An obvious, often overlooked aspect of grooming dogs is dental hygiene. Since dogs explore the world with their sense of smell and taste, owners of dogs must exercise the best possible dental habits to maintain their pet’s oral hygiene.
How to Make Dog Toothpaste?- Toothpaste is a necessary tool to prevent bad odour and bacterial growth, and it is best to keep its ingredients natural. You may wonder how to make dog toothpaste
While many options are available in the market for pets, many dog owners prefer using natural products for the dog’s hygiene needs. Toothpaste for dogs can be easily made at home using simple ingredients such as coconut oil, bakaing soda, bullion cubes, etc.
Maintaining one’s dental hygiene results from the consistent practice of habits approved by dentists, such as brushing, flossing and using mouthwash.
Dogs do not require such a complex dental routine. All they need is daily brushing, an activity facilitated by less than 10% of dog owners, according to Scott Linick, DVM, a Fellow of the Academy of Veterinary Dentistry.
Keeping your pet healthy is a top priority for any pet parent. Being healthy is often seen as regular grooming, nutritious meals, daily physical exercise, and mental stimulation. That’s why this article has been specially curated for your needs.
Is Toothpaste Safe for Dogs?
Toothpaste is a veterinarian-certified product that can be used to brush dogs’ teeth. Using only dog-friendly toothpaste for cleaning dogs’ teeth is extremely important. This is because toothpaste for humans and dogs has different formulations and ingredients.
Using toothpaste meant for humans’ utility to brush dogs’ teeth could result in toothpaste poisoning due to the consumption of xylitol, which is fatal for dogs.
Purchasing medically approved dog-safe toothpaste is not a health hazard.
Why Make Dog Toothpaste at Home?
You may wonder if there is a need to make a DIY version of toothpaste for your pet. While this may sound like a way for overprotective dog parents to do more work for themselves, it is a necessity in some cases.
The market for pet needs is overpriced even with the plethora of options available. To understand why we must look at commonly used ingredients in store-bought toothpaste for dogs.
Ingredients of Store-Bought Toothpaste for Dogs
Upon close inspection, you may find that most dog toothpaste in stores contains a combination of the following ingredients:
Calprox, Sorbitol, Hydrated Silica, Glycerin, Water, Ascorbic Acid Phosphate, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Titanium Dioxide, Cellulose Gum, Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate, Sodium lauryl sulfate, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Copper Chlorophyllin, various forms of silica, and dicalcium phosphate along with some flavouring to prevent dogs from spitting it out.
Even to a layman, it is clear that most, if not all, of these ingredients, are chemicals. While they may help eliminate bad odour, tartar and plaque in your dog’s mouth, the combination is likely abrasive, resulting in the removal of the problems.
Making DIY toothpaste becomes necessary for dogs allergic to any of these compounds. Making it yourself also costs less, and the ingredients can be altered to naturally occurring compounds.
This way, you can keep track of what ingredients and the quantity in which they are present in your dog’s toothpaste.
Since brushing is an activity that is recommended to be done at least once a day, it must be made enjoyable for your pet and introduced as early as possible.
Ingredients to Steer Away from in Dog Toothpaste
Making homemade toothpaste for dogs gives the owner complete control over the ingredients.
While only vet-approved ingredients must be used, some compounds you must not use, irrespective of what online resources state, as they are harmful to dogs and ingestion can cause digestive issues and inflammation and even prove fatal in excess amounts.
Make use of this information even when you have to buy dog toothpaste from the store.
Fluoride and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
These common compounds found in human toothpaste function as foaming agents and are highly toxic to dogs upon ingestion.
Consumption may cause digestive issues. Although these ingredients have anti-cavity properties and are rarely used in products catering to dogs,
it is still necessary to check the ingredients on the tube label to ensure that the toothpaste does not contain them.
Xylitol
It is a sweetener used in human toothpaste, consumption of which can cause toothpaste poisoning in dogs and prove to be fatal if medical attention isn’t provided immediately.
Ingredients for Homemade Dog Toothpaste Recipes
Diy Dog toothpaste recipes contain accessible ingredients that occur naturally and can be purchased at a fraction of a store-bought toothpaste’s price.
While developing the combination, there are two aspects that you must put together to make an effective pet toothpaste.
Your ingredients should be able to fight off bad odour and prevent the buildup of bacteria while tasting good for your pet.
Effective Abrasive Ingredients
By using any of these in your recipe in recommended amounts, the bacteria in your pet’s mouth can be killed, preventing gum problems and dental decay and keeping the microbes from spreading to the rest of its body and affecting other organs through inflammations and internal pains.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil can be added to your pet’s dental routine and diet. It contains antimicrobial properties, helping get rid of any bacteria and microbes living in your pet’s mouth. This ingredient is also available in a specific version that caters to dogs.
Baking Soda
It is extremely important to use this abrasive ingredient commonly used for cleaning purposes in the recommended amounts to keep its effects mild and prevent it from eroding the tooth completely over regular usage.
It does not have a very pleasant taste, which calls for a good flavour to be added to the recipe.
Turmeric
Turmeric is known for its antibacterial properties and is used in cooking for the same. Adding it to dog toothpaste can help make it more effective while adding its flavour.
However, it should be used carefully in small amounts as it is known to stain and react as an indicator.
Flavouring the Toothpaste
Flavouring is a deal-breaker for most dog toothpaste. You can use any ingredient that suits your pet’s preferences and make it taste savoury or minty.
Peanut Butter
A commonly preferred flavour in toothpaste, while it provides an incentive for your pet to keep the toothpaste in its mouth, it defeats the purpose of the product. If your pet is picky and prefers no other taste, only use this ingredient.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is another preferred ingredient amongst dogs that can prevent bad breath and improve brain functioning.
Fresh Herbs
Mint, Parsley, Dill, or any other herb that your pet prefers can be used to kick up the flavour profile of the dog toothpaste.
Bullion
Bullion is a dehydrated form of beef or chicken broth that can be added to water to make instant broth.
This flavour most dogs enjoy contains some of the abovementioned ingredients, like parsley and turmeric. It is easy to spice up the dog toothpaste at a low cost.
How to Make Dog Toothpaste?
While you can experiment with any of the mildly abrasive ingredients in any combination of flavours, here are a few recommended recipes to begin with.
The consistency of the toothpaste can be altered as you find it easy to work with, but it is recommended to keep the abrasive ingredient only to the advised amount.
Recipe 1: Simplest Recipe for Dog Toothpaste
The easiest recipe to put together in a matter of seconds is mixing 1 tbsp of baking soda with 1 tbsp of water or the flavour of broth preferred by your pet.
Recipe 2: Keep it Minty
Use a quarter cup of coconut oil, 1-2 tbsp of broth as per preferred flavour, a sprig of fresh mint and 2 tbsp of baking soda and blend in a food processor until the mixture appears to be fully mixed. Ensure that the processor is completely clean and does not have any food residue before use.
This mixture can be used over the next week if stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Do not use any more than the recommended amount for children, a pea-sized quantity and throw it away if you see any kind of mould growth or if it starts to smell funky.
Recipe 3: Use Spices
By making slight adjustments to recipes, you can make them better suited for your dog’s taste buds.
Put together 1/3rd cup of coconut oil, 1 tbsp of chicken/beef stock, a dash of cinnamon along with 1 tbsp of baking soda and five leaves of parsley in a processor. Ensure that the mixture is uniform before use and stored in an airtight container in a cool place.
Recipe 4: Use Minimal Yet Preferred Flavors
Blend 2 tbsp of baking soda, 2 tbsp of preferred stock, 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and 1 tsp of parsley to form a uniform paste. This paste can be stored in an airtight container out of the fridge.
Alter as Per Requirement
You may have understood what ingredients work best together and may come up with your recipes to match your dog’s requirements. Ensure that when you use oil in your dog’s toothpaste, it must be stored in the fridge.
While it may seem like a strenuous task, learning how to make dog toothpaste is extremely easy and can be done using minimal resources at a very low cost while ensuring that your pet only has the best ingredients and products.
