? Sorbitol in Toothpaste

Hi all,
I have a question re: use of enzymatic toothpaste to brush a (diabetic) cat’s teeth.
I’m trying to be consistent brushing Scout’s teeth 2-3 times a week. Since his recent diabetes diagnosis, I got to thinking about glucose concentration in “Cat” toothpaste.

So, I downloaded the Safety Data Sheet for the Malt flavor of a well-known enzymatic pet toothpaste. The Sorbitol concentration is 30-40%.
This might seem like a silly question, but is this ok/acceptable for a diabetic cat?
Just asking, and wondering what you guys use?

Thanks,
Scout & Susan

 

Just my two cents, I wouldn't use it.

From IBDKitties, the following excerpt (from this link: http://www.ibdkitties.net/toxicunsafe-foods/ ) :

Sweeteners: Sorbitol falls within the same chemical category as the sweeteners xylitol and mannitol. Because it’s especially hard for them to digest, large amounts of sorbitol can affect pets in an adverse way. Sorbitol is used in a multitude of pet foods for moisture retention, is less vulnerable to mold and may be bacteria resistant. It is also used as a plastic making agent. Sorbitol and mannitol for a pet can lead to severe diarrhea, GI irritation and malabsorption issues. Although not toxic like xylitol, sorbitol used in anything other than pet food may be best avoided, especially with cats already experiencing GI upset like an IBD kitty, or one with a compromised immune system. Most pet toothpaste brands contain up to 50% sorbitol and states clearly on their literature that it can give them very bad stomach upset and diarrhea; which is what happened to my cats.

...and from this link: ( http://vetbook.org/wiki/cat/index.php?title=Sorbitol_accumulation )

An early pathologic change of feline diabetes mellitus is increased unspecific, non-enzymatic glycosylation (or glycation) of proteins, which cause abnormal aggregation of collagen fibrils and the production of superoxide radicals. This results in damage to the connective tissue and basal membranes.

Further, osmotic cell damage seems to occur due to the accumulation of the sugar alcohol sorbitol which is not freely permeable to the cell membrane. Sorbitol is generated from glucose through aldose reductase activity. While only small amounts of sorbitol are generated under normal conditions, hyperglycemia can lead to the accumulation of considerable amounts of sorbitol by an "overflow" mechanism when normal glucose utilization via hexokinase is saturated.

It might turn out to be fine.

 

Thank you for the reply & the links!

Yes, I’m not comfortable using it anymore either. For now I’ll brush with plain water, or wrap some gauze around my finger and wipe them off that way.
I looked up old posts on this site referencing feline dental treatment.
Several posters mentioned a product, “Maxi/Guard Oral Hel”, and VetRx and Amazon both carry it. I think i may give it a go.

 

Sounds like a good plan!

 

Just a thought, you can even use a bit of baking soda mixed with water if you want to brush before you get the other. Long ago, baking soda, salt and water was used as 'toothpaste' by many humans... Cat's don't need the salt tho'...