What is claimed is
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1. A chewable product capable of enhancing dental hygiene in a pet, comprising a body having a continuous phase and a discontinuous phase that are so constructed and arranged that a force required to penetrate the chewable product is greater than an anticipated bite force expected to be exerted by the pet during a normal biting event wherein the discontinuous phase is composed of compositions meeting one of a criteria selected from the group consisting of: micro-occlusions/microscopic parties of all non-reactive/insoluble organic/biological substances with melting points and/or glass transition points above room temperature and as well those with melting and/or glass transition points below room temperature that are not soluble in the continuous phase; occlusions/particles of all non-reactive/insoluble organic/biological substances with melting points and/or glass transition points above room temperature and as well those with melting and/or glass transition points below room temperature that are not soluble in the continuous phase; non-active inorganic substances that are compatible with and do not react or significantly interact with the substances present in the continuous phase; carbohydrates and/or derivatives of carbohydrates including saccharides, sugars, polysaccharides, starches; derivatives of starches, inulin, polyfructans, polydextrans; polymers of naturally occurring hexose, pentose and heptose sugars and their derivatives; cellulose and polymers derived from cellulose; amino-polysaceharides and polymers derived from them; oligiosaccharides, polysaceharides of and derivatives of polysaccharides of microbial origin; polyols; sugar alcohols, polymers of sugar alcohols, mineral oxides, inorganic and organic oxides, phosphates, sulphates, carbonates; other insoluble salts or covalently bonded inorganic substances; polymers of or mixtures/complexes and combinations of all of the aforementioned inorganic and organic substances; aluminosilicates, silicates, inorganic substances common in soils, clays, minerals, metals and substances derived from metals, bone, cartilage, oils, fats, gases, petroleum derivatives and petroleum based polymers; micro-occlusions/particles of microbial origin, intact non-viable microbes, dry intact non-viable microbes, the shells and cell wall material derived from dead microbes, material of microbial origin, micro-occlusions/particles of plant origin, material of plant origin, micro-occlusions/particles of animal origin, material of animal origin; such polymers and substances of biological origin as are present as components of both the continuous phase and the discontinuous phase, being present in the discontinuous phase in a different state to their state in the continuous phase.
2. The chewable product of claim 1 wherein the polymers and substances of biological origin are present in the discontinuous phase predominately in a glassy or crystalline state.
3. A method for making a chewable product for enhancing dental hygiene of a pet comprising the steps of: producing a chewable, edible product that includes a continuous and a discontinuous phase; and selecting the relationship of the continuous to discontinuous phase so that the force required to penetrate the chewable product is greater than an anticipated bite force expected to be exerted by the pet during a normal biting event, enabling the chewable product after an initial bite, to spring back to at least almost its original shape wherein the discontinuous phase is composed of a composition that meets a criteria selected from the group consisting of: micro-occlusions/microscopic particles of all non-reactive/insoluble organic/biological substances with melting points and/or glass transition points above room temperature and as well those with melting and/or glass transition points below room temperature that are not soluble in the continuous phase, occlusions/particles of all non-reactive/insoluble organic/biological substances with melting points and/or glass transition points above room temperature and as well those with melting and/or glass transition points below room temperature that are not soluble in the continuous phase, non-active inorganic substances that are compatible with and do not react or significantly interact with the substances present in the continuous phase, carbohydrates and/or derivatives of carbohydrates including saccharides; sugars, polysaccharides, starches; derivatives of starches, inulin, polyfructans, polydextrans; polymers of the naturally occurring hexose, pentose and heptose sugars and their derivatives, cellulose and polymers derived from cellulose, amino-polysaccharides and polymers derived from them, oligiosaccharides, polysaccharides of and derivatives of polysaccharides of microbial origin, polyols, sugar alcohols, polymers of sugar alcohols, mineral oxides, inorganic and organic oxides, phosphates, sulphates, carbonates; other insoluble salts or covalently bonded inorganic substances; polymers of or mixtures/complexes and combinations of all of the aforementioned inorganic and organic substances, aluminosilicates, silicates, inorganic substances common in soils, clays, minerals, metals and substances derived from the metals, bone, cartilage, oils, fats, gases, petroleum derivatives and petroleum based polymers, micro-occlusions/particles of microbial origin, intact non-viable microbes, dry intact non-viable microbes, the shells and cell wall material derived from dead microbes, material of microbial origin, micro-occlusions/particles of plant origin, material of plant origin, micro-occlusions/particles of animal origin, material of animal origin; such polymers and substances of biological origin as are present as components of both the continuous phase and the discontinuous phase, being present in the discontinuous phase in a different state to their state in the continuous phase.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the polymers and substances of biological origin that are also present as components of both the continuous phase and the discontinuous phase, are present in the discontinuous phase predominately in the glassy or crystalline state.
5. A chewable product capable of enhancing dental hygiene in a pet, comprising a body having a continuous phase including a biological material and a discontinuous phase that are so constructed and arranged that a force required to penetrate the chewable product is greater than an anticipated bite force expected to be exerted by the pet during a normal biting event wherein the discontinuous phase is composed of compositions meeting one of a criteria selected from the group consisting of: micro-occlusions/microscopic parties of all non-reactive/insoluble organic/biological substances with melting points and/or glass transition points above room temperature and as well those with melting and/or glass transition points below room temperature that are not soluble in the continuous phase; occlusions/particles of all non-reactive/insoluble organic/biological substances with melting points and/or glass transition points above room temperature and as well those with melting and/or glass transition points below room temperature that are not soluble in the continuous phase; non-active inorganic substances that are compatible with and do not react or significantly interact with the substances present in the continuous phase; carbohydrates and/or derivatives of carbohydrates including saccharides, sugars, polysaccharides, starches; derivatives of starches, inulin, polyfructans, polydextrans; polymers of naturally occurring hexose, pentose and heptose sugars and their derivatives; cellulose and polymers derived from cellulose; amino-polysaccharides and polymers derived from them; oligiosaccharides, polysaccharides of and derivatives of polysaccharides of microbial origin; polyols; sugar alcohols, polymers of sugar alcohols, mineral oxides, inorganic and organic oxides, phosphates, sulphates, carbonates; other insoluble salts or covalently bonded inorganic substances; polymers of or mixtures/complexes and combinations of all of the aforementioned inorganic and organic substances; aluminosilicates, silicates, inorganic substances common in soils, clays, minerals, metals and substances derived from metals, bone, cartilage, oils, fats, gases, petroleum derivatives and petroleum based polymers; micro-occlusions/particles of microbial origin, intact non-viable microbes, dry intact non-viable microbes, the shells and cell wall material derived from dead microbes, material of microbial origin, micro-occlusions/particles of plant origin, material of plant origin, micro-occlusions/particles of animal origin, material of animal origin; such polymers and substances of biological origin as are present as components of both the continuous phase and the discontinuous phase, being present in the discontinuous phase in a different state to their state in the continuous phase.
6. The chewable product of claim 5 wherein the polymers and substances of biological origin are present in the discontinuous phase predominately in a glassy or crystalline state.
7. A method for making a chewable product for enhancing dental hygiene of a pet comprising the steps of: producing a chewable, edible product that includes a continuous phase including a biological material and a discontinuous phase; and selecting the relationship of the continuous to discontinuous phase so that the force required to penetrate the chewable product is greater than an anticipated bite force expected to be exerted by the pet during a normal biting event, enabling the chewable product after an initial bite, to spring back to at least almost its original shape wherein the discontinuous phase is composed of a composition that meets a criteria selected from the group consisting of: micro-occlusions/microscopic particles of all non-reactive/insoluble organic/biological substances with melting points and/or glass transition points above room temperature and as well those with melting and/or glass transition points below room temperature that are not soluble in the continuous phase, occlusions/particles of all non-reactive/insoluble organic/biological substances with melting points and/or glass transition points above room temperature and as well those with melting and/or glass transition points below room temperature that are not soluble in the continuous phase, non-active inorganic substances that are compatible with and do not react or significantly interact with the substances present in the continuous phase, carbohydrates and/or derivatives of carbohydrates including saccharides; sugars, polysaccharides, starches; derivatives of starches, inulin, polyfructans, polydextrans; polymers of the naturally occurring hexose, pentose and heptose sugars and their derivatives, cellulose and polymers derived from cellulose, amino-polysaccharides and polymers derived from them, oligiosaccharides, polysaccharides of and derivatives of polysaccharides of microbial origin, polyols, sugar alcohols, polymers of sugar alcohols, mineral oxides, inorganic and organic oxides, phosphates, sulphates, carbonates; other insoluble salts or covalently bonded inorganic substances; polymers of or mixtures/complexes and combinations of all of the aforementioned inorganic and organic substances, aluminosilicates, silicates, inorganic substances common in soils, clays, minerals, metals and substances derived from the metals, bone, cartilage, oils, fats, gases, petroleum derivatives and petroleum based polymers, micro-occlusions/particles of microbial origin, intact non-viable microbes, dry intact non-viable microbes, the shells and cell wall material derived from dead microbes, material of microbial origin, micro-occlusions/particles of plant origin, material of plant origin, micro-occlusions/particles of animal origin, material of animal origin; such polymers and substances of biological origin as are present as components of both the continuous phase and the discontinuous phase, being present in the discontinuous phase in a different state to their state in the continuous phase.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the polymers and substances of biological origin that are also present as components of both the continuous phase and the discontinuous phase, are present in the discontinuous phase predominately in the glassy or crystalline state.
