Dog Toothpaste Recipes

Brushing your dog’s teeth will help to extend your dog’s dental health. Even if you provide bully sticks for your dog all of the time, your dog will eventually get stained teeth. Brushing their teeth will also help to benefit their gums. Bad gum health is a contributor to tooth loss and decay, in addition to bad breath.

The following recipes for Dog Toothpaste start with a combination of powders and solid coconut oil as the paste medium. Mixed together, the recipe makes a nice consistency paste. Mix these recipes refrigerate it for use. Remove the amount used for single application each time and do not dip the used toothbrush into the container. This helps to avoid cross contamination and bacterial growth in the toothpaste mix.

To get started, mix the recipe. Take your designated SOFT toothbrush and apply the toothpaste mix. If you are working with a small dog, set them up off of the floor, like a countertop. For larger dogs, position them in a quiet space, such as a bathroom with the door closed or another room away from typical household noise or small children. The first few times you brush your dog’s teeth, it will be awkward and the dog is likely to resist or try to get away. Just start slow and don’t be too thorough. Making this a short event is best, especially to get started. With some time, the dog will just stand there and let you quickly brush their teeth with only mild resistance or even none. A treat reward is a good idea following the brushing.

Don’t worry about rinsing, there is no need to rinse following brushing. The younger the dog is to start brushing their teeth, the better, but don’t worry, an old dog CAN learn new tricks here! Most importantly, remember that your patience is contagious. If you dog is upset or doesn’t want or like the whole process, do not be surprised. It will take a few times to get them used to it. For them to get used to having their teeth brushed, brushing should be simple and quick, especially in the beginning. Don’t drag it out or take too long, the dog needs time to adjust to this experience. Be gentle and do not irritate their gums by going to hard. Using a soft toothbrush helps to guard against this occurring. The gums “toughen up” too after some exposure to having their teeth brushed. Don’t bother trying to be concentrate on specific areas, just go over the teeth around the outside. The inside is next to impossible but most importantly, make it a quick process and routine. With some time, you can concentrate on problem areas and take a little more

4 Helpful Tips

Tip 1: Don’t over-do it either. Over-doing it could aggravate their gums rather than clean them. Brushing everyday will create the consistency your dog needs for making it a habit.

Tip 2: Be Peaceful-– Brush their teeth in a peaceful setting. If the household is wild such as with small children and more noise, take the dog off to another room alone with you. Make the situation peaceful.

Tip 3: Be Patient— If the dogs acts up, just be patient and start small. They will get used to the process and soon will relax enough for you to work with them. Most dogs do not want their teeth brushed so do expect some resistance.

Tip 4: Be Happy; Don’t Scold– Remember also, you tone matters because they pick up it. It should be a happy event rather than scolding them for behaving poorly, after all, in the beginning, what do you honestly expect? Their bad behavior IS expected, yours is a choice of calm, steadiness, and patience. That’s it.

Recipe 1 MIX AND KEEP REFRIGERATED FOR USE

• 3 tablespoons baking soda
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• ¼ teaspoon peppermint leaf from a tea bag or powder if you have it or 1 drop of essential oil of peppermint (not more than 1 drop)
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ¼ teaspoon dried parsley (powder preferably)

Recipe 2 MIX AND KEEP REFRIGERATED FOR USE

• 3 tablespoons baking soda
• a couple of pinches of peppermint leaf from a tea bag (or 1 drop of essential oil of peppermint)
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil (solid form)
• 1 chicken or beef bouillon cube (low sodium) or use a teaspoon or less of “Better than Bouillon” paste from your grocery store. You can only use a small amount of these products because of the salt content. Some salt however is good, it is an antibacterial by nature and rich in minerals.

Feel free to alternate ingredients between the two recipes. There is not really a set exact way for doing this. If you find that making your dog’s toothpaste is too much, for you, check with your local Vet. Most animal clinics will have commercial dog toothpaste at their office. Commercial dog toothpaste will even be meat flavor, YUM!

Once you start brushing your dog’s teeth, provide bully-sticks for chewing. These types of chew sticks provide not only fun for them but they are great for helping to keep their teeth cleaner. Don’t confuse bully-sticks with rawhide. Poor quality and less effective “bully sticks” are only bully on the outside and inside is rawhide. Look for pure bully-sticks. Rawhide can harm small dogs intestinal lining so the smaller the dog, the more you need to consider this. Small 6 inch bullies are not as good for dogs of all sizes. My dachshunds only will chew on the 12 inch size. I cannot explain this, but they are just better. The best source for these over-priced chew sticks I have found is at Costco, by Cadette) Enjoy better canine dental health!