Children's Toothpaste for dogs
 

I was wondering if it is OK to use a children's toothpaste to brush Marley's teeth with? When do you start brushing a puppy's teeth? Marley is 12 weeks old.

I wouldn't use any human toothpaste....pet supply stores have toothpaste formulated for dogs. You need to start now...so she gets up to it.

I saw a long time ago someone posted about brushing dogs' teeth with diluted listerine (1 part listerine, 9 parts water). I have done that a few times, and I've also used the chicken-flavored dog tooth paste.

I think I'm going to go back to listerine, because I can't tell when I'm finished with the chicken flavored stuff - his breath is terrible before, and it's terrible after! When I was brushing with the listerine solution, I would stop brushing when the tooth brush came out of his mouth smelling minty. I figured that was a sign the germs were gone.

Never use human toothpaste or mouthwash on your dog.

They contain ingredients that are toxic to dogs like fluoride and xylitol.

Well, I'm not an expert, but professional dog teeth cleaners use Listerine, and I doubt they are killing their clients.

I just checked my Listerine bottle, and neither flouride nor xylitol are listed.

I'm not arguing you should make your dog gargle with it, but it's my belief that a diluted solution is fine, and possibly more effective.

for the reasons listed you should not use human toothpaste- also human toothpaste foams and dont' can spit- dog toothpaste does not foam up.

Thank you all for the information. I'll probably try the dog toothpaste first and if that doesn't go over well, I'll try Listerine.

Yes, human toothpaste is not meant to be swallowed. :thumbup:

There are so many great dental products on the market formulated just for dogs, why would you want to take a chance on your dog getting sick from human products? :confused:

I can only speak for myself, but for me, it's about taking reasonable precautions without being overprotective. I find that it's easy for things to go on the Dangerous! List. Pretty much if you hear, don't feed this or that, it can KILL your dog, you stop using it and you probably pass the information along, even if there's not a lot to back it up. For me at least, at some point you have to draw the line, or your dog will never be allowed to eat or experience anything.

As an example, garlic is used to flavor many dog foods and is even recommended as a flavoring for picky eaters by trainers -- but it's now on the Dangerous! List, as are tomatoes. Most of our dogs probably drink flouridated water, since most cities put flouride in our tap water.

Different people will draw the line in different places.

I give Marley water from the faucet. I don't know whether it has fluoride in it or not. So far no problems.

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I agree what's the point!

I dunno...I was considering using diluted Listering for my dog but while researching I learned that the properties contained within alcohol of any type do not breakdown the same in a dog. I'm not taking the risk!

As far as human toothpaste, it isn't meant to be swallowed. Your dog WILL swallow it and that's not a good thing.

The dangerous list contains things on it that can be toxic to dogs in high amounts as well as those things that are toxic in small amounts. For example, garlic while not toxic to dogs in the amounts used to flavor food; is toxic if the dog eats a whole bottle of garlic powder. It's probably toxic to humans if we eat a whole bottle, lol, I don't know, but the difference between dogs and humans, is a dog will eat a whole bottle. In other words, a bottle of garlic powder falls on the floor, your dog will lap it up, a dog did this and got very sick, and that's why garlic is on the list. So in a case such as this, you should get medical attention. Some things we don't know the exact amount that causes the problem, so it's added to the list by default. I do know that human toothpastes are sweetened with xylitol and this can be deadly to dogs in very small amounts, no tummy upsets, but it damages the liver, and you may not see the effect for 4 days. I don't know about Listerine and it's contents, but since there are toothpastes made for dogs, with flavors they like, so they don't fight so much during toothbrushing, it seems to your advantage to use them. Remember breath freshners are only temporary fixes, you need to get rid of the problem causing the bad breath, and in most cases it's tartar.

To the OP, while children's toothpaste should not be used, I have found that children's tooth brushes work well on yorkies, they are smaller, and the bristles aren't so hard. This is important because you are really trying to brush the gums.

I would only use toothpaste products made for dogs

the vet told me to only ever use a toothpaste designed for dogs....and as they are usually meat flavoured, they are more appealing to dogs anyway.

I'm not against anyone using pet tooth paste, by all means. :) I even asked my pet store if it was okay if there was a difference between cat tooth paste and dog tooth paste.

To put this into perspective, when I brush Thor's teeth with diluted Listerine, I use one measuring cup of water that is 10% Listerine. Then I use <5% of that solution with brushing his teeth. So there is a tiny, tiny amount actually going into his mouth.

Thor actually likes the minty flavor just as much as the toothpaste (and hates getting his teeth brushed with both). As for the benefits, as I said, it's much easier for me to determine when I've actually done some good. With chicken toothpaste, I can't really tell if I've made any difference or not because Thor's mouth smells just as bad before and after. I could forget to brush one side of his mouth and I wouldn't know about it. With Listerine, there is a very distinct difference. And FYI, Listerine does address tartar, it's not like a breath mint.

Anyway, I certainly wouldn't discourage anyone from using dog-formulated toothpaste. At the same time, I think there's some value in differentiating between things that would be very dangerous for your dog, say, eating a bunch of baking chocolate, and something that stands a very small chance of being harmful. I have actually read books that said you should only give your dog bottled water. Most of us would think that's excessive, despite the flouride, correct?

So, anyway. I think that's all I have to say on the subject. :)

I use the same home made paste my kids and I use.
Just combine in a little container:
5 tsps baking soda (whitener)
1/4 tsp sea salt (abrasive)
5 tsps vegetable glycerin (base)
10 drops pure peppermint or spearmint oil (breath freshener)

Curly hates to have her teeth brushed but no more with this than with a plain brush with water.

I use a minty dog toothpaste. But I think that some people get overly cautious with certain things when it comes to dogs, some treat the dogs better then they treat themselves.

But again we all have our own opinions and if something is working for you and your pet, nobody should bash another for it! ;)

I am definitely guilty of treating my fur and skin kids better than myself.

Thanks for sharing this recipe. I SO snagged it! :thumbup:

The breeder gave me a toothbrush when I picked up Marley. I can imagine trying to stick that thing in his mouth! I'm sure that's going to go over really well with him. He doesn't even like to be brushed much less have a brush stuck in his mouth!! LOL

Introduce the brush gradually. Don't just stick it in his mouth and start brushing. At first I started by just letting Missy lick the doggy toothpaste off. Then she started kinda chewing on the brush all on her own. Once she seemed comfortable, I would start doing the brushing strokes. If she pulled away or wanted to stop, I did. Now she LOVESSSS brushing her teeth. Oh, and this is something that I started doing the first week of getting her. Now, every night when I'm done brushing my teeth she whines for hers to be brushed too. She knows the routine. :)

Thank YOU so much for this! I guess I should hang back and do it this way instead! Thanks!

yorkie_mama22, where do you find minty dog toothpaste?

I'm pretty sure I've seen minty toothpaste for dogs at petco or petsmart. They also make finger toothbrushes that are easier to use than real toothbrushes

I have always hear as a kid from my doctor, no one should ever swallow adult human toothpaste or mouthwash as it is very bad for a human so I assume it would be the same for kids.

Yep I got it at Petsmart. The reason I went for minty is because Stormy's breath is not great and well this makes it nice for a little while! I also use a baby finger toothbrush. Oh and recently I did my own "dental" cleaning on her teeth and scraped her teeth a bit and now I don't need to have her put under for a cleaning :p She also lost one of her baby teeth and only has one more left which I am hoping will fall out as well!

CET makes a vanilla mint flavor toothpaste. It's formulated to be safe to swallow.

Virbac Animal Health | C.E.T.

Oh, okay. I'd seen that before, but I thought the vanilla was the primary flavor. I think Thor's old owner said he did not like that flavor, but I'm going to give it another shot.

Well, that's not the flavor I would pick for a dog myself, but you asked about mint. I'd choose poultry or another flavor that dogs like.

If your dog has bad breathe...there is something more going on than simply needing thier teeth brushed.

I have four dogs....none of them have bad breathe.