Pet lovers beware: There is a hidden danger lurking on the shelves of pet supplies near you. Some of the dental sprays and gels meant to combat tartar buildup in our dogs and cats do more harm than good. Some of these products have a pure granular alcohol content of 25% or more, which is mild.
Twenty-five percent alcohol is what goes into a solid mixed drink. The alcohol content in these sprays and gels only goes up from there. While these remedies may be quick fixes in preventing gingivitis and gum disease (And they are indeed safer alternatives to anesthetic cleanings), they are slowly but surely harming our pets.
Alcohol is a toxic substance
In moderation, its consumption by humans is considered relatively safe. Shortly after ingestion, alcohol begins to metabolize in the liver into acetic acid, which is a non-toxic acid in the human body. The kidneys quickly restore homeostasis in the blood, which means that water levels, pH, etc. are in balance.
It has been suggested that since our Neolithic ancestors began partying over twelve thousand years ago, humans have developed an increased tolerance for the hard stuff. Unfortunately for our four-legged friends, their bodies aren’t equipped to handle hooch in the same way as ours.
Metabolic processes in cats and dogs are much more sensitive than in humans. This is partly a matter of evolution, but not the naturally selective species. during Selective breeding We’ve engineered our pets to be smaller and weaker than their wild cousins. In the language of the drink, this makes it “lightweight”.
So what does this mean?
This means that a spritz of dental spray or a swab of gel with 25% pure grain alcohol is given to a one hundred and eighty pound man. three times Toxicity for a full-grown, sixty-pound black Lab.
For a 12-pound calico kitten, that means fifteen times. And while just one application may be relatively harmless, the recommended dosing for these products usually calls for two doses in the morning and two at night – day after day, night after night – depending on your pet’s genetic predisposition.
For animals whose metabolic systems are not suited to these toxins in the first place, one hundred and twenty doses a month really add up. Then, after your delicate metabolism gets into its overzealous attempts to detoxify that first dose of grain alcohol, the directions on the bottle instruct you to pound it in with a second, and later a third and fourth.
There are consequences
Their livers were simply not given enough time to recover. The kidneys, whose filtering abilities are impaired by alcohol from the start, are not given time to restore balance in the blood. With each subsequent dose, their workload doubles. They have to work harder. This is when the damage begins.
Furthermore, another reason dogs and cats cannot process alcohol effectively, even in small doses, is that their livers do not produce enough alcohol dehydrogenase. This important enzyme (which is found in abundance in humans) is essential in the breakdown of alcohol. In fact, a cat’s liver is so ill-equipped to break down the drink that two teaspoons of whiskey, according to Columbia Animal Hospital, is enough to put her into a coma. One spoon kills them.
Of course, with these sprays and gels, we’re talking about milder, more potent amounts of whiskey measured in tablespoons. But again, the culprit here is the quiet type — which makes it all the more dangerous.
Over time, its effect will become more noticeable. As the cat’s reflexes become less like a cat’s, the grain alcohol has begun to attack the central nervous system. When a dog eats grass on a consistent basis to make himself sick, his gastrointestinal tract is on alert.
Don’t wait for these signs
By this time it may be too late.
But let us not close this article on such a somber note. As you can see, there are alcohol-free pet dental sprays and gels (Including one that i highly recommend) that do the job in every part as well as their toxic competitors. A simple brushing once a week with some beef-flavored toothpaste and the occasional carrot (they’re great at breaking up tartar, if your dog isn’t a picky eater) works wonders, too.