Signs of Pet Dental Disease – If I may ask how well do you know your pet’s dental health, What will be your response? Well, in case you don’t know, dental care is very important to pets as it is to you the owner.
What is dental disease?
Dental disease is simply a painful condition that occurs when bacteria, plaque, and tartar build-up on the teeth and get trapped beneath the gum line. The bacteria can be absorbed into the bloodstream and wreak havoc on other major organs throughout the body.
Dental disease is a very big problem for pets. By the age of three, most dogs and cats have some degree of dental disease. This can cause pain, tooth loss, and overall bad health from the bacteria in the mouth.
Note that early detection of your pet’s dental disease is vital. When it is not properly treated, it will progress to cause chronic pain and inflammation. So therefore, in order to detect dental disease before it negatively affects your pet’s quality of life, we recommend dental evaluations as part of your pet’s regular preventive care exam, which should take place at least once a year.
5 Signs of Pet Dental Disease
Now let’s take a look at some of the indicators that your cat or dog may have dental disease? Once you noticed them, meet your veterinarian and let them know if your pet has any of the following issues:
- Drooling or dropping food from the mouth.
- Bad breath
- Bleeding from the mouth
- Loose or discolored teeth (brown or yellow) or teeth covered in tartar.
- Loss of appetite or loss of weight.
Also, when your pet is not comfortable with you touching within the mouth area.
How To Prevent Dental Disease
You can help prevent dental disease by doing following the instructions below.
- Take your pet in for a comprehensive oral health and treatment (COHAT) appointment. Until the issues with your pet’s mouth are treated, home care will be ineffective.
- Ensure you follow your veterinarian’s care recommendations, which typically include dental cleaning under anesthesia and may include extracting problem teeth and other treatments.
- Start a home-care regimen. Your veterinarian can recommend proper tools and pet-safe toothpaste, and direct you you how to get started.