First three days — nothing. I almost threw it away.
Day five — he yawned in my face. I braced. The smell was still there but softer. Noticeably softer.
Day seven — my husband said "did you change his food or something?" I hadn't told him I was trying anything.
Week two — the smell was gone. Not masked. Gone. I got on the floor and smelled his mouth like a crazy person just to make sure.
Week three — I looked at his teeth. That yellow-brown crust I'd watched spread for two years? Fading. Gums pinker. Eating normally. No more flinching when he chewed.
Week four — I cancelled the $600 cleaning.
Called my vet and told her the truth. All of it. The lying. The giving up. And what I'd been doing for the last month.
She looked at his teeth and said: "Whatever you're doing — keep doing it."