Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Things To Think About While You Brush Your Teeth

We got the following email from our vet, Bartels & Busak and thought it was worth sharing.

Things to think about while you're brushing your teeth:

* More than 8 out of 10 dogs and 7 out of 10 cats show signs of poor dental health by the age of three.

* Dental problems in pets – as in people – can lead to pain, tooth loss, periodontal disease, and increased bacteria in the bloodstream.

* Pets' oral disease invariably progresses with time, as does people's, and can result in damage to internal organs, including the heart, liver and kidneys.

Many owners are not aware of the importance of their pets' dental health. That's why February has been designated Pet Dental Health Month,

The problem is that we would have to leave our dog there for the day and they would have to give it anesthesia! That is scary to us and we would miss her. Two groomers tried cleaning her teeth with just some toothpaste for dogs and she wouldn't let them. We give her dental chews and hope that is good enough. Do you have the vet clean your pets teeth? Does you vet knock them out for this procedure?

We are not fans of dentists. We only go if we have a toothache, and of course, that is very painful then. Root canals are not fun to deal with. I know I have a chipped upper back tooth, but it doesn't hurt so I'll live with it. My mom got false teeth but my dad just managed with whatever teeth he had left. Neither of them went to the dentist much either. In fact, I can't remember my dad ever going!

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6 comments:

Sandee said...

Funny that you post this today. We just dropped off our 7 year old dog for her first teeth cleaning. We brush her teeth too, but the doctor said they can still need their teeth cleaned even if you brush. So, to make her dental health the best it can be we decided to have her teeth cleaned. You are so right about this too. Responsible pet owners know to do this when necessary.

Have a terrific day. :)

Lin said...

My kitty, Grace, had to have a tooth pulled last year. We didn't realize how bad it was bothering her until days later--she was so much more jovial than she had been. We didn't realize how much pain she was in! Poor thing.

BeadedTail said...

Isabella had really bad teeth when we adopted her so had to have several pulled. Sadie needs a cleaning but the pre-test for the anesthesia found the Cushings disease so her teeth cleaning is on hold due to all the expense of additional tests. My husband and I faithfully go to the dentist every 6 months although I don't like it one bit.

Daisy said...

We use PetzLife oral gel; my Mommeh just wipes it on our teeths with a q-tip. But we don't really like it.

The Constant Complainer said...

We were just saying the other day that one of our cat's teeth looked bad. A well-timed post. Might be time for an appointment for her...

The Silver Age Sara said...

Karen, none of my dogs have ever needed their teeth cleaned by the vet and my vet can't believe how great their teeth are (even my 13 year old retrievers). Anyway, I feed a natural diet, put an additive in their water that helps tartar and give them Greenies once a week. Works like a charm for my guys. If you want more info, let me know.

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