Uses and Benefits of Baking Soda for Dogs

Baking soda is very common in every home and very easy to get at any store — humans generally use it to settle our stomach acidity. But baking soda also has many uses and benefits in the canine world.

Let's take a detailed look at how we can take advantage of all the benefits of baking soda when we use it on our dog, and what its uses and benefits are. Shall we start?

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Baking Soda to Remove Odors From Our Dog

It's no secret that dogs sometimes smell a bit strong, since they spend the day lying in the grass and rubbing themselves against any smell they find interesting — sometimes very unpleasant smells for us humans.

Obviously, bathing our dog is the most commonly used solution in these cases, but if we don't want to or can't bathe it, we can use baking soda to give it a dry clean, without needing to bathe it. Let's see how to do it in a simple way:

1. Sprinkle a bit of baking soda over your dog's coat
2. Massage your dog so the baking soda works its way well into its coat and reaches the skin
3. Let the baking soda sit for at least fifteen minutes
4. Brush your dog thoroughly to remove any trace of baking soda from its coat and skin

Baking Soda as a Natural Anti-Parasite

Baking soda is toxic to fleas and ticks, so we can use it during our dog's bath to get rid of any external parasites it may have. It's very simple to use, and we can do it two ways, both equally effective.

• Sprinkle baking soda over our dog's coat and let it sit for a few minutes before bathing it.
• Mix baking soda with water and use it to bathe our dog, finishing with a plain water rinse.

Remember we need to avoid letting baking soda come into contact with our dog's sensitive areas, such as the eyes, mouth, or nose.

Toothpaste With Baking Soda

Properly cleaning our dog's teeth will help prevent tartar from forming, and with it, prevent many vet visits due to dental issues. Dogs can't tolerate fluoride (it's toxic to them), so we can't use our own toothpaste on them.

However, we can make a homemade toothpaste using water and baking soda to clean their teeth in a super effective and natural way. Remember that it's not good for a dog to eat baking soda, but a small amount isn't harmful to them either, so we can use this homemade paste occasionally to clean their teeth.

Soothing Stings on Our Dog With Baking Soda

It's not unusual for a mosquito, wasp, or bee to sting a dog, since they're always running around chasing them. Some stings require urgent veterinary attention, such as when a wasp stings a dog in the mouth, or when the dog is allergic to their stings.

But other stings aren't as serious, even though they are very painful for our dogs. If we dilute a bit of baking soda in water and make a kind of paste, we can apply it to the sting to relieve our dog's pain. We can apply this remedy several times a day, for as many days as needed until the sting stops hurting or itching — that is, until it no longer feels tempted to scratch or lick the affected area.

Baking Soda to Clean Its Toys and Bed

A bit of baking soda with water is the best soap we can use to clean our dog's toys. Baking soda is also super effective at getting rid of parasites and odors, so if we apply a bit of it to our dog's bed, rub it in, and let it sit for a few hours before cleaning it off, we'll not only remove any strong smell but also kill any fleas or ticks in its bed.

We can also use baking soda in any area our dog tends to spend time in, such as rugs at home, the car, or the sofa. Baking soda has great deodorizing properties that will get rid of any strong smell.