Healthy Mouth, Healthy Dog

In the past few decades, our pet’s standard of care has greatly improved due to the increased awareness of the importance our pet’s dental care. A healthy mouth has proven to be a major factor in increasing our pet’s overall health and longevity.

Dental disease not only affects our pet’s mouth and teeth, but can be the gateway to impact the entire body with serious consequences.

Without proper oral care the bacteria will increasingly grow and move into their gums and teeth, eventually entering into the bloodstream. Once in the bloodstream, the bacteria can travel and spread to other organs in the body.

Our pets are very good at hiding their pain so symptoms can go unnoticed for a long time before you even begin to notice any signs. The most popular or ‘unpopular’ one is bad breath. That is a strong indicator that things are not healthy in your pet’s mouth. Other symptoms are, lethargy, inactivity, decreased appetite, weight loss, swelling in face, salivating, depression and discharge from eyes and nose.

So here are a few ways to help prevent dental disease from affecting your pet’s health.

• Brushing teeth regularly is ideal for keeping the bacteria at bay
• Water additives work well added to their drinking water
• Dog chews specific for dental care are a great treat for them
• Dental diet kibble designed to scrape off build up as they bite into the kibble
• Regular annual Vet visits will identify any dental issues that may be affecting your dog
• Regular dental cleaning are especially important for toy or small breed dogs

Written by: Jennifer Barr