February is National Pet Dental Health Month. Here at State Street Animal Hospital, PC we take this opportunity to educate our clients more about the importance of their pets oral health and care.
Why do we worry about the teeth?
- Dental disease hurts: so it affects our pet’s quality of life, and ability to chew properly.
- Infected teeth and gums stink—literally.
- The offensive odor, called halitosis, is unpleasant to be around.
- Infected teeth and gums are a source of infection for the rest of the body, particularly the heart valves and kidneys.
How can we prevent dental disease?
Brushing your pet’s teeth is the best way to clean them. It is important that you use only pet toothpaste and introduce your cat or dog to the process slowly.
Other methods of cleaning teeth, while not as complete, can also help. Special diets such as Hills prescription T/D or Science Diets Healthy Advantage Oral brand clean the teeth with each meal. Some dental treats, such as CET Veggie Dents for dogs and Greenies Feline Dental Treats are also effective. If you want a complete listing of chews and treats that we recommend, please visit vohc.org. (When giving chew treats you should monitor your pet to make sure they do not try to swallow large pieces, which can cause gastrointestinal problems).
How do we treat dental disease?
A good thorough dental cleaning includes tooth evaluation, scaling, gingival probing and polishing. In some cases surgical extraction of teeth are necessary depending on the health of the tooth which will be evaluated by the Doctor.
For more information on your pet’s dental health needs call us to schedule an appointment.