Dental care is an important part of taking care of your pet, as poor dental care can lead to health problems. My first cat, Gizmo, had to have several teeth removed at a young age. My pug, Nemo, also had teeth issues which led to multiple cleanings. Which isn’t fun since they need to put your pet under anesthesia to do it. Since then, dental care has been an important part of our daily lives for all of my pets!
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With the best intentions, I have TRIED to brush my dogs and cats teeth! And have you ever tried to brush a cat’s teeth??? NOT FUN! This was met with a LOT of resistance and very little success…I tried different flavors of toothpaste. I tried different approaches. The end result was that the cats never let me into their mouths to begin with…being cats of course…and the dogs? Well Grace tolerated it for a VERY short period of time. Benson, being a big scaredy cat as any of you who read that post know, was of course scared of the toothbrush and would high tail it to the door as soon as he saw it!
According to the AAHA, most dogs and cats will have some sort of dental issues by the age of THREE! I noticed with Grace that she started getting plaque buildup right when her adult teeth came in. So I knew I had to do something about it sooner rather than later!
Early Signs of Dental Disease
Signs of dental disease in dogs and cats tends to show up early in their lives, and can include tartar buildup, bad breath and red swollen gums. If it is not treated, it can lead to chronic pain and inflammation. Dental treatment at the vet is not fun for anyone (not to mention expensive!) so early treatment is the key here!
Signs to Watch For
Pets are EXPERTS at hiding pain so you may not realize that something is amiss! Also, dental disease may not be apparent by simply looking at your animal’s teeth as it can be hidden under the gums. Signs to watch for can include decreased appetite, lethargy or irritability.
With Gizmo, I noticed that he wasn’t coming to eat his food which he usually would yowl for! So off to the vet. And they found that his front teeth were broken off, had gotten impacted in his gums and caused infection requiring his front teeth to be removed!
Bubbles had an interesting situation as well…She had just come back to live with me so I did not know what her normal behaviour was and had no idea that anything was wrong. She was a bit of a cranky cat which I attributed to the adjustment from being an outdoor cat to an indoor cat. When I took her to the vet for her annual checkup they found that she had tooth resorption. This is a condition where the tooth starts to erode and be reabsorbed by the body!
This is actually quite a common condition in cats surprisingly, causing her a lot of pain. The vet removed that tooth and she was a different cat all of a sudden!! Much more friendly and loving. As this condition can reoccur in other teeth, I make sure that she gets to the vet for her annual checkup.
Health Conditions
Dental disease in your pet can end up leading to other health issues. Besides tooth loss, the blood stream can carry bacteria from the gums to your pet’s kidneys, liver and heart which is why proper oral care is so important for our pets!
Prevention
It is recommended that you try to brush your pet’s teeth daily to prevent dental disease. Your pet’s annual vet checkup is also an important step in early detection of dental problems. However, with my experience and the inability to actually brush their teeth I ended up looking to other solutions.
Pet food was the first thing I looked to! My cats and dogs both eat Hills Science Diet Oral Care food. It is a larger kibble designed to clean your pet’s teeth when they bite it. And the best part is that it seems to taste great to my pets! And all other pets as well…I don’t even need to buy any other treats for the dogs, as they will come running for a piece of kibble! And Grace and Benson will pick that kibble out of the bowl before eating their other food! All the dogs at the dog park really like it too and I am frequently asked by other owners what treats I am giving out…
My cats have great teeth when we go in for checkups now. But it still wasn’t quite enough to keep my dog’s teeth entirely clean. I give Grace and Benson frozen marrow bones once a week, which acts to brush and floss your dog’s teeth if there is enough meat and cartilage left on them. The marrow can cause some stomach sensitivities in some dogs however.
Grace and Benson were also getting a dog teeth brushing chew but I found that raw frozen chicken feet are nothing short of amazing! Their teeth at 3.5 years old look perfect! It’s a bit gross to watch them eat them, but hey it works! And it also comes with the added benefit of joint support since they have an abundance of protein, glucosamine and chondroitin.
Brushing their teeth daily is still the best way to clean your pet’s teeth, but I have found that my cats and dogs have good oral health with the steps I have taken above.
What to Avoid
If you are considering bones for your dog, it is important to find the right ones!! They should be raw as smoked and cooked bones can splinter and end up causing other health issues. Also, if they are too hard for your dog they can crack and break their teeth (I have heard of this issue with antler chews).
Size also matters! You want to make sure that you are getting bones that are too large for your pet to swallow. With my beasts this means finding the biggest bones I can!!
Treatment
Treatment of dental disease is done at the vet, and requires general anesthesia. The anesthesia in itself carries its own risks and I try to avoid it. It is also particularly risky to older pets. Nemo had really bizarre teeth and had to have dental cleaning twice and each time it was a nerve wracking process!
Prevention really is the best way to keep your pets happy and healthy! Dental care is an important part of caring for our pets and ensuring that you are taking care of it properly is vital to their overall health.
Be sure to read our other posts for more health tips!
26 comments
I have a household of pets…2 dogs, 2 cats, and a rabbit. My eldest dog does has some teeth issues. I will read up some more on these helpful tips
I really do love the kibble, I find it works really well!
Our dental care is important – it makes sense that any pet’s teeth would also need attention. It sounds like there are lots of easy options for pet owners nowadays.
Our girls (dogs) eat dry dog food and get a Dentastix chew before bed each night. When I added the Dentastix to our routine, the vet noticed quickly!
Dental care is so important for animals!
Fist of all I’m in love with Big Benson. He can do no wrong as far as I’m concerned. He wasn’t scared of the toothbrush he just didn’t like it lol. And I think the kibble is awesome!
Haha, yes that is probably more it than anything! He’s just my giant cuddly goofball! I love my animals so much that I will do whatever I can to keep them healthy!
Thank you for these tips. I did have issues with my dog, Kirra, before she crossed the rainbow bridge and was unaware of these signs. Now I will know what to look for when in ready to love a furbaby again!
Dental health is so important. Especially as they get older!
I start brushing Ella’s teeth as soon as we got her. I wanted her to get use to the tooth brush. Super great advices.
I tried so hard! But Grace is a stubborn dog and wouldn’t let me near her no matter how much I tried! But her teeth still look great with the other things I have been doing for her.
We have always done this for our pets. Dental issues can cause many other health issues.
Absolutely. It really seems to be something that a lot of pet parents overlook.
My poor baby had to have multiple teeth pulled. He’s a rescue and came with a scrappy nature. He wasn’t looked after very well either so his dental health is not the best. So important to get them on it when they’re young. Thanks for this info 🙌
Precious pets. I don’t have any, but I will share your tips with my friends who do.
This is all so true. I have adopted senior cats over the years and teeth are always an issue, especially if the cat was previously neglected. Good initial care can prevent a lot of issues down the road.
My son rescued a dog who has gum disease. Poor little guy had to have some teeth removed and now has a special powder added to his food to help keep his teeth clean.
UGH! We have tried to brush our cats’ teeth, but they won’t have it! One day, one of them started having really bad eye discharge to the point her eye was shut. We took her to the vet, and found that one of her teeth was badly infected, and was draining through the eye! A ton of money in dental surgery later, she is fine… and STILL won’t allow us to brush her remaining teeth!
Oh no that is terrible! I’m glad she is ok, the dental kibble really does work well with my cats, they don’t have any plaque or tartar when we go for our annual checkup! I had been mixing it with regular kibble but my vet suggested I feed it exclusively and it has been working for us.
These are such helpful tips! As a soon to be dog owner, I’m writing these down so I can keep my dog’s teeth healthy!
Oh congrats on your soon to be family member! It’s such an exciting time! Dental health can be overlooked, and it is really important to start taking care of them right away!
Excellent info! My cats are doing great so far with a mix of foods and regular checkups.
That’s great! It really is so important to their overall health!
I have tried, unsuccessfully, to brush my dog’s teeth. She is an expert of wriggling out of my grasp!
That is exactly why I tried other things! I am not a match for my beasts…I had to give Benson ear drops last summer and even at half the weight he is at now I had to back him into a corner and try to pin him to do it!
This is important information for me because I just got a cat and I want him to have the best overall health.
Absolutely, and the earlier you start the better! I’m nervous that Benson might be developing a chicken allergy…which takes the kibble off the table if it turns out to be the case…so will be experimenting with the water additives!