Owners need to brush their pet’s teeth to improve their overall health

A bad mouth can kill a dog or a cat.

“You don’t think of gum disease as deadly, but bacteria can course through a pet’s system and affect the liver, the kidneys and the heart,” says veterinary dentist Dr. Jean Hawkins, of Vancouver, Wash.

Gum disease is significantly more uncomfortable than we think, if not downright painful. “Think about it, an abscess in the mouth; of course it’s painful,” says Dr. Elizabeth Robertson, a private practicing veterinarian who is in Evergreen Park, Ill.

Even if dental disease doesn’t shorten a pet’s life or cause pain, at the very least, it stinks. “Imagine what your breath would smell like if you didn’t brush,” Hawkins says. It’s not natural for a dog’s breath to be louder than its bark.

The official recommendation of the American Veterinary Dental Society is an annual dental cleaning. The AVDS especially likes to remind people now, since February is National Pet Dental Health Month.

Unfortunately, dogs and cats don’t like sitting in a dental chair to have their teeth scrubbed and scraped. They must be anesthetized, which worries many owners. “I understand the concern,” says Dr. Craig Mosley, of American College of Veterinary Anesthesiologists and an assistant professor at Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Corvallis. “There’s some risk (of death) as a result of being anesthetized; it’s likely somewhere between one in 1,000 and one in 10,000.”

Certainly, if it’s your pet that dies on the operating table, statistics are irrelevant. Mosley says the chances of success increase if your pet has a physical exam before a cleaning, and if blood work is done on older animals. Here’s Mosley’s big message: It’s not so much about the anesthetic being safe as it is about the veterinarian and technicians involved, and how they monitor your pet during and after the procedure.

Mosley is a proponent of annual dental exams, and talks about risk/benefit. The risk (for pets with no serious pre-existing medical conditions affected by anesthetic) of something bad happening while an animal is under anesthesia is minimal. The benefits of annual cleanings are so significant that they outweigh any risk.

One way to reduce the time your pet is under anesthetic for a cleaning is to prevent dental disease. “Of course, the best way is to brush (using a toothbrush with toothpaste specifically made for pets),” says veterinary dentist Dr. Dan Carmichael, of West Islip, N.Y. He says the accumulation of plaque is significantly less among dogs and cats whose owners simply brush their pets’ teeth.

If you’re after the most efficient means of brushing, Carmichael touts an electric toothbrush made for pets. The manufacturer, Hartz, maintains it reduces bacteria-harboring tartar by 85 percent, and plaque by 28 percent after three weeks. The impact is significant, yet the cost is not; the toothbrush is only $2.99 (batteries not included) at many retailers were pet supplies are sold. In people, several studies report that electric toothbrushes are more effective than manual brushes. Carmichael says there are no similar studies for pets but it’s likely the same is true.

The electric pet toothbrush is meant for both dogs and cats, though convincing your cat might not be easy.

“What works well for one person or one pet may not work for another,” Robertson notes. “The secret is doing something. It will matter. I can always tell by looking into a dog or cat’s mouth if their people are at least making an effort.”

An alternative to brushing is called OraVet, first applied by a veterinarian just after a pet’s teeth are cleaned. This sealant prevents plaque from adhering to the teeth or at the intersection where the teeth meet the gums. Pet owners go home with a kit, and their job is to apply OraVet weekly. Hawkins is such a fan of this product that she uses it in her own mouth.

Carmichael says chewing is not only fun for dogs but it’s also a great way for them to clean their own teeth. With countless products out there, he says to look for choices with the Veterinary Oral Health Council seal of approval (stamped VOHC).

You likely won’t see the VOHC symbol on rawhide and many other treats that are also beneficial. “So much also depends on the way individual dogs’ chew, as to the good it does — but certainly even rawhide is helpful to scrape teeth clean,” Carmichael says.

Today, there’s great concern about the digestibility of some dog chews. Recent reports in the media about Greenies, for example, dub them so indigestible that they’ve created fatal obstructions. “I don’t know how many dogs this has happened to,” Hawkins says. “If you’re concerned about digestibility, seek a product that will still take care of dental issues but is digestible.”

It’s with that issue in mind that Iams has just come out with Iams Tartar Treats. They help clean teeth as dogs chew but are easy to digest. In fact, tapioca is among the ingredients.

Something else to look for in dog foods or treats is Hexametaphosphate, or HMP, a pyrophosphate compound that deters calcium from depositing on teeth. When calcium collects on the teeth, the mineralized plaque turns to harmful tartar (or calculus).

Some dog toys are even devised to help keep canine mouths healthy. Carmichael most likes the Hartz Petvantage VMX Canine Cleaner since he helped to design it, but he adds, “Many toys help if your dog is scraping (with teeth) against the toy.” (Cats who like to chew might also like this product.)

Still, Carmichael’s the first to concede, “Toys are great, and so are special dental treats, but nothing beats brushing.”

via nwitimes.com

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