From baby teeth to fully-grown (experienced) teeth, dental care is essential for your beloved furry friends’ health and overall well-being. In fact, maintaining proper oral hygiene will extend your pet’s life with several years if actively and consistently supported.
Just think of all those smiles you cherish so much: is it not worth keeping them safe, clean and healthy? Imagine how much your pet likes to taste the goodies you so carefully provide and how happy it is to have a fully healthy tasting experience. For this reason, dental care should definitely be on your priorities list when it comes to your pet’s health.
Do you want the best dental care for your pet? Contact MyOwnVet today on 07 3277 6594 and our friendly team of vets and nurses would be happy to help!
When should you take your pet for a dental exam?
The right answer to this question is yesterday. In other words, your pet should get a dental examination as a preventative measure, not only when problems begin to appear. Here, at MyOwnVet, we like to consider everyone a family, just as our clinic is a family initiative, and the advice we give to our visitors is the advice we give to our own kind.
Therefore, scheduling regular check-ups, tartar and plaque cleaning and creating a long-term diet plan as a prophylactic measure, these are all things we recommend and talk about.
In general, older pets (more than 3 years) are diagnosed with dental problems but this can also happen to younger animals as well, depending on their diet. For this reason, make sure you have this in mind when it comes to your puppies or kittens.
What are the signs of possible dental issues?
Ever seen you best friend pawing and rubbing its mouth? Perhaps you’ve noticed a loss of appetite or even difficulties in eating? These are some of the most common signs of dental disease, along with others like bad breath, sore mouth, tooth loss, bleeding gums, yellow-brown tartar build-up on teeth, unusual swelling around the jaw and drooling.
If plaque appears on a healthy tooth, it can grow so rapidly that, within three to five days, it hardens and begins to form tartar. Once tartar takes over, it irritates the gums, thus causing gingivitis and bad breath. This is already an urgent matter to be addressed to an experienced specialist.
If not treated in an early stage, the gums can shrink and cause ulceration, which will inevitably lead to missing teeth or mobile teeth. So, without a qualified vet to intervene, any associated infections can lead to life-threatening illnesses, including kidney, liver or heart failure. Bacterias in our pets’ mouth can enter the bloodstream and have serious consequences to our beloved furry friends.
How do you ensure your pet receives the best dental care?
Remember that the best way to defend your pet is through prevention. Therefore, it all begins at home, where our incredibly cute animals depend on us to brush their teeth daily and include specially designed dental food in their diets.
In conclusion, prevent by:
- Brushing teeth – crucial for removing plaque and tartar. Brushing should be short, using a soft toothbrush and special toothpaste (toothpaste for human use can be bad for a dog’s stomach).
- Special treats with a raw bone once or twice a week – this reduces the risk of dental disease, but make sure you use an uncut, raw bone.
- Dental pet food – reduces the number of bacteria and helps your pet with scrubbing off the plaque. Also, it stimulates the gums.
- Vet appointments – regular dental check-ups, polish procedures, professional cleaning is paramount.
At MyOwnVet, we are more than ready to work together with you as a team and share with you the best practices in dental care. Book your pet for a dental check-up now or call our office at 07 3277 6594 and our friendly staff will schedule your pet’s next dental exam!
Until next time, take good care of your pets so that they could take care of you!
Your friend and vet expert,
MyOwnVet Team
