Dental Care

DENTAL PREVENTATIVE FOR OUR PETS

Preventative dental care for our pets’ teeth is as important as yearly wellness visits and vaccines. As the tartar builds-up on Fido’s teeth, bacteria collects on the surface and will cause inflammation of the gumline, gingival recession and eventually loose and infected teeth. The bacteria in that tartar will also get into the bloodstream and affect the health of your pet’s heart, liver and kidneys.

Some very basic preventative dental care steps are to feed your pet a dry food daily to help scrape off any tartar build-up. Also, you can supply chew toys for both enjoyment and again to aid the health of the teeth. Veterinary dentists recommend training your pet as a puppy or kitty to get use to having their teeth brushed. You will need to use a specially formulated pet toothpaste and clean the teeth daily for optimal outcome. Of course, you CAN teach an older pet to accept brushing of the teeth so it is never too late to start!

Eventually, due to advanced age and the individual genetics of each pet, enough tartar and plaque will build up no matter what preventative steps are taken. At that time your veterinarian will recommend a dental cleaning while under anesthesia. This allows the veterinarian to remove all the plaque, assess the health of the teeth, and remove any loose or infected teeth. February is Pet Dental Health month. Call now for an appointment to assess your pet’s dental health or schedule that dental cleaning your veterinarian has recommended.

Dr. Kelly Hause