Ok, today we’re going to have some fun exploring simple ideas for how we can better support our ‘fur babies’ in their oral health journey.
Honestly, this article really got its inspiration from a silly video we took at home with one of our beloved pets (that’s JayB in the article image :).
Be sure to look to the end of the article for a silly but precious video of me applying the Bass Brushing Technique to a cat!
First, let’s discuss what not to do for your pet’s oral health.
Keep essential oils (including our HealThy Mouth Blend) away from cats.
As apex predators, cats are extremely sensitive to environmental changes.
Essential oils are too strong for cats to tolerate (and they can even be toxic to them). In particular, the volatile compound menthol (found in many plant essential oils) is deadly toxic to cats.
To test their sensitivity for yourself (without putting your kitty at risk), simply handle an orange and then offer your cat to smell your hand.
You most likely won’t get your hand anywhere near your cat before they squint their eyes and back away.
The bottom line is that cats are very sensitive to loud noises, strong smells, and basically anything that can overwhelm their sensory input.
So, please keep all essential oils, including our HealThy Mouth Blend, away from any kitties in your home.
Keep xylitol (and products like Shine that contain xylitol) away from dogs.
Xylitol is deadly toxic to dogs.
It takes only 500mg of xylitol to make a medium-sized dog sick, and this amount is enough to kill a small dog. Given that one piece of xylitol gum can contain upwards of 300mg of xylitol, it really doesn’t take much to cause serious damage and risk even killing a dog.
Xylitol causes a precipitous drop in blood sugar for a dog. This can trigger seizures, brain damage, and liver damage in a matter of hours to days.
So, even though you want to support your pup’s enamel health, you can’t use Shine (or any other xylitol-containing product) with dogs.
However, if you’re still looking for a way to support your pup’s overall oral health, many members of our community have told us that they’ve used our HealThy Mouth Blend on their dogs with great success.
The adhesion inhibition benefit (which helps reduce plaque thickness) that we all get from using the HealThy Mouth Blend can really help a dog to maintain greater oral health (and surely helps to get rid of dog breath! 😃 ).
We even know some people who put a drop or two of the blend into their dog’s water bowl.
If you’d like to reduce the spicy flavor for them, feel free to mix our blend 50/50 with organic coconut oil and brush their teeth with that (coconut oil has plenty of antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties to also help support oral health).
“How do I optimally care for my dog and/or cat’s oral health?”
Caring for a pet’s oral health is pretty much the same as caring for a toddler’s.
When you try to really effectively brush their teeth, you get about the same level of cooperation from a young child as you would from a pet.
As a side note, please don’t restrain your young child in an effort to brush their teeth. If you’re curious about why we don’t agree with this practice, feel free to check out our article, “How to create a healthy brushing routine with your toddler or young child“. This article also shares strategies for how to create a peaceful and healthy brushing routine with young children.
Circling back to our pets, to optimally care for our cat or dog’s oral health, we need to take care of them just like we do ourselves, which includes:
- feed them what they were meant to eat
- give them a low-stress living environment
- give them plenty of time to play outdoors in the sunshine and fresh air
- help them get regular exercise
- help them get quality rest time
For our feline friends…
Cats are pure carnivores that eat a blade of grass here and there for plant fiber and the detoxifying support of green foods.
As such, they have pretty sensitive digestive tracts with a narrow range of optimal foods.
Ideally, our pet cats would eat whole animals that are comparable in size to what they would hunt in the wild.
In fact, JayB, the star of this article, regularly catches, kills and eats all sorts of small rodents.
This way, he gets not only the muscle meats, but the whole range of diverse nutrition and microbiome support from the rodent ‘whiskers to tail’.
We supplement all of our kitties’ menus with raw animal muscle meats and occasional organ meats.
We’ve also learned the hard way that kitties are better off with moderate amounts of fish in their diet. Too much fish can over tax their kidneys and create a risk of urinary issues, especially in males.
In our home, we haven’t found a dry food that adequately supports our kitties’ nutritional and metabolic needs.
From our view, there is no place for grains of any sort in a cat’s diet.
For our canine buddies…
Dogs are omnivorous and scavengers. So dogs can withstand a much more diverse diet.
Full disclosure: we’re a very feline-friendly home, but we have little experience with dogs. So, we’ll limit our canine food suggestions to the general information stated above and let others offer more pup-friendly diet ideas in the comments.
“Should I brush my cat and/or dog’s teeth?”
If your dog is cooperative, brushing their teeth can be a helpful oral hygiene strategy.
And unless you have an extremely sweet and playful kitty like we do, trying to brush your cat’s teeth is likely only going to produce stress for the kitty and some potential blood loss for you.
So, while lots of dogs may be willing participants, it’s probably best to avoid brushing your cat’s teeth. The potential benefits for cats are outweighed by the risks to both the kitty and you.
What about caring for the oral health of larger animals?
Ok, this is officially just for fun.
This is Sunny. He loves to play the game ‘Pick it up’.
Since we’re having fun with pet images, we thought we would throw in a fun picture of Sunny for grins. 😃
What’s your strategy for your four-legged loved ones?
Do you have any suggestions to add to the discussion about how to support our fur babies along their path to optimal oral health? Please share in the comments below!
I’ve been brushing my dogs’ teeth with coconut oil for quite a while. Last month, a new vet examined my current companion & said “his teeth look great for his age, & no plaque”. He just turned 7 & has been on a raw food & raw meaty bone diet since he showed up at about 6 months of age (totally emaciated). He’s healthy, happy & gets lots of exercise. I’m going to try adding the HealThy mouth blend & see what happens…can’t be anything but better, thanks for the article!!!
My cat is completely raw fed (and also hunts his own prey at night) and I give him a raw chicken neck every day as his “toothbrush” (always raw as cooked bones can splinter and are dangerous.) Chewing through the cartilage, tendons and ligaments gives his jaws a work out and helps to clean his teeth the way nature intended. I feel it’s an important part of his oral hygiene and luckily for me, it’s often the first thing he eats off his plate!
I feed a cat and i have never head something about oral health for pets. I am glad that i have knowledge about it now. Thank you !!!!
Thanks for such an outstanding article and tips for improving pets oral health. Its extremely informative and useful
Aloha Rajkumar,
Thank you for letting us know you appreciate the article and found it helpful!
Thank you and Aloha!
I wish there was more information about using the HealThy mouth blend for dogs – whether to brush with it, put it in their water dish, etc? I believe you mentioned before people have tried it with good results. I understand not “publishing” those results as fact, but was hoping to find more info about doing that? Thanks!!
Same here!
Aloha Lisa and Kathleen,
Here’s an FAQ that shares some information about using the HealThy Mouth Blend for dogs: Is the HealThy Mouth Blend safe for pets?
Also, here’s a recent Instagram post that shares how our awesome OraWellness team member, Wren, has been helping to support the oral health of her dog, LunaBelle.
I hope that helps! Aloha 🙂
My cats are fed twice a day, both dry and wet food. After my 9 yr old cat Izzie began to have tartar build-up and signs of gingivitis, I began feeding the wet canned food first, and then giving them their dry. In Izzie’s case (because she doesn’t always eat the dry), I give her a couple of treats that help remove tartar (they don’t have to be treats specifically for tartar control – freeze dried Vital Cat treats work well and are a healthy treat with no meal or fillers) after she’s finished with her canned wet food. This insures her teeth are being cleaned regularly. And the vet says it is working!
I just had to comment on how adorable your kitty video is! It looks like you are able to get in a bit of tooth brushing along with the other playful acts, which is admirable. My cats are very accommodating and tolerant of my various ministrations, but they do NOT want me putting my fingers or a toothbrush in their mouths. Maybe I should rub some catnip on the bristles? They might chew on the toothbrush more, and at least that’s something! 😸
Aloha Maia,
Hey! Rubbing catnip on the brush just might do it!
Great idea! Thanks for stopping by to share your appreciation of this video. Yes, JayB is quite a cat. We love our fur babies! 🙂
I used to brush the dogs teeth with pet enzyme toothpaste which they tolerated. Now I use coconut oil and they love it! They are fed raw meat with raw meaty bones, fish oil, a little kefir/buttermilk or yogurt, & supplements based on their needs. For my pets, nutrition seems to play the largest role in keeping them healthy with strong immune systems, shiny coats, great teeth, and wonderful dispositions. The brushing is helpful too but is more of a treat to them and bonding time for all of us.
Aloha Marsha,
Thank you so much for adding your experience with caring for your canine friends! Totally agree that diet plays a HUGE role in supporting greater oral (and whole body) health. No surprise of course 🙂
So sweet, the idea of brushing your dog’s teeth being a treat and bonding time! I’d love to have that experience!
Thanks again!!
Yes, we are SO on the raw food bandwagon with our pets – both cat and dog.
Our dog is sensitive to a million different foods, including chicken, turkey, beef, and pork, as well as grains, legumes, potatoes, dairy… you name it. So she gets raw meat from a company that grinds up the whole animal in proportion – bone, organ, and meat. She gets apples, carrots, dried anchovies, and dehydrated lamb lung/liver for treats. Plus a fried egg in the morning – apparently she reacts to raw egg, so she gets spoiled! Her coat is SO shiny and her immune system is great, and no more ear infections!
My cat has IBS. Apparently she’s in the one percent of cats that don’t respond to medication. I even tried fecal transplant pills, which worked for a few months but then the flare-ups returned. We were miserable for a while trying her on raw food, then canned, then finally getting her tested for sensitivities. Turns out she can’t have chicken, beef, or fish. Once I put her on raw food that she could eat – her favorite is kangaroo – the IBS symptoms finally cleared up! What a relief!!
Our mini Schnauzer is not a “chewer” which we learned is the biggest part of good oral health for dogs. Even though she had her teeth cleaned every year…when she was just three yrs old she had 26 teeth removed. My husband and I were devasted but the vet. explained that some dogs are genetically predisposed to this. Oddly it has not slowed our dog down as she still inhales her food and crunches the kibble with her jaw. We do spend a lot of time outdoors every day and her treats are dehydrated organs(homemade) and veggies. I dehydrated the pumpkin rinds from my garden grown pumpkins this year and she really loves it! Of course, she is a co-author of a veggie cookbook.
Thanks for sharing your experience with caring for your inhaler dog! 🙂
Way to go on caring for her health by providing such quality homemade nutrition!
My dog has excellent health, but his teeth have been his biggest problem. he has a root canal and has had 2-3 molars break and they have been removed. His dental hygiene has been critical since he was a pup. It should be in any case, but for Luke, it is especially important! Most of his life (he just turned 11) we have used “Oral Care Food Additive” Dental digestive and Immune Booster support. It is made here in Oregon and I only find it at our local Co-op. The company is MAD about organics. The ingredients are Organic kelp, strawberry leaf pumpkin, fennel, flax meal, non-active brewers yeast, grapefruit seed powder, grape seed powder, garlic powder, blueberries, and cranberries. These all are followed by the percentage. A 4 oz jar lasts about 6 months as you add only a very small scoop to food. It mixes with the saliva and helps fight plaque. Since we have used this product our dog has never had to get another doctor’s teeth cleaning under anesthesia. On problems with a plaque build-up. I see the improved dental condition and the product is supposed to also improve digestive tract, boost immune system and stop bad breath. I’m not sure what the qualifications of the company are, but they seem to know what the pets can use – I know garlic can be toxic for dogs, but this small amount is tolerated. This one is for cats and dogs. They also have an additive for water, but I haven’t been very successful at getting Luke to drink water with even a small amount added. He’ll avoid the water bowl and find his water outside or elsewhere…
Anyway, this is another wonderful product for dogs and cats. You might want to find out about carrying it along with your line??? Sorry to ‘plug’ another product. But Your line is fabulous and so is this one…and maybe there is a synchronicity here?
Mad about Organics P.O. Box 41391, Eugene, OR 97404
http://www.MadAboutOrganics.com or 541-968-2164
Aloha Julie,
Thanks for offering your experience and input. A root canal in your dog? That’s a new one for me! The trials and tribulations we go through for our four legged family members is a regular source of amazement for me.
Thanks for the lead on this organic pet oral care company. Given that we relocated to Eugene last year, I think you just introduced us to some new friends! 🙂
Our 65-pound lab just had a root canal. She broke one of her main chewing teeth (carnassial teeth) on a hard Nylabone-type toy. Since she was only 3, we decided it was important to keep the tooth instead of pulling it and had a root canal (that tooth has 3 roots!). It cost a pretty penny, let me tell you. But she’s happy and pain-free, and using her tooth!
Giving one raw lamb bone per week to our 50lb dog has kept her teeth clean and beautiful for 16 years! The lamb bone is soft enough to be safe for teeth, and as she chews from different angles it acts like a toothbrush. It also offers key nutritional support to her whole food diet.
Hi Lucy,
Thank you so much for your input. I completely agree that dogs chewing on bones is perhaps the best medicine for their oral care. It seems like just looking to how a dog would live in the wild and combine that with just how thrilled they are when receiving a bone, and you have the formula for success!
Thanks again!!