We
brush several times a day. We also floss and gargle
on a regular basis and yet there are still some
of us who suffer from dental disease. So imagine
what happens in your pet's mouth without the benefit
of doing all these things on a daily basis.
Sure, eating hard,
crunchy food does minimize plaque in your pet's
mouth but giving Fido dog biscuits everyday isn't
going to do anything but make him put on weight.
The truth of the matter is that pets require daily
dental care the same way we do. It's virtually
impossible to brush certain animal's teeth. They
don't like it and will fight tooth and nail (no
pun intended) to avoid a daily brush up. So what
do you do then?
As part of their
yearly veterinary check-up, your pet needs to
have their teeth examined. Dental disease can
show up on even the youngest puppy or kitten and
an experienced, caring vet will make sure that
he gets to the root of the problem before serious
issues develop.
Usually, a vet
will recommend daily brushing. There are special
toothpastes and brushes made specifically for
pets. There are even breath mints available for
pets who suffer from halitosis. But the best thing
is having a professional cleaning done once or
even twice a year.
Many people are
terrified of the dentist so imagine what your
pet must feel. You can't tell Champ to open his
mouth while the hygienist brushes and polishes
his teeth. Pets need to be put under sedation
in order to have this treatment. It's safer for
the veterinarian and for your pet as well. Many
pet owners absolutely refuse to put their pet
under sedation but all precautions are made to
insure a safe, easy procedure.
The vet will take
a blood sample first just to see if the animal
can withhold the sedative. Any abnormalities that
show up will put up a red flag for the vet. If
anything pertaining to the liver or kidneys show
up, the vet will treat that problem immediately
and hold off on the teeth cleaning for the future.
If everything comes up within normal range, the
vet will then schedule the procedure.
The animal is hooked
up to an intravenous during the treatment to insure
an accessible blood vessel is available as well
as keeping the pet stable during the procedure.
The sedation is given and will keep the pet out
long enough for the cleaning to take place. The
pet owner is told not to feed the animal 12 hours
prior to the cleaning so that there is no food
that can be regurgitated during the procedure.
The teeth are scraped and polished and a fluoride
treatment is then applied to the teeth. Often
in pretty bad cases of infection, the pet is sent
home with an antibiotic, usually Antirobe, which
is administered for a week following the cleaning.
Even pain killers are given if the animal has
had several extractions during the course of the
cleaning. Sometimes, this can't be avoided. If
the tooth is seriously infected or rotted, it
has to come out to avoid further complications
later on.
What many people
don't realize is that dental disease, if not treated
properly, can turn into something much worse.
If left untreated, it can cause a serious infection
to go into the pet's bloodstream and cause damage
to the heart, liver and kidneys. This leads to
many bad problems for the pet and an incredible
expense to the pet owner.
So take your pet
to the vet and have their teeth checked out at
least twice a year. You'll be glad you did and
so will your pet!
Brought to you from
http://www.petprospects.com
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