According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, 4 out of 5 dogs over the age of 3 suffer from dental disease when most owners think their dogs’ teeth and gums are perfect. However, veterinarians and pet care experts will readily tell you otherwise.
According to Dr. Jomar Castro of Consult A Vet Animal Hospital, “this is usually caused by bacteria and we all know that a lot of our dogs don’t brush their teeth, unlike humans. Most of the time periodontal disease is not noticed until it is in an advanced stage.”
Pet parents should be able to identify the tell-tale signs that your dog might be in pain.
Here are the three watch outs that you should look out for in your dogs.
“One of the easiest indicators of oral disease is bad breath,” he said. “Some pet parents believe that bad breath is something pets naturally have. They are often unnoticed and untreated.”
When plaque accumulates on your dog’s teeth, it hardens into tartar. In the long term, it will not only harm the tissues that support the teeth, but it will also cause illness and tooth loss in your pet. If left untreated, it can cause heart, kidney, and liver disease in dogs.
“You would notice their teeth have already discolored. The discoloration that happens is a pinch color of yellow to brown, it’s not already pearly white. So that’s a major tell tale sign that your dog might have periodontal disease.” Dr. Castro explained.
In addition with the discoloration of teeth, He noted that dogs can also experience bleeding of gums. He said, “When you push up the upper lip of your dog, you would notice that it is swollen, it sometimes reddish and when they eat, they bleed.”
“Sudden changes in eating habits of your dog or refusing to eat, they are already experiencing pain in their mouth, in the gums, or in the teeth, which follows that their food intake will decrease.” Dr. Castro noted.
To prevent dogs getting gum disease, He suggested brushing the teeth of dogs at least thrice a week. He said, “Pet parents should integrate tooth brushing into their dog’s routine slowly so it gets used to it to avoid serious dental problems.”
He also recommends pet owners to use tooth care products such as Pedigree Dentastix. He himself relies on it, “For the longest time, I have used Pedigree Dentastix. It will keep tartar and plaque buildup at bay.” He added, “It is also very affordable and easy to administer and is all around as you can buy it easily. The ingredients of it have been proven already.”
He emphasized giving dogs one stick per day. “It provides a deep clean with one stick a day,” he said. “By using Pedigree Dentastix, a Waltham expert scientifically made product, it will help reduce tartar build-up, cleaning hard-to-reach teeth, and supporting gum health of dogs.”
Proper nutrition and good oral health strengthen the overall immune system of your dogs. If your dog exhibits any of these symptoms, take your dog to the nearest veterinarian for a check-up.
