Feed, Brush, Wipe, Wash, Scale .. your pet's teeth

Another Pet Dental Month is here.... same old, same old... message that is.

And that message is......  80% of pets older than 3 years of age, have some degree of periodontal (dental) disease.

A statistic I don't understand (well, I do understand what 80% is, but I don't understand how so many of our pets suffer from this disease?).

How astonishing! 80% of animals (not limited to just our pets) have dental disease!  (this includes us too.... true!)

So let's look at why - what are the steps to keeping our  (human) teeth healthy.   So, it is about the foods we eat (avoiding sugary foods, and drinking flurinated water), how we brush, how well we floss, the mouth rinses, and then the visits to the dentist. 

So now, how does your pet fare?  What food are you feeding them?  Are they dental protectant? How often do you brush their teeth? Any rinses? What about the visit to the vet for their scale and polish treatment each six months?   I suspect that many of you are doing fantastically well in all of these areas, and others, well, are not convinced your pet needs it.

Feed, Brush, Chew, Wash, Scale .... for healthy teeth!

Feed:

When I put my pet owner hat on, I know that Pandora, and our three cats at home won't let me brush their teeth, and there aren't alot of cat Dental chews available either.  So for me, using a food with a strong dental protectant in it, is important.

Now, this isn't a Brand Power commercial, but I feed my cats Hills Feline t/d exclusively, as with this, I have peace of mind knowing that I am doing all that I can to keeping them healthy.   And their annual dental check ups under anesthetic, where I do perform the full bit (dental chart, xray, scale and polish)  for these children of mine, prove my point.

You can visit the Veterinary Oral Health Council website to see what other diet and dental protection options are available in your area for your pet.

Brush:

As you know, brushing teeth is the Gold Standard of home care for teeth.  So, do you know how to brush your pet's teeth?  Have you tried?  Well, there are alot of videos on youtube how to do it, and here is a link to one of my favourites.

Those owners who brush their pet's teeth, are doing the best thing they can!

Chew:

Some pets, well brushing, per se, is not possible, and, well, you are not ready to go for the dental diets quite yet.  Well, there are alot of dental chews available now, but not all are created equal.





What chews are the best to keep your pet's teeth healthy? And how often should they get one?

But have you thought about carrot sticks too?  A natural, cheap alternative to those who take to it?

There are many chews out there, but we like Dentastix, Denteez, and Greenies. Which one is the best for your pet depends on how they chew - the best one is one where your pet actually spends at least a minute actively chewing the treat.

And, it should be daily for the best result.

You can book your pet in any time of the year, for their FREE Pet Dental Check, as all of our pets are entitled to TWO Free Dental Checks each year.

We do not recommend bones at all, and if you want to know why, read here.

Wash:

The washes.... the rinses..... the water additives that make you feel better.   Well, don't get too warm and fuzzy here.  Sorry, but using them is like using a human mouth wash on yourself without brushing!  Your breath may smell a bit sweeter, but really, the plaque is still on your teeth! 

But there are some good ones out there... such as Hexarinse and Maxiguard Oral Cleansing Gel, which may help slow down the progression of periodontal disease.

Scale:

Has your pet undergone a professional dental cleaning in the past two years?

and/or

Is your pet less than 7 years of age?

If you answered Yes to one or both questions, then your pet may be suitable for our $249 Dental Xray, Scale &  Polish Treatment.

I no longer perform any dental procedures on any pets without the benefit of radiographs.  It is just not fair for your pet. 

It's not a movie, but a clip from one! Dr Liz (me) hard at work
getting a pet's teeth pearly whites! 

What does that involve?  Well every pet gets a full check up, they are then sedated, and given a full general anaesthetic.  They are not going to sit in a chair and say "AAAh" like us.  

We then go through the entire mouth, and check each individual tooth (in dogs they have 42, and cats have 30), and we give each tooth a grade ( from 0 (great) to 4 (absolutely horrible).  Not all teeth are created equal, and we can have great teeth, and some really horrible teeth.  

Once we have done that, we know which areas benefit from an radiograph (the $249 price includes 2 radiographs). And with our handy dandy digital Xray system, they are done! 

With that information, we can assess if there is anything else we should be doing to keep your pet's mouth healthy, which usually means extractions, or if everything is hunky dory, then away we go, and then do the actual scale and polish.  

"Oooh.... look at that horrible spot, and the tooth looks normal
from the outside. That one has to go too." says Dr Liz!

So your pet isn't just getting a "scale or polish" or a "dentall", when its done by Dr Liz at Russell Vale Animal Clinic,  but a fairly comprehensive look see into their mouths.

How often should your pet undergo a professional dental cleaning? In many pets, it needs to be at least each 6 months, as periodontal disease can only be managed, not cured. In others, each 2 to 3 years is sufficient.

In my pets, they have their teeth checked each year,  as I want to keep their livers, kidneys, and hearts as healthy as I can, and I know I can do that by keeping those pearly whites healthy too.   But they also get annual blood work, and chest radiographs, as an extra check too.  

And I started doing this in them when they were 18 months old!  Yup.... that young.  Because I don't want my cats becoming a statistic. 

After all, it is all about having happy and healthy pets.   And preventing, preventable diseases, is what it is all about for veterinarians, not just me!

Any questions, sing out!