Toothpaste ingredient questions

[jgr789]

I've never brushed my dog's teeth before because I used to give her Denta stix all the time. Now that she doesn't get any commercial treats anymore, I thought I might try brushing her teeth. I bought a dog toothpaste but read the ingredients after I got it and there are a few that sound sugary to me.

Does anyone know if these ingredients are all right to use on a diabetic dog?
Sorbitol, glycerin, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Saccharin and the worst sounding of all but at least it's listed last is Glucose Oxidase.
The toothpaste is Nutri-Vet Enzymatic toothpaste.

I also bought some Dr. George's Plaque Blast but haven't used it yet either.

Just not sure what to do.

[eileen]

Re: Toothpaste ingredient questions

It is debatable on whether bones and chews actually have any affect on cleaning a dog's teeth.

My vet tech sister-in-law specializes in the dental care for the vet she works for, she said
that instead of using a tooth brush to take gauze and to wipe each tooth with that. Said it is less invasive as a brush and you can wrap it around each individual tooth to get all sides.
She also said that it is not necessary to use 'toothpaste' and that by using something such as tuna juice it gives a much more pleasant experience to the dog. The gauze or brush is what is cleaning the teeth, not the paste.

[Abby's Mom]

Re: Toothpaste ingredient questions

Eileen, I sort of like the gauze thing. I have always used CET, and I have not looked at the ingredients lately, as it does not seem to raise Abby's numbers. She has never had her teeth cleaned, and so far seems to be ok, even with the lack of friction of those dental chews. She throws them back at me..

[Patty]

Re: Toothpaste ingredient questions

I'm surprised Abby does ok with the CET. It does have sorbitol in it. I learned this the hard way when I used it with Ali in '08. She rose about 80 points if I remember right.

If you want to use a toothpaste, I'd look at Petzlife or Maxi-Guard oral cleansing gel. I do think the enzymatic action of some products can help. But the idea of using gauze is a good one. I did this with Ali as a pup.

I'm using the Petzlife on her now with an angled toothbrush.

[Sunnyside]

Re: Toothpaste ingredient questions

I use tooth paste and brush to clean Cooky's teeth and she eats all the tooth paste even before it gets to the teeth. I like to try gauze to clean her teeth because she doesn't mine my fingers getting into her mouth though. I also use Plaque-off solution to add into the drinking water and wondering if this raises bg level...