The best thing for your pet’s dental health is a daily tooth brushing with pet-safe toothpaste.
We are aware of how dental disease affects our pets... We know that the dental tartar you see slowly building up on your pet’s teeth is approximately 80% bacteria and that it damages the gums, the bone beneath and the ligaments that hold teeth in place... This bacteria can gain access to the blood stream and infect vital organs like the heart, lungs and kidneys.
We know that advanced dental disease hurts; it makes our pets feel sick and daily brushing is the best deterrent.
We also know it’s hard to find time to brush your pet’s teeth every day, with multiple jobs, working spouses, family life and a few hobbies, we lead busy lives.
Here’s what you could do instead:
Professional Dental Cleanings
We humans brush our teeth twice daily and still get our teeth professionally cleaned every six to 12 months. Imagine how vital that cleaning would be if we never brushed! Even with regular brushing, our pets may need periodic professional dental cleanings. We recommend an annual cleaning at your veterinary hospital.
The downside: Because the procedure involves full anesthesia to allow a thorough cleaning, the price is much more than a few tubes of toothpaste. Still, if we don’t want our pets to suffer from the effects of dental disease, we have little choice other than to make room for these expenses in the budget.
Dental Diets
Feeding a high-quality food, avoiding table scraps and using treats that are specially formulated to keep teeth healthy are all easy steps you can take to support dental health. In some cases, we might recommend a special dental health diet.
Don't miss our next blog for more information on Dental Diets...