February 9, 2017 by Molly - 75 Comments

Is Medication Giving Your Pet Dry Mouth? Oratene Brushless Oral Care Can Help! #OrateneOralCare

I have told y’all before about my little, (or not so little), sister Brandi and her “early incontinence” condition. I also told ya that most people are aware that it can be a problem with senior pets, but it can happen to young dogs too. There are various reasons why young dogs can have early incontinence such as early spayin’, illness, injury, deformity, behavioral issues, etc. Depending on the cause, there are different ways of helpin’ em. Brandi was put on medication over a year ago, for hers and it has helped her. You would never know she has incontinence problems. However, her medication has a nasty side affect – namely, Dry Mouth! That is where Oratene® Brushless Oral Care products come in.

You may be thinkin’ “how do ya know your pet has dry mouth”, right? How does it affect their dental health? Or, better yet, what do you do about it? Well, my Lady got Brandi some Oratene Brushless Oral Care Toothpaste Gel. Lemme me fetch her to tell ya what it is, how it works, and how it can benefit your pet!

Here’s my Lady to tell ya ’bout Oratene Brushless Oral Care

February is Pet Dental Health Month, so it is a good time to talk about Brandi’s Dry Mouth condition and the effect it can have on her dental health. Dry Mouth is an actual change in the quality of saliva and it is the same for pets as it is in humans. Most of us know that certain medications can cause Dry Mouth. Dry Mouth is often caused by common meds such as those for behavior, pain, incontinence, allergies, etc.

When Brandi was started on her incontinence medication, she started drinking more water. It was alarming at first and I questioned the vet about the water drinking because it seemed counterproductive to stopping her dribbling. My vet explained that the medication could cause Dry Mouth and that was why she was drinking more water. While I knew humans can have Dry Mouth from medications, I had not thought about it in connection with my pets! It was eye opening! The big question is how do you know if your pet has Dry Mouth?

Recognizing Dry Mouth is Important to Dental Health

Recognizing Dry Mouth is extremely important to our pets’ dental health! Aging pets and pets on medications, like Brandi, can be affected. A pet with chronic Dry Mouth will develop severe halitosis and accumulate plaque which can lead to tartar and tooth decay. In addition, dental disease can affect their overall health! Dental health rates right up there with nutrition in giving our pets a long healthy life! Knowing this, makes it very important to recognize the signs of Dry Mouth so we can provide them with a different oral care regimen that can balance the oral flora. Pets can still have saliva and drool, but watch for these other indications –

Indications of Dry Mouth in Pets Can Include:

Tacky, thick saliva
Granulated tissue
Halitosis
Food aversions
Dry cracked tongue
Plaque and calculus
Ulcerations or lesions in the mouth
Inflamed bleeding gums
Receding gums

Look for these Dry Mouth Red Flags!

How Do You Relieve Your Pets’ Dry Mouth?

We have recently started using Oratene Brushless Oral Care Toothpaste Gel to help alleviate Brandi’s Dry Mouth! Oratene’s enzymes are unique in that they are brushless, kill odor-causing bacteria, and removes plaque biofilm. They are great for overall dental health for all pets. Additionally, Oratene Oral Care products are especially beneficial for senior pets, pets with special health conditions such as diabetes and those pets on medications for behavior, allergies, heart problems, thyroid dysfunction, urinary incontinence – which are also known to reduce the quality of saliva in people as well.

Oratene’s enzyme systems are based on 35 years of enzyme research and developed to manage Dry Mouth and work to replenish the protection and defense mechanism that is naturally found in healthy saliva. Oratene Oral Care Products include Brushless Toothpaste Gel, Water Additive, and Breath Freshener. All three of the products have the LP3 (to kill bacteria and germs) and the MD2 (to remove plaque biofilm) enzymes.

Xylitol, Chlorhexidine, alcohol, and detergent FREE!

Brandi is a laid-back girl that will allow you to open her mouth, look around, dig around, and set up camp if you want too! Knowing this, I chose to use the Oratene Brushless Oral Care Toothpaste Gel. I felt the toothpaste gel would give her direct optimum benefit. Oratene Brushless Toothpaste Gel features two patented enzyme systems: the LP3 Enzyme System AND the MD2 Enzyme System (Mutanase + Dextranase). The clear gel form provides long lasting protection to the teeth and gums, inhibits odor-causing bacteria, and removes plaque biofilm. It does this by making the plaque water soluble and unable to adhere to tooth. It DOES NOT contain Xylitol, alcohol, tooth-staining Chlorhexidine or Chlorine compounds.

To use, apply about a 1/2″ strip directly to the upper and lower gums once or twice daily. While you can use a brush, I prefer to use my finger. Brandi will accept my finger a lot easier than a brush and it makes it easy to apply.

I use the Oratene Toothpaste Gel twice a day. I apply it to her gums in the mornings after she has had her breakfast and morning run or hole digging, if the dirt on her nose is a clue to her morning activities!

After her nightly meal, and before bedtime, she likes to lay at my feet while I work. It’s the perfect time to apply a second application! She usually doesn’t even bother to get up!

The Oratene Toothpaste Gel is safe for both cats and dogs and they love the flavor! It’s great for cats that don’t drink a lot of water to aid in their dental health!

Oratene Brushless Oral Care Water Additive

In addition to the Oratene Toothpaste Gel, we have also been using the Oratene Water Additive. The Oratene Water Additive is especially great for multi-pet households like mine, and especially my senior girl, to kill germs and remove plaque. The Water Additive is a concentrated, flavorless additive that you simply add to their daily drinking water. Simply add 2 pumps per quart of water. That’s it!

The Water Additive is a safe, healthy way to conveniently clean pet’s teeth, freshen breath, kill germs and remove plaque without brushing. With its tasteless formula, Oratene Water Additive is an easy way to provide Oratene’s benefits of oral protection against bad breath, plaque, and periodontal disease! For complete protection, use together with the Oratene Toothpaste Gel.

Oratene Brushless Oral Care with Smiling German Shepherd

Oratene Brushless Toothpaste Gel fixed my Dry Mouth right up! Now, I wonder if I can get some braces for my crooked bottom teeth? WOOF!

Brandi and I are happy with the Oratene Toothpaste Gel! I She doesn’t seem as bothered by Dry Mouth now and her water drinking has slowed down to a normal rate! Thankfully, we caught her Dry Mouth symptoms early enough that we avoided the more serious consequences! We are happy the Oratene Brushless Oral Care Toothpaste Gel has helped with her irritating Dry Mouth that could cause future dental and gum disease! Protecting her pearly whites plays a big role in giving her a long healthy life!

Celebrate Pet Dental Health Month by visiting Petco® or your local independent retailer to find the perfect Oratene® dental health product for your pet.