Are fluoride and sodium polyphosphate in pet toothpaste toxic?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. The amount that Cody ingested is not likely to cause any abnormal side effects related to fluoride toxicity. I would monitor Cody for signs of lethargy, trembling, inappetance, seizures, restlessness, labored breathing or diarrhea and if these signs develop, take Cody in to be seen by a veterinarian immediately. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hello, thank you for using Pet Coach. You are likely to get better compliance from Joshie if you use commercial toothpaste made for dogs as it is flavored and dogs actually like it. If you don't make it taste good she will probably not be too happy with the brushing procedure. What is bad for dogs in human toothpaste is the flouride. So, esentially you can use human children's toothpaste as it does not contain flouride. She probably won't like those flavors either though. You can make your own toothpaste if you want to. Baking soda is not toxic to dogs and should be fine to use. Do not use hydrogen peroxide as that will cause vomiting if she swallows too much of it. Here is a link to a recipe you can use: ( https://www.cuteness.com/blog/content/diy-dog-toothpaste ) Hope this helps. Best wishes!

Neem oil isn't listed as a toxic substance, but safety and efficacy studies are few and far between. That said, the amount ifbneem oil in the product pictured is likely not enough to cause serious toxicity. The amount used daily further reduces any risk. Personally, I like CET products for dental care. This is my own opinion unrelated to PetCoach or Petco. As long as you brush daily and have regular dental cleanings performed, Athena should have healthy teeth and gums. https://us.virbac.com/home/our-products/pagecontent/product-selector/cet-enzymatic-toothpaste-dog-cat.html

The most important part of a home dental care program is actually just brushing the teeth at all and does not seem to make a difference which toothpaste is used unless you use a proven toothpaste. There are actually only 2 toothpastes on the market that have been proven to help improve dental health in dogs. I am attaching a list of approved dental products below. http://www.vohc.org/VOHCAcceptedProductsTable_Dogs.pdf So, I would recommend purchasing PetSmile or Essential Healthy Mouth if you are going to use a toothpaste. I have found that homemade toothpastes are not very good tasting (so it makes it harder for you to brush the teeth) and would recommend using a good brush without any toothpaste instead of making a homemade toothpaste. I am attaching a link to a handout below which includes a detailed discussion on home dental care including products for cleaning the teeth. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=640 Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

As long as you are using a dog-only toothpaste, you should be good (NO fluoride). Daily brushing is the best medicine. With a 15 year old beagle, she probably has underlying tartar and calculus (unless her teeth were recently cleaned by a vet), so you won't be removing anything that is already there, you would be preventing anything new from forming. Good job for taking good care of Daisy's oral health!

Virbac also makes a great range of CET Enzymatic toothpastes that help to "dissolve" plaque and prevent plaque build up. https://us.virbac.com/product/dental/cet-enzymatic-toothpaste-for-dogs-and-cats These are widely available on the internet and though veterinarians and pet stores.

You should be fine to use any doggie toothpaste. If the tooth paste lists sugars, pick the one with the lowest sugar and use the recommended amount. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.