My entire life I have been surrounded by dogs. I’m not going to say that I’ve been the perfect owner, but by and large my dog has so far lived a long and healthy life. His name is Jake and at the end of this Month he will be eight years old. It seems like time flies. Regardless, despite the numerous walks and games of catch we’ve played, I as an owner failed to acknowledge one major aspect of caring for my canine’s well being. I completely forget is the importance of Jake the dog’s dental hygiene. For most of Jake’s life, my family and I have been cautious of what food he is fed, along with all the other factors that play into a healthy lifestyle, however I completely forgot about his teeth. By the time I went off to college, things got real bad. After months of horribly smelling breath, I began to take action. I tried every dental care treat in all of Petco. Nothing seemed to do the trick. It was too bad. I finally broke down and bought the tooth brush. The difference was not an overnight change, but here’s what I found out.
When you get the chance, check out your dog's pearly whites. You may find discoloration to the teeth and gums. What may start with a little tarter build up and bad breath can turn into full on periodontal disease. Which, if left untreated, could eventually progress to tooth loss and spread bacteria to other parts of the body. Bacteria associated with this disease can travel through the blood stream to infect the kidneys, lungs and , liver over a short period of time from diagnosis. Additionally, more than 85% of dogs over four years of age are subjected to some degree of this disease. Here's how it goes down.
Just like humans, plaque builds on the teeth at an exponential rate. Without the proper care then forms tarter and subsequently allows for bacteria to work its way under the gum line to cause gingivitis which is just basically an inflammation of the gum. Eventually, that same bacteria will destroy the surrounding tissue supporting the tooth, resulting in tooth and bone loss. Again, similar to humans, there has also been evidence that periodontal disease has been linked to a shorter life span in dogs and cats as well.
Clearly, I don't want to tell anyone hows to raise their dog. However, as I have come to realize, from personal experience, taking care of you dogs teeth is incredibly important. I can understand that a majority of people don't have the time to brush their pets teeth regularly. Thankfully, there are a variety of dental diet treats to keep plaque to a minimum and avoiding table scrapes by feeding you dog high quality food are some easy steps to preventing periodontal disease. To top it off, most veterinarians recommend and annual visit to the vet for cleaning, however, because the method requires full anesthesia to complete the cleaning, it might more than anyone is willing to pay. If we don't want our pets to suffer, the one true deterrent to to brush their teeth.
