The importance of having healthy teeth is often underrated by pet owners, bad teeth can cause serious mouth and jaw infections, and it can also lead to general health problems throughout the body, heart or kidney disease to mention only two. Unfortunately dental disease is one of the most common problems seen in small animal veterinary practices today, with over 80% of pet animals having some degree of dental disease during their lifetime.
In exactly the same way that people are expected to care for their teeth, brush twice a day and visit the dentist regularly, animals also need to have life long dental care and tartar prevention program. Regular check ups by the veterinarian should underpin the preventative program.
The best you can do for your pet’s teeth is to brush them daily with a pet specific toothpaste. This specially designed paste contains enzymes and ingredients which aim to kill bacteria that cause dental decay, unlike human paste which is designed to clean teeth. Brushing teeth is especially important for dogs with short noses and crowded teeth or for animals that get fed predominantly wet food. Some animals will not tolerate brushing, and could give you a hard time if you try to do so! But it is still very important to persevere and attempt effective brushing so that these animals are provided with ongoing dental care.
Another option of dental care and the one many people choose to follow, is the provision of things to chew such as raw bones matched to the size of the pet, i.e. chicken necks, wings or drumsticks for cats and small dogs or lamb or beef bones for larger dogs. Bones should be given weekly or at most twice weekly for 15-20 minutes at a time, they should be given to the pet in a protected environment. The remains should be collected and refrigerated for next use or thrown out if they are no longer useful. It is best that bones are not swallowed or buried in the garden for unsupervised use in the future!
Equally of value for preventative care, is feeding your pet a dental-care dry food designed specifically to help clean teeth, some examples are Hill’s t/d, Science diet oral care, which achieve their effect due to the size and consistence of the kibble. Alternately the Iams/Eukanuba foods contain special abrasive ingredients on the formula of the kibble. These foods need to be fed daily, and need to constitute the majority (90%) of the diet to be effective. These dental diets are a complete diet thus ensuring appropriate nutrition in addition to their dental protective properties.
Tooth-friendly treats could also be used such as Greenie’s or rawhide chews. Mouthwashes can used by themselves or sometimes instead of the paste, they may be easier to apply than toothpaste, as no real brushing is required, dentafresh, maxiguard and Oravet are all applied straight to the gums with a finger or cotton bud.
Sometimes despite our best efforts to provide effective dental care, our pet may suffer from dental disease, which is often insidious in onset and progresses slowly to a very serious condition. Some of the signs you may notice in early dental disease include hard brown tartar covering the surface of the teeth, reddening of the gums indicating gingivitis or bad breath due to the build up of bacteria in the mouth. Later signs include bleeding gums, wobbly or even missing teeth, decreased appetite due to pain when eating, food falling out of the mouth, a swollen face, or a general lethargy and sickness. It is therefore most important to have your pet’s dental status regularly assessed, at least once a year. Older animals or animals with progressive dental disease may need to be evaluated more often.
Treating dental disease can be a little tricky as not too many pets will lie back with their mouths open for ½ an hour – no matter how politely we ask! For this reason even cleaning and polishing the teeth requires a general anaesthetic. Once the animal is under anaesthetic all teeth and gums can be thouroughly examined and an appropriate course of treatment can be recommended. Treating for pain and with antibiotics for the bacterial infection will greatly improve your pet’s quality of life even before anaesthetic and dental procedures are undertaken. Not uncommonly animals undergoing dental procedures will require blood tests to assess their overall health, and may need to be maintained on fluids throughout the procedure.
In order to help you better understand and prevent dental disease Caulfield South Vet Clinic is offering free dental checks throughout August and September. Just telephone our clinic to book an appointment with our nurse who will assess your pet’s teeth, explain the findings and identify the dental care protocols that are suited to your pet and your lifestyle.