Tip 5. Dental hygiene is important

Tip 5. Dental hygiene is important

Dental disease in dogs and cats is one of the most common conditions seen in veterinary clinics today. In fact, as many as eight out of ten pets over the age of three have some form of dental disease!

This ranges from plaque and tartar build-up to full periodontal disease. Furthermore, poor dental hygiene is not only bad for the teeth and gums (and breath) but can also impact negatively on the general well being of your pet, particularly when bacteria and its toxins build up in the gums as a result of periodontal disease. These toxins can seep into the bloodstream and result in issues with the heart, kidneys, liver, and even the brain. In fact, some veterinarians believe that you can prolong your pet’s life by a couple of years by merely paying attention to maintaining good oral hygiene.

You seldom ever see the canine or feline species in the wild with bad teeth! This is due to them feeding on carcasses and chewing on bones for many hours, which naturally strengthens and cleans their teeth and gums. Since we do not exactly throw carcasses to our beloved pets, the obvious question is how can we ensure they have good dental hygiene?

Three tips to help improve & maintain your pet’s oral health:

Get your pets’ teeth scaled annually at your vet. This is fairly pricey so it would go long way to regularly participate in the following three points.

1. Brush their teeth! Get a finger brush and some pet toothpaste. Beef or chicken flavour goes down well!
2. Give them teeth cleaning dry food or dental treats to chew on – these should be readily available from your vet.
3. There is nothing wrong with giving your pet good quality bones to chew. However, you need to ensure the following:
   1. The bone should be approximately twice as big as your pets head.
   2. Do NOT give cooked bones. Only give them RAW bones.
   3. Avoid knuckles and bones with sharp points.

The bottom line is: A happy healthy mouth is a happy and healthy pet!

Furthermore, it will potentially help you avoid spending money on health issues that may arise in time to come as a result of poor dental hygiene. So next time your pet has smelly breath, it is time to start paying closer attention to their dental needs!