Dental Disease - why a dental care program is essential for your dog

Posted by Clare Bristow

brushing-teeth How often do you clean your teeth - I bet it's at least once every day? Remember how awful it feels in the morning when you've forgotten to brush your teeth the night before - your teeth are coated in that horrid furry stuff and you're paranoid your breath smells!

How often do you clean your dog's teeth? Now, imagine how he feels every day.

Seriously, looking after your dog's teeth is a very important part of your dog care regime. Studies have shown that by the time they are 3, 80% of dogs show signs of gum disease.

Dogs usually suffer in silence, so the symptoms to watch out for include:

Build up of tartar on the teeth, usually along the gum line, which shows as a yellow/brown color;
Red inflamed gums;
Persistent bad breath;
Loose teeth; and
Abscesses.

How Dental Disease Manifests

When your dog has finished eating, food particles left in his mouth mix with his saliva and tend to settle on the gum line - this is called plaque.
If the plaque is not removed every few days, tartar will form on the teeth as the plaque reacts with minerals contained in your dog's saliva and hardens.

Tartar sticks to the teeth and if it's not removed will irritate the gums, leading them to become red and inflamed. Your dog's breath will also start to smell pretty awful.

The tartar will need to be removed by your vet using scalers, which requires your dog to be anesthetized.

If the tartar is not removed it will continue to build up along the gum line, and go between the teeth and gums. Bacteria can easily flourish in the gaps between the tartar and gums. At this stage your dog will be diagnosed with periodontal disease.

Periodontal disease can be extremely painful for your dog - bacteria under the gums can lead to loose teeth, abscesses and serious infection. If it goes untreated, then it's believed by many vets that the bacteria can enter the bloodstream causing infections to the heart, liver and/or kidneys.

Dental Care - Preventing Dog Dental Disease

Dog dental disease is easily preventable, but you need to establish a daily routine as soon as you can - and stick with it.

A combination of veterinary regular check-ups and a home care plan will keep your dog's teeth in excellent condition and I'll talk about these tomorrow.

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