The importance of pet dental care

Veterinarian warns: neglecting your pet’s teeth can end in its death

Many of us only start thinking about our pet’s oral hygiene when their breath becomes difficult to bear. However, few of us consider that dental hygiene for dogs is one of the most important procedures, very directly related to their health, according to a press release.

According to research, dental problems in pets are becoming increasingly common – about 80% of three-year-old dogs suffer from tooth and gum diseases. These, by the way, most often affect small breed dogs. Dental diseases are not only seen in dogs but also in cats, so try to check your pet’s teeth as often as possible.

Signs of dental and gum problems include bad breath, redness and swelling of the gums, broken or missing teeth, and pain. Cats and dogs often suffer from periodontal diseases when plaque builds up on the surface of the teeth and, upon contact with oral fluids, begins to harden – to mineralize. Once formed, such tartar penetrates deep toward the tooth roots and causes inflammation of the gums and the bone tissues surrounding the teeth. Signs of this inflammation include bleeding gums, swelling, redness, and bad breath.

“Pet owners, unfortunately, do not pay as much attention to oral hygiene as they should, which is a ticking time bomb. Notice – wild animals of any age have beautiful white teeth because they have to obtain and process their food themselves, not just hunt it. Each time, this is how they clean their teeth – through the fur of a deer or other animal. Domestic animals are fed either dry food, which they do not chew but simply swallow, or, even worse, they receive food from the owner’s table. And completely forgotten is cleaning the animal’s teeth at home or at the veterinary clinic. The cost of such neglect is very high – frequently, it is precisely dirty and inflammation-affected teeth that become the cause of a dog’s heart or kidney disease,” says Vytautas Siaurys, founder of the veterinary clinics “Siaurio Šnauceris” and a veterinary doctor.

According to the specialist, when a pet develops tartar on its teeth and it is not removed, an infection occurs in the mouth, and the teeth are damaged by a stealthy disease – periodontitis. V. Siaurys suggests forgetting the myth that a dog’s saliva heals. He notes that very often, when there is inflammation in the pet’s mouth, the saliva is full of bacteria, so it is certainly not worth hoping that a dog or cat will heal wounds by licking them. On the contrary – it will likely infect them even more.

It is necessary to brush your pet’s teeth

V. Siaurys says that if the pet has not been accustomed to brushing its teeth from an early age, it is likely that the only way to remove plaque is by bringing it to the clinic and entrusting this work to a veterinarian. “Unfortunately, with small breeds, we notice another trend – we remove plaque, and after about three months, look, the teeth are stained again. Of course, so often the owner will not want to put the dog to sleep, and financially it costs a lot, so I suggest taking advantage of what mother nature has given us – to let the dog gnaw on the branch of the apple tree. Specifically, an apple tree, because it is harder and does not break into sharp pieces that a dog swallowing them would definitely have trouble with in its intestines. I also recommend regularly playing with your dog – giving it a piece of an old good potato sack to bite, and while playing with your pet, turning in all directions. Rubbing on the teeth, the rather coarse texture will definitely clean a large portion of plaque,” advises an experienced veterinarian. Another common mistake people make is feeding the dog too often. Often, the animal snacks all day because a bowl with its food is left out, or it constantly receives food from the table, swallowing it without even noticing the taste or texture. “And how is it in the wild? There, an animal hunts for food once a day and usually eats before night. So we should also feed domesticated pets once a day, after the evening walk, before bed. This is also necessary for dental health – a dog that snacks constantly always has food residue in its mouth, which accumulates and forms tartar. But if a dog is fed once a day, it drinks water after eating, rinses its food, and without receiving any food until the next evening, its mouth lining cleans itself. More than once, I have encountered dogs whose dental condition allowed you to predict both their illnesses and feeding habits. Animals that are fed once a day have healthier teeth,” emphasizes V. Siaurys.

Diseases related to teeth can be deadly

Veterinarians associate the success of various surgeries with the oral health of the animal. For example, if a female dog or cat has had her uterus operated on and a suture remains after the surgery, the animal will try to lick and clean it. However, this ‘cleaning’ often ends up causing the wound to become infected by bacteria from the mouth, leading to inflammation at the surgical incision site. It is also worth noting that small breed puppies, by the age of 7-8 years, often already show signs of heart valve insufficiency, and this is very directly related to the mouth. A persistent bacterial infection from the mouth is carried through the blood to the heart linings, deposits there, and the valves become leaky and inflamed. As a result, the animal is at risk of endocarditis and kidney diseases, so when we listen to the puppy’s heart and hear extraneous sounds, we first look at its mouth and often find it very dirty, with tartar teeth,” says the veterinarian. V. Siaurys advises to constantly monitor your pet’s mouth and take measures as soon as you see the first signs of tartar. If there has been a delay and after cleaning the tartar that has accumulated for a long time, the veterinarian sees the roots of almost all teeth, it means that the teeth are an endless source of infection. Then the only solution that seems drastic at first glance is tooth removal. Often, owners are afraid of this procedure, but an experienced veterinarian reminds that dogs do not chew dry food, teeth are not needed for this, so it is better to remove inflamed, wobbly teeth – then not only bad breath, but also the threat of infections will disappear.