Dental Health Care for Your Companion
by Dr. Larry Siegler
Dental hygiene is one of the most important aspects of pet care. Many guardians
go to great lengths to provide the best foods, tasty treats, and fun toys, but forget
about their companions’ mouths. Keeping your dog or cat’s teeth and gums healthy
will go a long way to preventing not only bad breath, periodontal disease, and an
uncomfortable or even painful mouth, but also more serious chronic conditions such
as kidney disease, liver disease, heart conditions and joint problems.
A healthy canine or feline mouth is teeming with bacteria – most of which are
normal and natural. It is important to control plaque buildup in order to ensure
most of this bacteria are healthy bacteria. Plaque is a mixture of bacteria, saliva
components, and remnants of epithelial cells and white blood cells along with some
broken down food particles. It is sticky and should be removed from the teeth daily.
When not removed plaque becomes tartar (or calculus) as mineral deposits and organic
material build up and harden on the teeth. Tartar generally looks like a yellow-brown
layer on the teeth near the gum line.
As plaque and tartar build on the teeth, the balance of healthy bacteria is thrown
off and the opportunity for disease arises. As the tartar builds up under the gums
they become inflamed and sore. Slowly the gums begin to separate from the teeth
and recede. Plaque builds even more rapidly in the upper, softer part of the teeth
and infection begins. In cats, cavities develop with even more opportunity for infection.
Dogs are less prone to cavities. The bacteria and toxins are absorbed into the blood
stream where they circulate and begin to build in kidney, liver, and heart tissue.
The toxins released can even affect brain tissue. The inflammatory process involved
can aggravate deteriorating joints.
Sound scary? It’s also painful. But it is preventable. Plaque builds up on your
dog’s or cat’s teeth every day. Just as you brush your teeth every day, so should
your companion – of course, since they don’t have opposable thumbs, you’ll have
to have to help them out. A combination of teeth brushing and healthy chew “treats”
will go a long way to maintaining your companion’s overall health and extending
their life expectancy. Purebred cats and smaller breeds of dogs are more susceptible
to periodontal disease, but the reason is not yet known.
Steps to prevention of periodontal disease:
Daily Brushing - Daily brushing is important - at a minimum
every other day if your pet is also getting good dental exercise. If you’ve never
brushed your companion’s teeth before, go SLOWLY. First get them accustomed to letting
you look in their mouth a bit, then just massage the gums with your finger a little,
eventually brush one or two teeth, and keep working day by day until you can brush
the whole mouth. Plaque tends to build most on the upper teeth, so be sure to focus
some time there. Be patient – it may take over a month to get them used to it. It
is TIME WELL SPENT.
Click here to view the tooth brushes, dental products and pastes available.
Healthy Diet - You guessed it – a healthy diet is important
for dental health, too. The healthier the animal, the better the immune system.
A meat-based diet is essential as meat helps maintain a healthier mouth environment.
(See my article
What
You Need to Know About Your Pet’s Food for more information). If you feed
exclusively canned food, you need to pay close attention to the next item.
Exercise - No, not a daily walk around the block – dental
exercise. Chewing on hard food such as raw bones and treats such as tendons, bully
sticks or other dental chews helps exercise the teeth and gums and even helps scrape
off plaque, helping to prevent tartar buildup. I like chicken necks for smaller
animals and turkey necks for larger breed dogs. (Remember – poultry bones
do not splinter when raw.) Some guardians provide knuckle bones or oxtails for healthy
chewing exercise.
I can always tell those dogs that are given plenty of raw bones because they
rarely need a dental cleaning. For those that do not want to go the raw bone route,
there is a wide array of chews and dental “treats” available, I recommend you let
your companion sample a few and find his favorites. Greenies are ever-popular dental
chews and can be very effective – just a couple words of caution: if your
companion has allergies you may want to avoid greenies as they are mostly wheat
gluten. Also, they are high in calories, so not the best treat for overweight
animals. I often recommend tendon chews and bully sticks.
View the
raw bones available at Only Natural Pet Store.
View
the chews and
dry bones available.
A note about dry kibble and “crunchy” treats: Crunching kibble and dog biscuits
does not qualify as dental exercise nor does it remove plaque from the teeth. Eating
kibble and biscuits generally leaves behind small bits of food material that easily
stick to the teeth and contribute to plaque buildup. Those commercials that showed
the dog eating a bone-shaped biscuit followed by a big smile with sparkling white
teeth were convincing – but it's a fantasy.
Mouth Wash, Drops, Supplements - Mouth washes, drops, and diet
or water supplements are a great tool in the prevention of periodontal disease when
combined with brushing. They are definitely not as effective as brushing, but are
certainly better than no home care.
Wysong’s Dentatreat is a highly palatable cheese-based supplement that
is sprinkled over the food. It contains enzymes, healthy bacteria and other components
to promote dental health and prevent plaque and tartar buildup. It can also help
in the remineralization of teeth which can be especially beneficial to cats prone
to cavities. Most dogs and cats love the taste.
Animals' Apawthecary Fidodent Mouth Formula is an herbal blend that helps
fight the bacteria that cause gingivitis and helps prevent the advancement of periodontal
disease.
Triple Pet Plaque Off - Fresh Breath is added to the animal’s water supply.
The active ingredient is Anthium Dioxide, which oxidizes and dissolves food particles
that stick on and between teeth, which are the primary source of nutrients for the
unhealthy bacteria in the mouth.
Check Ups - Regular check ups are important – especially for
the older animal. You can perform your own examination monthly. If you smell any
foul odor, see any redness in the gums or a lot of tartar buildup on the teeth,
then seek the help of a veterinarian. If caught early enough, it is possible to
scrape the tartar off of some animals’ teeth without general anesthesia. Supplementing
with
Vitamin C and
CoEnzyme Q10 can help promote the health and healing of gum tissue as
well.
Dental Procedures - If your veterinarian finds more advanced
periodontal disease, consider the overall benefits of having a dental procedure
performed. Your companion will definitely benefit from a healthier and much
more comfortable mouth. For a very old or unhealthy animal, blood tests should be
performed to determine if they are well enough to undergo anesthesia.
Home dental care can be the best gift you can give your companion. It requires
a little more time on your part, but goes such a long way to preventing disease
and discomfort that it is quite well worth it. Considering the cost and stress involved
for your companion of a dental procedure by a veterinarian, it is a very wise investment.
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