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Contents:
Keep your Pet's Breath Fresh
Brushing your Pet's Teeth
Keep your Pet's Breath Fresh
Keeping your
pet's mouth healthy is important. Your pet will be healthier and not
have "doggy" or "kitty" breath. Here are a few tips you can do at home
to help your pet's breath to stay fresh. If these tips don't work for
your pet, call us and we will set up an appointment to look at your
pet's teeth.
- Encourage your pet to chew on rawhides, nylabones and other toys
to help clean your pet's teeth. The chewing motion helps to clean
teeth. Some nylabones and toys are designed to help clean teeth.
- Use
a water additive to help keep your pet's teeth clean. We sell an
additive called Clenz-a-dent. We also have a cleaning rinse that can be
squirted into your pet's mouth. If your pet doesn't like the
rinse squirted into his or her mouth, you can squirt it onto a toy or
rawhide and let your pet chew on that.
- Brush
your pet's teeth. Use a pet tooth brush and tooth paste. Do NOT use
people tooth paste. People tooth paste can make your pet sick. Read the
next article to find out more about how to brush your pet's teeth.
If none of these are helping with your dog or cat's bad
breath, call us to set up an appointment. Dr. Foote will look at your
pet's teeth and we can set up an appointment to clean your pet's teeth.
We
place your pet under anesthesia while we perform the dental. Dr. Foote
cleans the teeth while one of the veterinary technicians or assistants
monitor your pet. We look at your pet's gums for any abnormalities. We
remove plaque and tartar from your pet's teeth and look for loose teeth.
We will remove loose teeth. We will also remove teeth if they are
damaged. We then polish your pet's teeth and apply a sealant to help
prevent tartar build up. Here are a before and after picture of a dog we
performed a dental cleaning on.
 Before  After
Most
adult dogs and cats have some form of periodontal disease. Tartar and
plaque build up on your pet's teeth. Bacteria starts to live and
reproduce around the plaque. Hair and pieces of food also can get stuck
between your pet's teeth, allowing more bacteria to grow. The bacteria
releases toxins that irritate the gum tissue. This causes inflammation,
redness and pain. The toxins also attack the supporting
structures, including the periodontal ligaments and bone, around the
tooth. The loss of supporting structures makes the tooth loose. The
bacteria can enter your pet's blood stream and travel to other organs,
including the heart, kidney and liver. The bacteria can inflame these
organs and cause health problems. The bacteria living in your pet's
mouth also causes bad breath.
The
progression of dental disease has four stages. During the first
stage, the gums will be slightly red and swollen and teeth will
have plaque on them. The first stage is reversible with a dental
cleaning. During the second stage, the gums are red and swollen and painful, the
teeth have chunks of plaque on them and the breath will smell. This
stage is also reversible with a dental cleaning. During the third
stage, the gums will also bleed and some teeth may be completely covered
by tartar. The mouth is also very sore during this stage. This stage
may be reversible with a dental cleaning. During the fourth stage, the
gums may contain pus pockets and tooth roots may be visible. This stage
is not reversible. We perform a dental cleaning to remove the
tartar, loose teeth and any infected tissues.
If you would like to schedule an appointment to get your pet's teeth cleaned, please call us or send an email.
Brushing your Pet's Teeth
 Brush your pet's
teeth daily. Use a pet tooth brush and tooth paste. We sell a tooth
brush that has a three sided head so it brushes each side of the
tooth in one swipe. Pet tooth pastes come in chicken, liver, beef and
other flavors. Do NOT use people tooth paste. It is poisonous to your
pet. Read the next topic below to learn how to teach your pet to accept
their teeth being brushed.
You can teach your pet to
accept having his or her teeth brushed. The best time to start brushing
your pet's teeth is when they are a puppy or kitten. But you can teach
your adult pet too. It just may take a little bit longer. Purchase a pet
tooth brush and paste. Pet tooth pastes come in various flavors. Try a
flavor you think your pet will like.
When you start, don't
just shove the tooth brush into your pet's mouth. They can get scared.
You need to slowly work your way up to brushing your pet's teeth over
several days. Start by putting some of the tooth paste on your finger
and let your pet lick it off. When your pet looks forward to getting the
tooth paste, start sticking your finger in your pet's mouth and move in
like a tooth brush a few times. Do this until your pet is comfortable.
Then start putting it on the brush and let him or her lick it off. When
your pet is comfortable with this, move the brush in and out of the
mouth one time. Do this until your pet is comfortable. Then slowly add
more swipes until you can brush your pet's mouth.
You can give your pet
treats after you brush his or her teeth. This may seem strange. After
all, you just cleaned their teeth. But giving your pet a treat lets them
know, if they let you brush their teeth, then they get a treat.
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