Is it safe to brush my dog's teeth on a bland diet for diarrhea?

You could try a homemade toothpaste and see if that works better. There are numerous recipes found online. Here is a link to one website.... https://www.care.com/c/stories/6301/5-homemade-dog-toothpaste-recipes-to-freshen/

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.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Many cases of diarrhea can be directly linked back to the diet or an imbalance of GI bacteria. If Mason has been on the same food for a while now, I would initiate a bland diet as outlined below and then transition back to the regular dog food 3 days after the diarrhea resolves. If he is still having diarrhea, I would consider switching to a low fat / GI / sensitive stomach formula such as Science Diet or Royal Canin. As for the gums, just because he does not have much tartar does not mean he doesn't have bacteria in his mouth. He may have a larger than normal bacteria population in his mouth causing the bad breath. If he has not had a dental cleaning ever or its been a while, I would recommend having a veterinarian professionally clean his teeth to help with the bad breath. Products such as Plaque Off, Oravet and CET toothpaste can help with the bad breath as well as help prevent tartar formation. If the diet change does not help, I would consider adding in a probiotic such as Purina Fortiflora. If he continues to have diarrhea after switching the diets and the probiotic does not work, I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at Mason so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. 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! GENERAL INFORMATION A bland diet is a diet that is soft and highly digestible. It is low in fiber, fat and protein and is high in carbohydrates. Bland diets are generally composed of a single carbohydrate source and a single lean protein source. The most common bland diet is boiled rice and boiled lean chicken breast, without skin and bones. Since bland diets are low in fiber, stool production slows and defecation is less frequent. Bland diets are fed to rest the gastric system and to help promote normal stool formation. Animals that are physically sick should not be fed bland diets as a method of treatment. PRIOR TO FEEDING A BLAND DIET Pets should be fasted for 12 to 24 hours. Young animals should not be fasted for more than 12 hours. Fasting will allow the intestinal system to relax and minimize acid secretions that may irritate and inflame the intestinal lining. During the fast small amounts of water or ice chips may be provided. Never fast a sick animal, it may cause disease progression and death. BASIC BOILED RICE AND CHICKEN BLAND DIET RECIPE CARBOHYDRATE SOURCE: Boiled white rice LEAN PROTEIN SOURCE: Chicken breast, no skin and bones BOILED RICE: 1 part white rice with 3 parts water boiled for 20 – 25 minutes or until the rice is easily crushed. BOILED CHICKEN: De-fat chicken breast and boil in water for 10 – 15 minutes or until the chicken meat is easily pulled apart and cooked all way through. MIXING INSTRUCTIONS: Finely chop the lean protein and mix 2 cups carbohydrate source and ½ cup lean protein source. STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Bland diets can be premade and stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 48 hours. The bland diet can be cooked in a batch and frozen in feeding sized portions to minimize preparation time. Thaw and warm the frozen diet prior to feeding. PERMITTED LEAN PROTEIN SUBSTITUTIONS Pork loin, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese. 7% low fat hamburger, plain low fat yogurt. PERMITTED CARBOHYDRATE SUBSTITUTIONS Boiled potatoes, boiled spaghetti, Minute rice. PERMITTED COMMERCIAL BLAND DIETS Science Prescription Diet I/D, Eukanuba Veterinary Diet Low Residue, Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Intestinal HE. FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS Estimate 25% of your animal’s diet and feed that amount of the bland diet every 6 – 8 hours. Smaller animals will require less and larger animals will require more adhering to the same carbohydrate to lean protein source ratio. The bland diet should be fed for 4 -5 days with no treats or other food sources until stools are firm then transition to dog food

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.

Poor Blue! The anaesthetic combined with the pain of the teeth clean can really upset their tummies. You could try feeding a diet of plain chicken and rice for a few days, but I'd urge you to give your vet a call. They shluld be able to prescribe you a gastroprotectant liquid that can help settle the tummy. If the diarrohea dies not settle it will need to be treated too.

I wouldn’t recommend using this combination to brush your dog’s teeth. While the coconut oil probably tastes good, it will just add unwanted calories to your dog’s diet, even if you are using a small amount. And the baking soda will be too harsh and abrasive for your dog. Instead I would recommend a toothpaste specifically made for dog’s. Or, you don’t even have to use toothpaste at all! The most important part of brushing a dog’s teeth is the mechanical action of brushing away the plaque that builds up on the teeth! If you do this daily it will go a long way to helping your dog’s teeth stay nice and healthy. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!

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!