February is Dental Month

Pet Dental Care 

Pictures by Dandridge Animal Hospital 

Say "Cheese Please!" 
  Many of our fluffy friends not only share our homes and hearts with us; they also sleep with us and snuggle on the couch with us, give us kisses when we get back home or want to lick you after you get out of the shower.  Of course we love the affection ....unless their breath smells horrible. Its hard to get love'n when they smell like they've been eating garbage or  worse!
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Why Does it smell so bad?

 Contrary to popular belief, "doggy breath" is not normal. In fact, it could be one of the first signs that your furry pal is developing dental disease.   Dental disease is the most common chronic disease in our dog and cat patients. Most animals suffer without complaint, but there are some outward signs that can help clue you in that dental disease is becoming a problem. One of the first signs might be reluctant to eat dry food, possibly pawing at the mouth, licking the air, drooling. More subtle changes such as hiding, decreased playfulness, or weight loss.
 By the age of three, most dogs and cats have some degree of dental disease. Early detection of your pet's dental disease is vital. If left untreated, it will progress to cause chronic pain and inflammation.  To detect dental disease before it becomes a problem for your pets health we recommend yearly preventive exams, from nose to toes.   

Canine Dental Disease

Dogs usually develop periodontal disease from accumulation of dental calculus, as pictured. Food, bacteria, and other debris collect on the surface of the teeth, gradually hardening over time into a cement-like material.  This causes irritation to the gums called gingivitis, which leads to gum recession and even bone loss.  By the time this happens, they have such severe disease that many have loose teeth that have to be extracted surgically. 

Picture by Dandridge Animal Hospital 

Feline Dental Disease

 Cats on the other hand, are less commonly affected by periodontal disease from calculus. Instead, they get a variety of cat-specific disease such as resorptive lesions and stomatitis. In these diseases, the teeth and or the gums and painful and inflamed. Cats with these issues often show up with bright red gums or even teeth that are partly eaten away. 

Picture by Ethos Vet 

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What do we do? 

Animals are experts at hiding signs of pain, so when they are hurting it may go unnoticed by you for some time. Instead, you may see that your pet is increasingly irritable and lethargic, decreased appetite. 
 We recommend those yearly exams, and dentals yearly or when your veterinarian recommends. 
 In the meantime there are some things that can be done at home. 

• Start brushing your dog or cat's teeth when they are young! This can be a challenge for older pet but the younger you start it will become routine.  Remember to use pet toothpaste as human toothpaste has xylitol in it and that is toxic to pets. Daily brushing is optimal but three times to once a week would make a big difference. 
• Try some proven treats, supplements, and food that can help to decrease the development of pets dental disease.  The Veterinary Oral Health Council  vohc.org/accepted-products/#dogs  has links to products for dogs and cats that have been studied and shown to be effective. These are veterinary dentist recommended.
•  Feed dry food instead of canned.  Canned food is more likely to stick to teeth, causing the build-up of food material that leads to tartar and plaque. Of course, please! If your pet needs canned food for medical reasons, feed them was your veterinarian recommends.  

    If you have questions, please have that conversation with your veterinarian. Some pets have been blessed by the gods and have excellent oral health, most require dental cleanings under anesthesia. Having your yearly checkups and doing dental cleanings early enough, can actually peep your pet in better health for their lives. 

What's involved in a Dental 

1. Anesthesia makes dental evaluation and treatment safer and less stressful for your pet. During your pet's dental procedure, veterinarians and technicians use sharp, sterilized instruments. Animals don't like to hold still while these sharp instruments are used to clean their teeth. Placing your pet under anesthesia during the procedure allows your veterinarian to make a more accurate diagnosis and decrease the chance of complications. Your pet will rest comfortably while the veterinary team safely performs a thorough and proper dental cleaning.
2. Anesthesia is much safer than you may think. Before anesthesia, your pet will be carefully screened with bloodwork and other tests to ensure she is free from underlying disease. During the dental procedure, a trained professional will be dedicated to continuously monitoring, recording vital signs, and communicating the findings to the veterinarian.
3. Nonanesthetic dentistry is stressful, unsafe, and ineffective. ​                We will NOT preform dentals without anesthesia! Imagine multiple strangers holding you down and speaking a language you don’t understand. They’re shining bright lights in your face and inserting sharp, scary instruments into your mouth that pinch and poke. This is what your pet would endure during a nonanesthetic dental procedure. Without anesthesia, it’s impossible to obtain X-rays to see what lies beneath your pet’s gumline. It is also impossible to safely and effectively clean the teeth using those sharp instruments while the pet is awake.  
4. Removing plaque from teeth beneath the gumline is vital. In fact, it’s even more important than scaling the portion of the teeth we can see. Bacteria thrive under the gumline, causing infections deep in the tooth root and jaw that can spread throughout the body and affect other organs, such as the heart and kidneys.
5. Your veterinarian may create a personalized pain protocol to keep your pet comfortable. Although your pet will be anesthetized during a tooth extraction, numbing medications will decrease the amount of general anesthetic needed and can last up to eight hours after the procedure, allowing your pet to rest in comfort. Your veterinarian can tailor your pet’s prescription pain medication to match the procedure so he’ll recover peacefully at home.
6. Not all pet dental products are created equal. If you aren’t able to brush your pet’s teeth as often as you’d like, consider using other dental products designed to help maintain your pet’s oral hygiene. Be sure to look for products approved by the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC). Products that aren’t approved by the VOHC, or those that are too hard to bend or break easily—like animal antlers and bones, synthetic bones, and others—can easily fracture your pet’s teeth.

References

American Animal Hospital Association, Ethos Vet, Dandridge Animal Hospital