Animals need healthy mouths to stay healthy and happy pets!
Animals’ gum and tooth tissue respond in exactly the identical way as ours when threatened by disease and plaque so we must maintain a regular dental hygiene program for their health and well-being.
Examine their teeth and mouth
If it’s possible, gently pull your furry friend’s lip and look at his or her teeth (wrigglers may need some help!).
- Can you see yellowish or brown plaque deposits on the teeth?
- Are there some other problems like chipped or cracked teeth?
- Does your pet have very smelly breath?
- Assess the teeth – are they red or sore-looking?
- Does your pet often dribble spit and drop food when he/she is hoping to eat?
If your answer is “yes” to any of these questions, your pet requires some attention to his/her mouth. Otherwise, well done – you get a gold star for dental hygiene!
It is easy to overlook your pet’s teeth but dental issues can lead to major health issues.
- Infection shaped in the mouth can travel through the bloodstream and affect your pet’s vital organs, especially the heart and kidneys causing serious illness.
Eventually, you are going to be seeing the vet, possibly for dental perform under anesthetic, maybe for something more serious – expensive and stressful.
Fortunately, good dental hygiene is not too difficult to achieve by following a similar plan of mine:
- Provide hard (dry) food. There are lots of balanced diets on the market, many designed to help with dental hygiene and exercise the gums.
- Brushing your pet’s teeth often will definitely make a difference and believe it or not, plenty of pets don’t mind it whatsoever! Start gently for a few minutes and work up to a full set of teeth!
- Hard and crunchy treats to help with the removal of plaque and tartar are extremely popular with pets. My dog loves to chew carrots (good healthy veggies!) And there are many treats available for assisting with good dental care.
- Toys designed to exercise the mouth are good – happy playtime and dental hygiene rolled into one!
- Check frequently for constant extremely poor breath – not simply ‘I’ve been eating something nasty’ breath. This might be a warning signal your pet might have something serious going on.
- When you go to your vet for vaccination boosters your pet needs to have a professional dental checkup.
Little Pets
Rabbit and rodent owners, please check your pet’s teeth frequently especially if they’re showing some of the indications above as their teeth grow continuously and your veterinarian might have to shorten them.
If you aren’t convinced, think of it this way. A cat or dog year is equal to about five to seven years. If your pet is five years old, this is similar to a 25 to 35-year-old individual who has never brushed their teeth go to a dentist! Click this link to learn more.
1 critical component of oral and general health for dogs and cats is regular dental care. However, most pets don’t receive the oral hygiene care that they need to keep their teeth and gums healthy.
We are also enthusiastic about educating pet owners on dental health education and also the need for a good at-home oral care routine.
Cats and dogs may often react to dental processes by fighting or biting since they don’t understand what’s happening. We provide anesthesia to everyone our patients before performing dental procedures. This places less strain on animals and makes it possible for us to x-ray their mouth as necessary.
Dunnellon Animal Hospital provides preventive and curative veterinary dental healthcare and operation for dogs and cats. Visit them here for more information.
