Raw feeders know that most dogs & cats enjoy a lifetime of clean, healthy teeth & gums when fed a raw diet, and switching to a raw diet will always improve your pet’s dental health. It’s amazing how even very senior raw fed animals can enjoy absolutely beautiful, white teeth, healthy gums and fresh breath without a single dental procedure ever being done, not even at-home tooth brushing sessions!However, individual animals may experience stubborn/chronic dental/oral health problems despite their diet – we don’t know why this happens but theories include inherited or genetic factors; residual damage to their microbiome from antibiotic use or vaccine damage. Sometimes very ill, hospice and senior animals need assistance with gently improving their oral health situation, but are not good candidates for clinical dental procedures. This recipe was developed for these animals (and can be used by humans, too!). After you purchase and assemble the ingredients, it’s a breeze to prepare and stores well.

Give it a try and please, report back in the comments, as I’d love to hear how it works for you!

YES, of course! We carry/sell and will happily special order every single one of these ingredients for our members in whatever quantity you desire. If you are a SFRAW member, just give us a list of what you need and we’ll put your order together next time you stop in or send us your wish list via email (sfraw @ sfraw.com) or give us a call (415-225-0589).

 

Kasie’s Re-Mineralizing, Healing Herbal Clay Tooth Powder for Dogs & Cats

TOOTH POWDER: Prepare in advance and store in a glass jar with a lid for up to 9-12 months (cool, dark, dry location).

• 4 parts Bentonite (Montmorillonite) Clay from Mountain Rose Herbs
• 3 parts Now Brand or other high quality human supplement (tested for heavy metals) Bone Meal powder, Calcium Magnesium powder or Animal Essentials Seaweed Calcium
• 1 part Bob’s Red Mill Baking Soda
• ½ part food grade Diatomaceous Earth (Perma-Guard Fossil Shell Flour) optional
• ½ part powdered herbs (100% organic or wild-crafted from Mountain Rose Herbs; use all for best results):
  • Oregon Grape Root
  • Goldenseal Root
  • Fennel Seed
  • Mint Leaf
  • Calendula Flower
  • Neem
  • Kelp

WET INGREDIENTS: Prepare separately, at the time of tooth brushing. Store in refrigerator and use within a few days.

Choose 2-3 of the following, blended in equal parts/volume:

• Grapefruit Seed Extract (Nutribiotic)
• Aloe Vera (organic, additive/preservative-free brands such as Lily of the Desert Preservative-Free Inner Fillet is 99% with citric acid or George’s 100%). Even better to grow your own and use fresh! Simply open up the inner leaf and scrape the flesh into a bowl/container for immediate use.
• Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (Nutiva brand)
• High quality organic cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
• Melted truly pastured lard/fat (good selection from FatWorks)
• Fermented cod liver oil/X-Factor butter oil (Green Pasture)
• Raw goat milk yogurt/kefir or raw butter, unflavored/unsalted; cultured (if possible – local sources can be found here)

How to Make Tooth Powder:

Prep: all ingredients should be pre-ground or freshly ground into a fine powder before mixing.

Simply mix the ingredients together – mix well – and place in a Mason glass jar with a lid. You can make a big batch of this as it will last a very long time when stored properly.

How to Make Wet Ingredients:

First, make your mix of wet ingredients:

• Select three wet ingredients to blend together. Grapefruit Seed Extract, Aloe Vera and Coconut Oil (melted or warmed) is my favorite combo; but you can create your own favorite blend of wet ingredients!

Make a small batch of the wet ingredients each time.

Measure out equal amounts of each ingredient and combine well. Set aside.

Wet ingredients are best for single use, or should be used within a few days; it all depends on the perishability of the ingredients you choose. For most blends, you can safely store a blend of wet ingredients in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.

TIP: If you use the GSE, Aloe Vera & Coconut Oil blend you can combine with the powder to the consistency you choose (as is shown in the blue jars in above photo) and keep refrigerated for up to a month.

How to Use:

Wet toothbrush, dental sponge, cloth or Q-Tip with the wet ingredients (above).

Dip wetted brush/instrument into the tooth powder (take some out of the jar and place in a small dish or bowl to keep the remaining powder dry) and rub onto your animal’s gums & teeth, until teeth are clean.

Use daily, of as often as you’d like.

Humane, Stress-Free Handling:

Check out the following resources on how to make tooth brushing as stress-free an experience as possible for your animal:

Feline-Friendly Handling Guidelines – International Cat Care

Pretzel Stick Dental Exams

Teeth Brushing: Teaching a Dog to Be Comfortable & Calm (video by Donna Hill)

Dental Care for Cats by Jean Hofve DVM

Remember that your goal here is to provide a healing service for the benefit of your animal. If the experience is stressful for them (and/or you), it is not beneficial for their overall health and not worth doing! You may have to get creative to develop a way to clean your cat or dog’s teeth without stress. Please do your best to find a method to makes tooth brushing a truly enjoyable and bonding experience for you and your animal.

Storing & Shelf Life:

The dry powder can be stored in a cool, dry location (like a cupboard or drawer); dry tooth powder will last for months, when stored properly. Wet ingredients are perishable and should be used within a few days.