It got me thinking about how lax I personally have been on taking care of my pets' teeth and gums regularly as to prevent problems. It points out that a good majority of pets over the age of three have some sort of dental problem or disease. That's not good! I'm going to talk to my vet about what I should be doing to prevent problems and what to watch for.
I think pet dental care is hugely important - but I must admit I've been a bit lax with it lately myself. I give them pet teeth cleaning chew treats, but it's been a little while since I actually brushed their teeth.
It's amazing though the correlation good dental/oral health has with avoiding disease -- I'm sure I even read about it being related in humans. I think it was an article about the benefits of regular flossing and that helping to avoid heart disease...amazing, right?
I can't believe the figure they quoted in your article though, that around 80% of pets over 3 years old have some sort of periodontal disease - that's such a high number. I appreciate you posting this as it's been a big wake up call for me that I need to ensure I am more regular with cleaning my pets teeth!
The number shocked me at first and I sort of doubted it initially, thinking it HAD to be wrong. I then began to consider how few people actually worry about their dog's teeth and their gums and it kind of hit me that it really sounds about right. It just probably often goes undetected.
I spoke with a vet tech friend of mine and she gave me a few ideas to put into our routine in order to prevent any problems (my pups are still young so we can start now and prevent but I think no matter how old they are, now is a great time to start! better late than never!)
She suggested getting a sturdy toothbrush (a well made adult hard bristle or a dog tooth brush sold in pet stores will do) and some canine toothpaste (also sold in pet stores) and making it at least a once a day (evening maybe) habit to brush their teeth.
She said that keeping toys around with lots of nubs, or rope toys, those will help to clean around their teeth and massage their gums as well. Almost like a flosser!
She said the "clean breath" "dentastick" treats aren't bad and are okay to give but do not honestly in her opinion do much.
Oh yes. This is a valid concern that few pay attention to. But the idea of brushing your pet's teeth is not very practical. They wouldn't know you are not out to harm them and might even get stressed and depressed. Giving them a diet rich in calcium like milk and supplements in food works great. You can also toss some garlic cloves into food to fight bacteria. You can also smear a soft rubber bung with the pet's favourite food to chew on or even tough pieces of meat or bones for dental exercise.
My aunt's poodle's teeth have been badly neglected resulting in severe periodontal disease that resulted in bad breath and tooth loss. She softens the kibble with hot water because it was the only way to feed Sandy ever since she was a pup. Sandy didn't like hard kibble and wouldn't eat it so she ate a soft diet for eight years. When I bought Sandy to the vet for her annual vaccinations, he checked her mouth and had shown me the calculus that formed on her set of teeth. It looked liked dark, hard shell that the vet had to crack to get rid off. He suggested that my aunt get a dog's toothbrush and just use salt water to brush and clean Sandy's teeth. I've been doing the same for my Clio ever since so she won't have bad breath just like the elder dog.
Tisoy, our 8-year old spitz, was exuding a bad odor in his mouth. Obviously it is a gum problem, gingivitis maybe. It smelled like rotten meat. The vet recommends cleaning but our dog would undergo general anesthesia which I am afraid of. No deal because of that. Now we are cleaning the gums of our spitz with a cotton ball dipped in iodine. We also spray his mouth with a mouth deodorizer. After 2 weeks of that treatment, the odor was greatly diminished.
Cleaning the teeth of the dog is an important procedure for caring for the animal. Regular brushing of teeth refreshes your pet's breathing. Clean and healthy teeth contribute to overall health, increase the buoyancy and longevity of your dog. Dental calculus and plaque not only lead to bad smell from the mouth but can cause loss of teeth. Serious problems with the teeth can lead to serious and life-threatening infectious diseases affecting the kidneys, heart, and liver of the animal. Regular brushing of the dog's teeth will improve the quality of your life and your pet's life.
Get the dog her own toothbrush. There are many toothbrushes designed specifically for dogs. Such a brush can be bought at any pet store.
As with brushes, there are many different kinds of toothpaste designed specifically for dogs. Do not use a toothpaste intended for people.
Periodontal disease became a big problem for pets especially nowadays. Due to big competition of the companies, they want to make more marketing and more quantity, because they want to take the bigest peace of cake on the market. But they forget about the quality of food, so this is the main case which causes pet's dental disease. Now I feed my dogs with special natural porridge and also I can give them deer antler for dogs which contains a lot of useful minerals and protects the dental tissue.
