Dogs and cats, at their primitive core, are predatory
animals that thrived in the wild only if they were healthy and strong. As natural selection has been replaced by
selective breeding, some aspects of health have declined. One very notable shortcoming is dental health. Animals can have extremely severe disease
which can be impossible to detect from changes in their behavior at home. If you or I had a toothache, it would be
painful and we would seek medical help right away- pets hardly ever decrease or
stop eating, even when all of their teeth are falling out from disease!
By the age of 3, 80% of pets have some degree of periodontal
disease, which if untreated can lead to pain, tooth loss, and infection which
can spread to major organs like the heart, liver and kidneys which can be life
threatening. However, we often see pets that
improve greatly from corrective measures that have a noticeably brighter
attitude, eat better, play more, and are happier pets!
An oral exam is a part of a thorough comprehensive physical
exam. We take note of any diseased
teeth, receding gums and bone loss, bad breath, inflamed gum tissue, oral
masses, fractured teeth, and how the jaws fit together. At early stages of dental disease, the
changes in the mouth can be reversible so it is very important to have regular
exams and to heed recommendations for dental therapies. In some cases, the disease can become so
severe, that teeth need to be extracted to improve your pet’s quality of life
but we always want to avoid this so early intervention is key.
There are things that you can do at home to help! Think of what you do for your own teeth-
brush twice a day, mouthwash, flossing (maybe?) and you still get professional
cleanings every 6 months and have the occasional cavity filled, root canal,
etc. Think of what your teeth would look
like if you did not do any of that…..that’s what your pet’s teeth look
like! Don’t worry; I’m not suggesting
that you floss your Frenchie or Waterpik your Westie, but a little brushing would
go a long way!
Brushing your pet’s teeth just once a day would go a very
long way to prolonging the time between necessary dental cleanings. Feeding a diet specifically made to scrape
the teeth like Roycal Canin Dental or Hill’s T/D and using an enzymatic water
additive, tooth gel or sprays can help too!
We get a lot of questions about whether a specific chew is a good one-
the best thing to do is to only use products listed here that have been
approved by the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC): http://www.vohc.org/accepted_products.htm. Products that are not on this list are either
not effective or potentially dangerous and not recommended.
Oral health is an often overlooked, but very essential component
to your pet’s health and happiness. We
have lots of tips and tricks to help you and would be happy to talk teeth with
you at your next appointment!
Dr. Stacy Logsdon
864-967-7387
