Dental Disease in Pets – Prevent It
Our four-legged friends can develop dental issues just like us, due to two important things: improper dental care and genetics. Yes, dental issues are part of your pet’s health overall, so do not deny their dental care. We all, pets included, have bacteria in our mouths. It is a fact. These bacteria create a substance to hide under called plaque. You know that icky white stuff on your teeth. Over time the plaque hardens into tartar. Unlike humans though, our pets rarely get cavities due to the fact that their enamel is much thicker.
Pets, on the other hand, can develop more serious gingivitis and other gum diseases that we are unaware of. If the tarter gets hard and thick enough, it can create a space between the tooth and gum that bacteria can invade, which is not good. Once the bacteria get there are some pretty serious health risks to your pet’s health. A pet’s gums can begin receding, the teeth can see a loss of the blood supply and die, or worse, the bacteria can get into the bloodstream and affect other organs. Over ninety percent of the time the bacteria can travel through the body and attach itself to the walls of the heart. It is not uncommon to diagnose serious heart disease and murmurs due to severe dental disease. Unfortunately, once our pets develop a murmur the heart disease can be treated but the damage is irreversible and eventually fatal.
This process can happen quickly and immediately begin to affect a pet’s health. One study showed that eighty-five percent of dogs and cats have dental disease. Certain breeds are also much more likely to have this condition such as poodles, chihuahuas, maltese, labradors, and other breeds that have blunted noses. In cats, feline viruses, such as feline leukemia (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), can speed up dental disease. A pet’s immune system is constantly fighting the bacteria involved in dental disease, so if your pet is sick, elderly, fed poor food, or is immune-compromised they will be more likely to develop dental disease.
Of course, brushing your pet’s teeth is important to your pet’s health. Most veterinarians and pet stores sell dental items for your pet. Unfortunately though, if tartar is already present, brushing alone will not stop further dental disease. At this point you will need to seek your local veterinarian for an exam to determine if a professional cleaning is needed. This cleaning involves placing your pet under anesthesia, and removing the tarter build up. If the dental disease is bad enough, your veterinarian may want to start a course of antibiotics a few days before the procedure. Once the procedure has begun and the tartar is being removed, they may also find that the tooth root has been affected. The tooth may need to be extracted.
There is almost no procedure that will extend the life of your pet like dental cleanings since dental disease affects so many other systems. Yearly visits to your veterinarian are recommended to watch for progression of tartar formation and monitor the overall fitness of your pet’s health. Regular brushing is an important part of any preventative dental program but be sure to ask your veterinarian how to brush your pet’s teeth properly. For the safety of your animal and your fingers!