Dental Care: The Root of Your Pet’s Health

Dental Care: The Root of Your Pet’s Health
            Who doesn’t love getting kisses from
their better half?  No I don’t mean your
partner, your dog of course!  It is all
fun games until your dog has a mouth that could clear out a room while you are
watching the Packers-Bears game with friends. 
But again, who wants Bear fans in their home?! (Yes I’m a Packer fan).
How Common is Dental Disease?
            According to the American Veterinary
Dental College, periodontal disease is the MOST COMMON clinical condition
occurring in adult dogs and cats, and worse yet it is ENTIRELY
preventable.  How common you might
wonder?  Several studies have shown that
in dogs by age 2 or 3, about 85-90% of them have some form of periodontal
disease.  This number mirrors what I see
in my daily practice.  Other than bad
breath, there are unfortunately very few signs of periodontal disease.  As a result, a dental treatment comes often
too late for many of these patients and leads to many teeth needing to be
removed.

What can you do to prevent dental disease in your pet?

            The good news though, is that a lot
of the disease that I see can be prevented with at home care.  This includes brushing of the teeth, chewing
on bones, dental prescription diets, and dental chew products.  Before choosing a dental product, talk to
your veterinarian of where to find products that are scientifically proven to
help reduce dental disease.  He or She
will likely talk about the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC.org).  This council will validate manufacturer’s
claims of decreasing dental disease.  You
can go to this council’s website and look for products that you

can try.  My favorite products to use are “dental
diets”.  I look at this as us brushing
our teeth once or twice a day depending on how often you feed your dog.  It is easy and dogs love these products.

            
The goal of at home care is the same
goal with your own dental health; a beautiful pain-free, functional mouth.  Dental cleanings will still be recommended by
your veterinarian, just like we see our dentists regularly.  By doing more frequent cleaning treatments,
anesthesia time will be less, there will be less teeth extracted over the course
of the life of the dog, and there will be less risk of systemic disease as a
result of chronic dental disease.
In closing, I want your dogs to be
among your friends watching the game due to the fact that he/she has a healthy
mouth.  The more Packers fans the better
during a Packers-Bears game!  Please look
at the following websites for more information and talk to your veterinarian as
well regarding dental cleaning treatments.  

By: 
Nick Juleen, DVM
Companion Animal Hospital Kenosha
Websites:  The American Veterinary
Dental College,
www.avdc.org and The Veterinary Oral Health
Council,
www.vohc.org

What's Next

  • 1

    Call us or schedule an
    appointment online.

  • 2

    Meet with a doctor for an
    initial exam.

  • 3

    Put a plan together for
    your pet.

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