Dog Dental Care
Questions about periodontal disease and dog dental care?
Proper dog dental care is one of the most important aspects of your dog’s overall health and wellness. Gum disease is one of the #1 common problems treated by vets and it’s progressive. Initially it starts with plague formation – bacterial sticky film is formed at the gums and teeth. This plaque hardens in to tartar below and above the gums. Until it’s removed, it will continue to build causing swollen and red gums --- that’s gingivitis.
If not treated, gingivitis leads to advanced disease of the gums. Swollen red gums begin receding as infection moves down to the tooth’s root and jawbone. Once receded, the gum damage is not reversible – the gums permanently damaged. When teeth and bone are loss as a result, it’s called periodontal disease. As the disease progresses, bacteria from the infection will enter the blood stream. This can cause very serious issues with liver, kidney, and heart disease. When untreated, this can threaten the life of your pet. Proper routine dog dental care will prevent this unnecessary disease.
Inspect your dog’s teeth and gums Routinely!
It's important to have a regular dog dental care routine for your dog. By 2 or 3 years old, many dogs begin showing signs of gum disease. Starting an in-home routine dog teeth care program will ensure that his/her teeth and gums will stay clean, healthy, and free of pain. Routinely inspect your pet’s mouth. Your dog’s mouth won’t smell bad and teeth will not be discolored with brown or yellow spots if healthy. Gums should be healthy and pink – hugging teeth with no separation.
Signs your dog has gum disease:
The first sign will probably be the bad breath --- most dog owners miss this sign and don’t realize there is a problem until the damage is more significant. Routinely checking your dog dental condition is extremely important. This list of symptoms starts milder and increases in severity:
- On-going Bad Breath
- Brown deposits at the gum / teeth line
- Swollen red gums
- Teeth that are loose
- Bleeding and/or painful gums
- Appetite changes
- Different chewing patterns
- Pawing at face or mouth
- Lethargy
SO what now if your dog shows gum disease signs?
If he or she is already showing signs of disease, schedule an appointment with your vet for a checkup. An antibiotic may be necessary to treat any gum infection and your vet may want to perform a cleaning. However, be aware your vet may suggest dental scaling. In this procedure your dog will be placed under general anesthesia and the teeth scaled removing tartar below and above the gum line. Be sure to talk to your vet about the dangers of anesthesia! Many pets are not good candidates – because of age, allergies, health, etc. We highly suggest at first trying a safer and more inexpensive home remedy that is 100% natural.
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