February is National Pet Dental Health Month!

pet-dental-health-month

February is National Pet Dental Health Month (NPDHM). We should be looking after our pet’s dental health as well as we do our own all the time but February is a time to take stock and make sure we are doing the best we can. It is estimated that up to 80% of cats and dogs over the age of 3 have some form of dental disease. This is due to many factors, lack of tooth cleaning, diet, treats and shape of the mouth are some of them.

We can scale and polish teeth, removing any diseased ones.

Pets mouths suffer from the same problems as our own, and regular cleaning is essential to keep the gums and teeth healthy. This will avoid pain, smelly breath and eating problems but also poor mouth hygiene can allow bacteria to get into the blood stream and these can settle out in other organs and cause problems, some of which can be quite serious. For instance, bacteria from dental disease can cause heart and lung problems as well as kidney infection.

Tooth brushing is the best way to keep on top of your pet’s teeth, but it isn’t always easy and if your pet resents it a lot it can cause stress to both you and your cat or dog. There are many other clever ways of helping, most are not as good as brushing but they all help. So there are tooth cleaning biscuits such as Hills T/D, chews and mouth washes, also a solution you add to your pet’s water and various gels which act as a mouth disinfectant. The important thing is to find a combination that you and your pet find easy to do and which is also effective.

Don’t forget rabbits, guinea pigs and other species can also get dental problem.

 

Free Dental Health Check Up!

Here at Withy Grove we have always offered a FREE dental check up where we can examine your pet’s mouth and talk about ways to keep it clean. You can take advantage of this complimentary service at any time but February is a good time to assess what you are doing. If you would like to make an appointment you can do so here, or give us a ring on 01772 330103. We also have a page on our website discussing Dental care in more detail, you can access it here.

 

 

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