Imagine if you never brushed your teeth. What would happen? Your teeth would be brown and ugly and fall out. Tartar would have a heyday in your mouth. Bad dental hygiene would likely negatively impact other bodily ailments like diabetes, for instance. And you wouldn’t have many friends either.

The same can be said for your dog and cat.

While we may walk our dogs, train our dogs, and feed our dogs (and cats), how many of us brush their teeth?

If your pet permits, open his or her mouth and look inside. Look for the warning signs of gum disease — red and swollen gums, a yellow-brown crust of tartar around the gum line, and pain or bleeding when you touch the gums or mouth.

Tucson Tails asked local veterinarian Michael Lent from Pantano Animal Clinic to chime in about pets and teeth. Here’s what he had to say: “Routine dental prophylaxis or cleaning is critical to maintaining not just an animal’s oral health, but their overall health as well. This can prevent not only tooth loss and local bone loss, infection or abscessation, but more serious systemic issues such as distant organs becoming infected. In animals with more severely infected teeth, especially older animals, addressing and correcting these conditions can dramatically improve their comfort level and quality of life.“

Pet owners should look for warning signs of oral disease.

Does your pet have bad breath, a change in eating or chewing habits, or paws at his face or mouth? Along with bad breath, this could mean your pet needs to go to the veterinarian.

I own the doggie toothbrush and the peanut butter flavored toothpaste made specifically for dogs but I don’t brush Jett’s teeth as often as needed. (My Bad!) We pet owners should practice a regular dental care regimen. Jett likes the flavor of the toothpaste and will lick it off my finger but when he sees the toothbrush, he’s less interested.

Source: Pet Dental

(Photo is courtesy of Tamyra Althof of her dog Wynonna who is a greyhound mix with 100 percent personality plus.)

How do you prevent dental problems in your pets?

What’s the best chew toys?

Does anyone brush their cat’s teeth?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 15th, 2011 at 7:43 am and is filed under Dogs, Canines, Fun with Fido, Barking Encouraged, Pet Health & Safety. Tags for this post: canine gum disease, dogs, pet dental, pet health, pets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.