 200ML spray bottle
• Built on hypochlorous acid
• Bugalugs state it kills 99.99% of bad-breath bacteria
• Alcohol free and fragrance free
• Described as dermatologically tested, pH balanced and hypoallergenic
• Listed for dogs, cats, horses, birds and other small animals

Bad breath is a symptom, and a spray goes after the symptom. Nothing supplied to us claims this shifts tartar or scale already hardened onto a tooth, and it should not be read as doing so. A mouth that smells because of what is stuck to the teeth needs somebody to look inside it, and so does an animal that has gone off hard food, is dribbling, or is chewing on one side only — none of that is a spray's job. Bugalugs also publish no concentration, no number of sprays per use and no frequency to us, so how often it goes on comes off the bottle.

Who it's for: owners who have tried a toothbrush and lost, mixed households with several species to keep on top of, and anyone wanting to do something about the breath while a proper dental plan gets sorted out with a vet.