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Wouldn’t it be great if dogs had minty fresh breath? Of course it would, because that would make them even more kissable! If you’re thinking about making this a reality, then this article is for you.
So…Can Dogs use human toothpaste? The short answer is NO, absolutely not! Now let’s get into the top five reasons that giving your dog human toothpaste is a very bad idea.
Five Reasons Why Your Dog Cannot Use Human Toothpaste
- Deadly Ingredients – Some human toothpaste products contain xylitol and xylitol KILLS Dogs. If your toothpaste has been sweetened with xylitol, it may be safe and delicious for you, but can cause liver failure, seizures and death to your dog.
- Unknown Ingredients – So it’s easy enough to read ingredients but did you know xylitol goes by many different names? One can barely keep up with all the variations so it is NOT safe to assume your human toothpaste isn’t listing xylitol by one if it’s many other names.
- Dog’s Don’t Like Mint – To humans, minty breath is exactly what we are going for in a human toothpaste. For dogs, mint is offensive. Want to test this theory? Brush your teeth with minty human toothpaste and then blow your breath in your dog’s face. Did she do a snuffly grunt? Did he sneeze? That’s because they don’t like mint!
- Dogs Can’t Rinse and Spit – Whatever is in your dog’s toothpaste is going down the hatch. This can cause upset stomach and even pain. Most human toothpaste products warn “do not swallow!” Certainly if humans aren’t supposed to swallow toothpaste then dogs shouldn’t either.
- Promotes Mouth Grooming Fear – Because human toothpaste is so powerful and astringent, the ingredients could actually burn your dog’s gums and throat. This can lead to your dog refusing mouth grooming which leads to horrible teeth that will need professional attention.
So What Work on Dogs When You Can’t Use Human Toothpaste?
Keeping your dog’s breath fresh and teeth cleaned (which leads to fresh breath) doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. Simply dab a bit of dog friendly toothpaste on your dog’s brush and brush as normal. I use Enzadent (link on amazon).
The reason I use and recommend Enzadent is because it is poultry flavored but doesn’t smell like poultry. My dog loves the taste and that means he allows me to clean deeply with his toothbrush and his waterpik.
If you want to see a video of me using a waterpik and poultry flavored toothpaste you can click this article line: (link to waterpik article)
Alternatives to Human Toothpaste on Dogs
If you don’t have any dog toothpaste and want to clean your dog’s teeth right now, simply use a bit of coconut oil on a large cotton pad. Most dogs will like the taste and therefore allow cleaning.
If your dog is agreeable, you can even sprinkle a little cinnamon on the coconut oil. This gives the pad a little more scour power and freshens breath as well.
Summary
Whatever you do, please do not use human toothpaste on your dog. It is not safe and could even be deadly if the toothpaste contains xylitol and your dog swallows the ingredients.
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