Recommended Article #03August22
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This recommended article "Probiotics for Pet Dental Health: A DIY Recipe" is curated and sourced from Adored Beast Apothecary. If you loved this article, please do feel free to share it around.
Probiotics for Pet Dental Health: A DIY Recipe
A Bird’s Eye View
- Your fur friend’s oral health is crucial for overall health
- Probiotics do play an important role in keeping the mouth healthy
When it comes to cleaning your canine fur friend's teeth, some, but not many pawrents clean their dogs' teeth on a daily basis. If lucky, your canine fur friend gets a clean on a semi regular basis. What many pawrents fail to see — a dog's dental health is actually really important to its overall health, and definitely goes way beyond a bad case of stinky breath. Not paying attention to your pup's mouth can cause tartar build up, gum disease, and even more serious issues with the heart, lungs or kidneys which can come about. Dogs that eat a diet filled with fresh foods and raw bones naturally have better oral health, but this could also be easily achieved with probiotics.
Why you need Probiotics for your Dog Dental Health?
Probiotics do not just help with the microbiome and gut health. In fact, beyond helping the gut, probiotics also repopulate the good bacteria and restore the natural microbial balance in the mouth. It has also been proven that they slow the growth of bad bacteria that can cause common dental diseases like periodontal disease and halitosis (halitosis = chronic bad breath, not just typical bad doggie breath).
Do It Yourself Recipe: Love Bugs Probiotic Dental Paste
If you are all about being organic, here is an easy "do it yourself" recipe to help with your furry friend's oral hygiene; all you need is coconut oil and Love Bugs, and that is literally it! Love Bugs is the perfect match of pre and probiotics, featuring a fourteen strain probiotic with 30 billion allergen free colony forming units. With this special mix, you get the natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties from the coconut oil while the Love Bugs will help strengthen that microbiome in the mouth.
Love Bugs Probiotic Dental Paste
- Small Dog (or Cat) – mix 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and 1/16 teaspoon of Love Bugs
- Large Dog – mix up to a tablespoon of coconut oil with 1/16 tablespoon of Love Bugs
Tip: Make that dental paste mix and store in a glass jar. Nothing goes to waste!
There is no need for melting for the coconut oil, in fact, if the coconut oil is chunky, all the better as it makes it easier to get a good amount on the finger. Once the ingredients are well mixed together, take a small amount on your finger and gently massage in and around your fur friend’s teeth. For added texture like a soft toothbrush, you could even use a piece of cheese cloth or first aid gauze. Remember to remove the entire needed amount from the jar so as to avoid contamination of the paste.
Gently rub the teeth and all along the gum lines. Some dogs will tolerate this even if they do not really like the feeling. If possible, make teeth cleaning a regular routine so that it takes the stress out of it for your canine friend. Just do your best, as often as you can, very gently. For fearful or sensitive personalities, especially the elderly ones, try doing just a quarter of the mouth at a time to make it a fun experience.
If you have the ability to get right in there, that would evidently be the best. However, if your animal is really fearful, for whatever reason, do not force it. Some animals just cannot handle having your hands in their mouth, whether from past experience, or just because of an adverse feeling to it. In such a case, try making a coconut oil and Love Bugs popsiclean – just add the recipe to an ice cube container and freeze. You could even add some of your favorite bone broth for flavor. Alternatively, just put a little Love Bugs in the water bowl. There is no need to cause any additional stress for the poor furbaby, and this certainly takes the pressure off. The probiotics will still get to where they need to be!
Raw Bones for Pet Dental Health
One other thing that is really great for pet dental health - raw bones! Not only do bones contain calcium, they are easily available and even support dental health in more ways than one. Raw bones are an amazing way to help keep those doggie teeth clean and healthy, ensure those jaw muscles get some exercise, even going as far as to reduce stress for your canine friend.
One of the best ways to prevent dental and gum disease, is by offering soft bones to chew on, like chicken and turkey necks. Fun fact: this is the human equivalent of flossing! Wear a rubber glove and hold the neck while your fur friend chews at it. Try to pull the neck as far back in your pet’s mouth to try and reach the back molars, then slowly move the neck to the front of the mouth, then to the back of the other side and repeat. Do this as much possible before the neck gets too small.
Wearing a glove while doing this ensures that the neck does NOT slip from your hand. If your animal feels threatened or gets food aggressive with the bone, stop immediately. DO NOT reprimand them as this is a totally natural reaction. You could try to do it in tiny spurts and have a treat ready to give them with each break. Example: Count for 2 seconds, take the bone away and give a treat. This way, it becomes like a game with a reward. If it remains stressful for your fur friend, or worse, aggression starts, stop and just allow them to chew the neck on their own and try again at another time. Give them a day or two to reduce the stress level before trying again. By always thinking from their perspective of what they might be thinking or feeling, you would be able to achieve more in your care and efforts for your fur friend.
Professional Cleanings
Here are some things to be aware of should your fur friend be in need of professional attention.
1. Hand Scaling
When it comes to hand scaling, having a qualified and highly patient technician using a high pressure rinse with coconut oil and hypericum solution of water and hypericum solution would be best for your fur friend. It is recommended to do it over more sessions, preferably in four, starting with half of the top of the mouth, then the opposite side lower, other side top, then the remaining bottom half. Doing it this way allows for your fur friend to eat without having too much problems should there be any sensitivities. All at once can be a little much for some fur friends.
Give Arnica 1M and Hepar Sulphuris 200C twice a day for seven days after the scale. You could use Aconite 1M prior to the scaling.
2. If an Anesthetic is Necessary
A qualified technician should be working with a vet and should be able to assess if an anesthetic is necessary. Make absolutely sure that it is in fact necessary before going ahead with it. Pre-surgery blood work should always be done too.
If there is an issue with the kidneys or liver, then those organs should preferably be supported for three months with herbs, a fresh species-oriented diet and homeopathy, before going for a retest before the procedure is done!
If there is a huge bacterial issue while supporting the organs, you could do Arnica 30C, Hepar sulphuris 30C and Silica 30C twice a day for two weeks. If it is helping, do that once per week until the surgery date.
3. Extensive Dental Disease with Many Extractions
It would be preferable to use a board certified dentist as this almost always cuts down the time your dog will be under anesthetic. Ask around for a good surgeon that other people liked. After all, it is always nice to feel as confident as possible going into this.
Again, get proper blood work done beforehand. If your pet is geriatric or if their health is compromised, ask for a board certified anesthesiologist to work with the surgeon.
Give 1 dose of Phosphorus 200C right after the surgery to help the liver and kidney detox, in addition to supporting the blood loss. Then give Arnica 1M and Hypericum 1M twice a day for two to five days, depending on the amount of work done.
What’s Damaging Your Dog’s Teeth?
Here are a few things that can cause havoc on your dog’s teeth:
- Stay away from tennis balls. It may be your doggie’s favourite game, and it is not to say to not play fetch with your furry friend, but DO NOT use tennis balls. That fuzzy covering is tough stuff where it could actually wear your dog’s teeth to the point of the bulb becoming exposed, causing pain when eating. That same fuzz could also cause impaction in the gut. So always use a rubber ball, and always one that is too big for your doggie to swallow!
- Do NOT feed smoked bones, cooked bones, or antlers. The process to make these shelf safe and so they do not have to be refrigerated changes the composition of calcium, making them so hard they could easily splinter or crack your dog’s teeth, or worse, causing them to lodge in the throat or in the gut! If you had to feed any sort of bones, stick with RAW BONES!
- Do NOT throw stones. Your fur friend may end up with broken teeth trying to catch them. Please use rubber balls or frisbees!
At the end of the day, every pawrent wants what is best for your furry family. So do not forget to include your pet's dental health! Doing your homework and being their healthcare advocate is the most proactive and safest way to go.
Here is to the health of our animals, from tooth to tail!
You can purchase Love Bugs from JJ E-Homez Holistic Pet today!
Julie Anne Lee, DCH, RcsHOM, is a qualified veterinary practitioner and graduate of the Vancouver Academy of Homeopathy, having studied with some of the world’s leading homeopaths, and is an Associate Member of the British Association of Homeopathic Veterinary Surgeons, BAHVS. Aside from being the founder and owner of the Adored Beast Apothecary, where she formulates holistic pet care products and is currently working on a canine cancer research project, she has also been the owner and practitioner of some of the busiest and long-standing holistic veterinary hospitals and clinics in North America, while regularly teaching on veterinary courses.
Julie Anne is also a pioneer in studying the dog’s microbiome and developing protocols for optimising gut health, which plays into the health of all our furry friends and us. In furthering a truly holistic approach to pet care, Julie Anne continues to work with vets and practitioners from all over the world.
Growing up helping in her mother’s animal rescue shelter was what contributed greatly to Julie Anne’s life purpose - protecting and caring deeply for animals and their health, while educating the public and fellow veterinarians to empower them to make the best choices for the ethical treatment and naturally holistic approaches to their pets’ healthcare.
You may find more interesting reads from JJ E-Homez Holistic Pet today! Look out for loads of information on our product pages, social media, especially our Pet Parent Resources page.
JJ E-Homez Holistic Pet, a Singapore online pet store that focuses on the holistic well-being of your beloved furkid. Our recommended products aim to support and improve health, emotional and physical well-being, and help your pet have a better quality of life without compromise. Look out for Essential, Trendy and Premium quality pet products that are specially curated, with the pet parents concerns' as a priority.
This blog first appeared on the Adored Beast Apothecary website, where this article "Probiotics for Pet Dental Health: Do It Yourself!" was curated and sourced from.
Original source: https://blog.adoredbeast.com/pet-dental-health/
*Do note that original source can be removed without notice.
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