Veterinary Dental Care: A Stitch in Time Saves Nine
Blue Cross Veterinary Clinic, Riffa Bahrain
Ph:38806969, Building 148 Road 4104 Riffa, Riffa 941, Bahrain
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| Dr. Nimisha K Narayanan Head of Veterinary Medicine Blue Cross Veterinary Clinic |
How many of you know that around 75% of pets already had oral diseases at least once by the time your pet reaches three years old?
Pet owners seldom take good care of their pet's dental hygiene. Just like nutrition, proper exercise, and routine grooming, dental care is crucial to your pet's overall well-being. Several veterinary studies showed that regular dental check-ups and proper care help to increase your pet's lifespan by 20%.
Poor dental hygiene can lead to dental diseases caused by bacteria in the mouth. If dental care is ignored, you will start noticing mild symptoms such as yellow and brown teeth, a build-up of tartar along the gum line, inflamed gums, and persistent bad breath. In later stages, it can even affect the heart, kidneys, digestive system, and joints. In some instances, changing in eating habits and pawing at the mouth can also be related to dental infections.
As we all know very well, dental disease is painful and can last for a while. Your pets might have infected gums or rotten teeth causing them pain. They may lose teeth on their own, which can be quite painful. A pet in dental pain can affect his/her ability to eat, which can result in malnutrition and weight loss.
Brush your pet's teeth at the earlier stages is the first step towards maintaining oral hygiene. The best time to start a tooth-brushing regimen is when the pet is at 6-9 months old, just after their adult teeth are in. But getting puppies and kittens used to the process earlier will be convenient.
A couple of things to notice here. Never ever use human toothpaste to clean pets' teeth and gums. Avoid dental products containing Xylitol, as it is highly toxic to dogs and cats.
Regular check-up followed by a comprehensive pre-dental workup that involves laboratory and the diagnostic tests will help to identify the dental health ailments. A veterinarian can also help you in cleaning and polishing the teeth and will also help to remove the plaque.
Pic: Before and After Dental Scaling at Blue Cross Veterinary Clinic
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