As a devoted and loving pet parent, you know that caring for your pet includes caring for their teeth. After all, dental problems can not only cause lots of pain, but can lead to dental disease and other health issues.
So, how can you keep those teeth white and healthy? And what can pet parents do about their dog’s smelly breath? We spoke with Dr. Andrew here at Wellness Veterinary Hospital & Diagnostic Centre about pets’ oral hygiene, pets tooth enamel, common causes of dogs’ bad breath and cats’ bad breath to answer your questions about pet dental care.
Q: How do I get rid of my dog’s bad breath?
A: Getting rid of bad breath can at times be simple but more often it is a challenging process. It depends on the extent of dental disease. If your pet is young, say less than 2 years of age, it is likely that daily brushing will help significantly. Many cases are not that simple, especially if your pet has irreversible dental disease, and you’ll want to consult your veterinarian. It is recommended for pet parents to regularly perform home dental care for their pets which will typically include daily brushing, dog prescription diet such as dental foods like Hills t/d, Royal Canin Dental, use chews, dental toys, or pet teeth cleaning biscuits such as Greenies, and avoid treats or other food with sugar or corn syrup.
Pet parents should also take their loved pets for annual oral exams and yearly scaling and polishing. Early detection and treatment of periodontal disease is crucial. You can read more about basic pet parent dental care here.
Q: How often should I brush my dog’s teeth?
A: If you have a toy breed such as Chihuahuas, Yorkies, Poodles (toy poodle standard poodle or miniature poodle), and Maltese, you’ll want to put in the effort and brush every day as they have a natural predisposition for bad teeth. For larger breeds like Labradors, German shepherds, Collies, or Huskies, you may be fine to brush from every other day to once a week. However, keep in mind that the more frequently you brush, the healthier your pet will be.
Q: Should pet parents brush their cat’s teeth?
A: Over 70% of cats by the age of three have periodontal disease. Dental disease is painful. It starts as inflammation, followed by plaque. If not removed by regular brushing, it’ll thicken resulting in tartar. Left untreated, this inflammation of the gums will result in periodontal destruction followed by pain and ultimately tooth loss.
So please, brush your cat’s teeth. Once a day is suggested, but if this is a struggle, aim for every other day and incorporate other types of dental care such as cat prescription diet Hills t/d dental food, dental water additives, and yearly dental scaling/polishing at Wellness Veterinary Hospital & Diagnostic Centre which you can schedule anytime.
The hardest part is making this routine. It’s easy to walk away from a vet visit feeling motivated to brush your pet’s teeth, but it’s harder to maintain this level of care.
Pet parents should remember to take their cat’s toothbrush out so they do not forget to brush their cat’s teeth. Brush your cat’s teeth before you brush yours. If your cat doesn’t let you brush their teeth, be patient, persistent, and speak to your vet team. And, if you’ve just brought a kitten into your life, start brushing from the beginning.
Q: Why do dogs chatter their teeth?
A: Teeth chattering in dogs can be due to a variety of reasons, many of which are pretty harmless. Sometimes it represents excitement and happiness, like when your dog is beyond eager to fetch the ball or when you come home from work. Sometimes I see it in pets who are anxious or scared, like the ones hiding in the corner of the consult room dreading my approach. Other times they’re just cold (looking at you, Chihuahuas), even though it might be 30C.
Chattering can also represent health issues and differentiating between benign emotions and disease can be a challenge.
It’s important to speak to your veterinarian. They’ll assess for dental disease or neurological degeneration and give you proper recommendations on a thorough workup if needed. You can read more about different dog behaviours and what they mean here.
Q: When will my puppy stop teething?
A: Puppies’ baby teeth begin to fall out around 4 months of age and by 6 months, all if not most should have fallen out. For the teeth that remain past 6-7 months of age, you’ll want to speak to your vet as they may need to be extracted. These are known as retained teeth and are frequently seen in (yes, you guessed it…) toy breed dogs. Left untreated, they’ll crowd their adult teeth which can accelerate dental disease.
The teething process can be very uncomfortable for puppies, so try to get yours to chew on a toy. There is no such thing as perfect toy, but try to find one that is soft, durable, and appropriate in size. Always avoid antlers, bones, or anything rock hard, as pets frequently fracture their teeth from chewing these too aggressively.
Q: When will my puppy stop teething?
A: Puppies’ baby teeth begin to fall out around 4 months of age and by 6 months, all if not most should have fallen out. For the teeth that remain past 6-7 months of age, you’ll want to speak to your vet as they may need to be extracted. These are known as retained teeth and are frequently seen in (yes, you guessed it…) toy breed dogs. Left untreated, they’ll crowd their adult teeth which can accelerate dental disease.
The teething process can be very uncomfortable for puppies, so try to get yours to chew on a toy. There is no such thing as perfect toy, but try to find one that is soft, durable, and appropriate in size. Always avoid antlers, bones, or anything rock hard, as pets frequently fracture their teeth from chewing these too aggressively.
Q: Why is it important to regularly check my pet’s dental health?
A: When a pet develops dental disease, significant amounts of bacteria reside within the mouth along the gum margins. This resulting inflammation acts as an entry point for bacteria to seed throughout the body. The three most commonly affected organs are the heart, kidney, and liver.
The bacteria found within dental disease have been found to be the same organisms in many heart disease patients. The liver and kidneys are also especially vulnerable, as one of their main functions is to filter the blood which carries these bacteria. Infection and inflammation ensure and over time can result in organ failure.
After spending nearly a year practicing veterinary in Hong Kong, I’ve noticed some major differences in pet care compared to the US. In the US, there is a major focus on preventive medicine. It’s common for pets to have routine teeth scaling and polishing done under anaesthesia every year. Even if the build-up is minimal, pet owners begin this treatment for their pet at an early age. The goal is to identify and prevent disease early while it’s still manageable, rather than waiting for recognizable clinical signs to occur which is generally when disease is more complicated to treat.
In Hong Kong, pet owners are more hesitant with anaesthesia. I’ve noticed pet parents in Hong Kong often wait until dental disease becomes a more complicated problem before cleaning under anaesthesia is considered. By then, there is usually no other option but to extract teeth.
Remember that dental disease doesn’t necessarily mean just an extraction or two; it causes heart, kidney, and liver disease. Throughout my experience, I’ve never diagnosed as much heart and kidney disease before and I attribute this largely to lack in dental care. Day in and day out, there’s a dog coughing from heart disease or there’s a cat vomiting and anorexic because it has end stage kidney disease.
The most important thing for pet parents to keep in mind is that with proper dental care, in many cases these diseases as well as the severe dental diseases can be avoided.
Q: What is the risk of dental scaling and polishing under anaesthesia?
A: It is true that anaesthesia carries its risk, but with modern drugs and sophisticated equipment, the risk associated with general anesthesia is minimal for a healthy pet. Potential complications, of course, still exist but are fortunately rare with proper preparation, i.e. examination, blood testing, and sometimes additional screening.
You may have heard of Anaesthetic-Free dentistry which I see over social media feeds for some reason. I can certainly understand the appeal, however, this is usually associated with extreme levels of stress. Remember that the same way your pet does not like its nails trimmed, they probably are not going to be comfortable with sharp instruments in their mouth. It’s challenging to get under the gums without anaesthesia and heavy restraint is often required, hence such procedures are not recommended by veterinary dental specialists.
Q: How often should I take my pet for dental check?
A: Pet parents should take their pets to a dog dental check / cat dental check at least once to twice a year. In between these exams you should frequently perform dental examinations yourself. Pet parents should observe their pets teeth often and regularly, the same way they observe their own teeth.
As a general rule, if you see a teeth which does not look good enough, healthy, inflamed or you’re not sure, that is the time you want to speak to your vet team.
Just like in humans, pet dental care is an important part of overall wellness. With proper teeth brushing we can have healthier pets with healthy gums and healthy teeth.
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