Clean Your Dog's Teeth with Baking Soda

Written by Doris Donnerman (last updated November 13, 2009)

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My grandparents' dog, Coco, was the sweetest dog. She was cuddly, sweet, and quiet, but she did have one serious flaw. She had the worst breath I've ever smelled on a dog—seriously, it was rancid. I think one of the key problems with her breath was her lack of oral hygiene. Cleaning dogs' teeth is never exciting, and dog toothpaste is kind of gross and also more than kind of expensive. There is a way, however, to circumvent the pricey dog toothpaste. Just use baking soda, and many of your dog teeth woes will be solved!

Baking soda (Bicarbonate of Soda) is a very good for cleaning dogs' teeth. It cleans and freshens the breath at the same time. There are a couple of ways you can utilize the baking soda technique; you can either rub the baking soda on the dog's teeth with a cloth, or dip a doggy toothbrush in the soda and scrub away.

If your dog's teeth (and probably consequently breath) are particularly horrid, then you could always try combining dog toothpaste with baking soda. It would probably taste disgusting to the dog, but if it works, then I say go for it! Squirt a bit of the toothpaste onto the toothbrush and then take a bit of baking soda and use a toothpick to mix it in. Proceed to brush!

Dog teeth are sometimes hard to keep healthy and maintenance is definitely a necessity if you want to avoid major problems. Fortunately, baking soda is an easy remedy that is proven to be an excellent cleaning agent for just about everything. Do remember, however, to not use toothpaste designed for humans on your dog. Some of its ingredients are harmful to canines. Your dog never needs to deal with icky teeth again!

Author Bio

Doris Donnerman

Doris is a jack of all trades, writing on a variety of topics. Her articles have helped enlighten and entertain thousands over the years. ...

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What is one minus 0?

2017-02-16 23:01:18

Linda

My 15 yr old 4lb yorkie cant have anesthesia anymore for pro teeth cleanings. She now has heart issues. Im going to try the baking soda with gauze. Ive been doing oeagel on a finger toothbrush. But the yellow is all over what teeth she has left.
Hope the baking soda,will work. She hates her teeth being done.


2016-01-26 19:39:52

Stacy

=) Hi,
~This site advises the use of Baking Soda to clean dog's teeth. All of the Vet sites say Do Not use Baking Soda. They say the alkaline(?) in it is very harmful to a dogs stomach.
~ I think Baking Soda would be an easy fix to my dogs bad breathe and tartar. She has to eat a mix of wet and hard food due to a Seizure prevention food. I can not easily afford extras like dog toothpaste and would love to know if Baking Soda once in a while is ok to do. Thanks!


2015-02-06 00:25:23

Nannagail

I also use bi carb soda but I crush a beef stock cube and mix with a little water to a paste. It has gotten rid of all the stains and consequently the bad breath. I used a soft baby toothbrush. No complaints from either of my japanese spitzes