DENTAL CARE FOR DOGS & CATS
Dr Sanjeet Kumar
Director PET Kingdom veterinary hospital,New Delhi
Proper dental care will help keep your pet from developing a wide variety of dental health issues, such as periodontal disease, which is caused by the build-up of bacteria in the mouth. These bacteria form a film over the teeth called plaque. As the bacteria die, they can become calcified by the calcium in your pet’s saliva. The calcified plaque is called tartar, and it can eventually lead to gingivitis, which can lead to an infection in the root of the tooth. In the late stages of periodontal disease, the tissues around the tooth are destroyed, and the socket that holds the tooth in place erodes, which makes the tooth loose.
Another common dental problem is broken teeth. Chewing on hard toys and treats like antlers and bones can break your dog or cat’s teeth. A broken tooth can expose the nerve of the tooth, which is very painful for your pet. Additionally, the exposed nerve can become infected and cause even more problems for your pet. At this point, the tooth will need to be removed.
More than 80% of dogs show signs of periodontal disease by the age of three. The accumulation of tartar and plaque and the resulting gingivitis can lead to more serious diseases. Without medical intervention, gingivitis or inflammation of the gum takes over and leads to bad breath. What’s worse is that it often leads to damage to the jawbones, and loss of teeth.
Dental health is a very important part of your pet’s overall health, and dental problems can cause, or be caused by, other health problems. Your pet’s teeth and gums should be checked at least once a year by your veterinarian to check for early signs of a problem and to keep your pet’s mouth healthy.
Every pet parent wants his or her beloved pet to have excellent oral hygiene.
Four reasons how poor dental care can affect your pet’s overall health:
- Bad Breath or Halitosis: If the odor of your pet’s breath makes you recoil, it’s time to seek good dental care.
- Tooth Loss: If structures supporting your pet’s teeth become infected, the teeth fall out.
- Oral Pain: Severe dental disease can be very painful for cats and dogs. Keep an eye out for the tell-tale** signs.
- Organ Damage. Bacteria in the plaque can enter the bloodstream and spread to the heart, kidneys and liver. This spread, called bacteremia, can damage organs and make your animal sick.
https://now.tufts.edu/articles/dental-disease-cats-dogs
PET DENTAL DISEASE
Dental or periodontal disease affects the teeth, gums and the support structures that surround your pet’s teeth. It begins with a simple plaque buildup on the tooth enamel which contain bacteria and food particles.
If the plaque is not addressed, it remains on the tooth surface and eventually hardens into tartar. Tartar that makes its way below the gumline is the real problem.
Tartar below the gumline causes inflammation and not only damages the structures supporting the teeth but also causes infection. If dental disease reaches this stage, pets can experience severe dental problems and pain.
FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH DENTAL DISEASE.
- Age:Dental Disease is more common in older pets, but evidence can appear as soon as three years of age.
- Breed:Persians and other flat-faced cats and smaller dog breeds are more likely to have over-crowded or misaligned teeth that are difficult to keep clean, making them more prone to disease.
- Food/Diet:Some foods can increase your cat’s risk of dental disease, so ask your veterinarian for a nutritional recommendation.
Oral health in dogs and cats
Your pet’s teeth should be checked at least once a year by your veterinarian for early signs of a problem and to keep your pet’s mouth healthy.
Symptoms of dental disease may include:
- Bad breath
- Lethargy, inactivity, or depression
- Poor grooming
- Salivating
- Red, swollen, or bleeding gums
- Decreased or loss of appetite and weight loss
- Dropping food from mouth while eating
- Facial swelling
- Discharge from the nose or eyes
- Pawing at the face
- Teeth becoming loose or falling out
https://www.pashudhanpraharee.com/how-to-keep-healthy-lifestyle-of-your-pets/
Some pets become irritable when they have dental problems, and any changes in your pet’s behavior should prompt a visit to your veterinarian. Always be careful when evaluating your pet’s mouth, because a painful animal may bite.
Causes of pet dental problems
Although cavities are less common in pets than in people, they can have many of the same dental problems that people can develop:
- Broken teeth and roots
- Periodontal disease
- Abscesses or infected teeth
- Cysts or tumors in the mouth
- Malocclusion, or misalignment of the teeth and bite
- Broken (fractured) jaw
- Palate defects (such as cleft palate)
Periodontal disease is the most common dental condition in dogs and cats – by the time your pet is 3 years old, he or she will very likely have some early evidence of periodontal disease, which will worsen as your pet grows older if effective preventive measures aren’t taken. Early detection and treatment are critical, because advanced periodontal disease can cause severe problems and pain for your pet. Periodontal disease doesn’t just affect your pet’s mouth. Other health problems found in association with periodontal disease include kidney, liver, and heart muscle changes.
It starts with plaque that hardens into tartar. Tartar above the gumline can often easily be seen and removed, but plaque and tartar below the gumline is damaging and sets the stage for infection and damage to the jawbone and the tissues that connect the tooth to the jaw bone. Periodontal disease is graded on a scale of 0 (normal) to 4 (severe).
The treatment of periodontal disease involves a thorough dental cleaning and x-rays may be needed to determine the severity of the disease. Your veterinarian will make recommendations based on your pet’s overall health and the health of your pet’s teeth, and provide you with options to consider.
Do’s and Don’ts of Brushing your Pet’s Teeth
- Don’t use a human toothpaste on your pet.
- Do use a toothbrush without any paste at first so that your pet may get used to the object in the mouth before having to contend with flavor.
- Don’t attempt to clean the inner surface of your pet’s teeth. Natural saliva cleans this surface on its own.
- Do try to perform dental home care at least once daily.
- Don’t perform dental home care during the first week after a full dentistry in the hospital as your pet’s gums may be tender.
- Don’t consider dental home care as an alternative to full dental cleaning if your pet has more advanced dental disease.
Dental Wipes, Rinses and Pads
Some animals, especially those with tender gums, will not tolerate brushing but are more amenable to disinfecting wipes or pads. These products will wipe off plaque deposits from the surface of the tooth and, though they lack the ability to pick food particles out of the gum socket, they are probably the next best thing to brushing and, like brushing, these products are best used daily.
Dental Treats
For many people, doing anything inside their pet’s mouth on a regular basis is simply never going to happen. Fortunately, all is not lost: chewing on a proper dental chew daily can substantially reduce plaque and tartar by up to 69%. Chews should be used daily in order to achieve these results; occasional use is not going to be helpful and the dog must actually chew on the treat.
Dental chews must be the proper size for the dog in question to avoid a choking hazard and can have sophisticated additional ingredients. Examples include ingredients to prevent mineralization of plaque (i.e. hexametaphosphate in C.E.T. Dentahex chews) or to prevent future plaque attachment after current plaque is rubbed off (delmopinol in Oravet brand chews), and green chlorophyll to help with bad breath.
Dental Diets
There is a common misconception that simply feeding a kibbled diet will protect the teeth from dental disease. Consider what it would be like to attempt to replace brushing your own teeth with eating crunchy foods and it is easily see how ineffective this method would be. When it comes to pet foods, much of the kibble is swallowed whole and not chewed at all.
Clearly, there must be more to a dental diet than simple kibbling and in fact there is. Dental diets on the market today use several techniques to help reduce plaque. The first is that the kibbles are very large which means the pet must chew them before swallowing them. These diets are high in fiber which means the kibbles do not shatter when chewed but instead the tooth sinks into the kibble allowing plaque to be essentially scrubbed away. The large kibbles may pose an acceptance problem for the pet leading the owner to use them as treats or mixed with other kibbles. The smaller the percentage of the diet these kibbles represent, the less benefit will be reaped. It is also important to realize that these diets are helpful only in cleaning the molars and premolars (i.e. the chewing teeth) and do not help the fangs or incisors.
How do I prevent dental disease?
Prevention of the most common oral disease in pets consists of frequent removal of the dental plaque and tartar that forms on teeth that are not kept clean. Regularly brushing your pet’s teeth is the single most effective thing you can do to keep their teeth healthy between dental cleanings, and may reduce the frequency or even eliminate the need for periodic dental cleaning by your veterinarian. Daily brushing is best, but it’s not always possible and brushing several times a week can be effective. Most dogs accept brushing, but cats can be a bit more resistant patience and training are important.
Lightly brush your dog’s teeth at least twice a week. Do not use tooth pastes made for humans. An alternative to brushing is using a dental chew. Studies by Waltham have shown that certain specifically designed dental health chews (like Dentastix) result in a significant reduction of plaque and calculus accumulation, gingivitis and malodour.
How to brush your dog’s teeth?
- Put a small amount of the toothpaste on your finger, and gently rub it on your dog’s front teeth and gums.
- After a few times, switch from a finger to a dog’s toothbrush with soft, rounded bristles.
- Brush with a downward motion on the top teeth and upward on the lower teeth.
- After your dog gets used to this new activity, start doing teeth farther back in the mouth, brushing the premolars, then molars with the same motion you used on the front teeth.
- Consult your vet for suitable brush and paste.
Dental disease, or periodontal disease, is inflammation of the teeth and gums caused by a build-up of plaque. Plaque, which is made up of food particles, saliva, and bacteria, sticks to the tooth surface and if not removed will calcify into tartar. Around 80% of cats and dogs over the age of three are suffering from some form of dental disease.
For adult cats and dogs with existing dental disease, a scale and polish from your veterinarian is often necessary. This will allow us to start their prevention plan with a fresh, clean mouth.
Tips to prevent dental disease
Brush their teeth
Brushing your pet’s teeth daily can help control plaque build-up that leads to dental disease.
Selecting a toothbrush
- specially-made dog and cat toothbrushes are available to purchase
- toddler toothbrushes are great for cats and small dogs
- electric toothbrushes are easy to use and efficient, however, your pet may be frightened by the noise
- make sure you label your pet’s toothbrush and keep it separate from the family toothbrushes
Selecting a toothpaste
- do not use human toothpaste when brushing your pet’s teeth as it can upset your pet’s stomach
- special pet toothpastes in flavours like chicken or beef are available
Introducing your pet to teeth brushing
Cats and small dogs may feel more comfortable if they can sit on their owner’s lap while having their teeth brushed.
- begin slowly. Initial sessions should be kept brief
- get your pet used to the toothbrush by dipping it in tuna juice or chicken or beef stock
- offer a taste of your special pet toothpaste to your pet to get them used to it
- when your pet is comfortable with the brush, try brushing one or two strokes on a few teeth. Slowly increase the brushing as your pet becomes more comfortable
- start at the front of the mouth. Pets are often more accepting of this
Five steps to effective teeth brushing
- add toothpaste – apply a small amount of pet toothpaste to the brush (do not use human toothpaste)
- correct angle– hold brush at a 45 degree angle to gum line.
- circular motion– apply the toothbrush and use a circular motion with gentle pressure on the teeth and gum line
- brush for 30 to 60 seconds– brush for at least 30 seconds on each side of the mouth, remembering the back teeth
- reward– reward your pet for their good behaviour
Alternatives to teeth brushing
Treats and chews
Large, hard products such as pig’s ears, noses and trotters, rawhide bones, and Dentabones encourage your pets to chew. The chewing action aids in the removal of plaque via physical rubbing and the spread of protective saliva. These should not be relied on solely for dental prevention, as they are not as effective as raw bones, but could be fed once a week instead of raw bones as a change for your pet.
Dental diets
Many premium dry pet foods and special dental treats are available for both cats and dogs. They’re specially designed to keep pets’ teeth clean while providing them with their nutritional needs. These foods contain enzymes and ingredients similar to those found in our toothpaste which help to slow the dental disease process and help prevent plaque from forming on the teeth. Some premium pet food brands offer a money back guarantee if you or your pet aren’t satisfied (ask your Greencross Vet).
If your pet hasn’t started these specially designed foods at an early age, it is best to start them after their teeth have been professionally scaled and polished.
Oral and Dental Treatments
For pets with severe or persistent dental and gum disease or bad breath, using a rinse or gel available from your veterinary clinic may be advisable. Gum protectant applications may also be prescribed for pets with problem gums.
Dental Toys
There are some toys available which are great at encouraging your pet to chew. Some of these toys include the ‘Kong’ and ‘Gumabone’.
Toys are a useful addition to a dental hygiene program; however, they should not be relied on solely.
Reference-On request
