If your dog or cat seems to have bad breath it might be a sign of a serious health issue. A stinky mouth has the potential to damage not only your pets’ teeth and gums, but his internal organs as well.
To stress the importance of good oral health for pets, February has been named National Pet Dental Health Month. The American Veterinary Medical Association, AVMA, sponsors this month every year and they want you to understand how important is to maintain your pets’ teeth and gums.
Why Do Pets Get Gum Disease?
Pets get gum disease just like we, their owners, get gum disease, commonly called periodontal disease. When we eat and don’t brush our teeth, plaque begins to form along the teeth and gum line. If left untreated the plaque leads to inflamed gums, destroyed tissue along the gum line and bone loss. Further damage in the form of tooth loss may occur if your pets’ teeth are completely neglected.
Symptoms of Periodontal Disease
There usually are no signs or symptoms of periodontal disease and it’s rare that owners detect the disease in their dog or cat. If they do notice it’s generally because the disease has advanced to a more serious stage of decay. At this point a pet might be living with chronic pain that your dog or cat might be trying to hide from you.
Prevention of Periodontal Disease
Periodontal disease is the most commonly treated condition in both cats’ and dogs’ but did you know that it’s completely preventable? Here are several steps that you can take in order to maintain good oral health inside your pets’ mouth:
ONE: Take your pet in for regular oral exams as well as for regular cleanings.
TWO: Brush your pets’ teeth every day, twice a day if he’ll let you.
THREE: Feed your pet a high quality dog or cat food
FOUR: Offer safe toys for your pet to play with as well as daily treats. Many treats are designed to clean plaque from the teeth and gums.
Today we would like to thank http://www.avma.org for helping us with this post. Visit their website where you can learn how to brush your pets’ teeth while keeping their breath smelling minty fresh for life. We would also like to thank pets.webmd.com for helping us as well. Visit their website to see symptoms of severe gum disease that can occur in both dogs as well as cats.
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