Your dogs health is important to you. You show him how important by keeping him well fed and groomed, making sure he gets plenty of exercise and providing a collection of fun, safe toys for his entertainment. You don't skimp on quality of his food. And to reward good boys and girls, there are always lots of delicious treats in cupboard.
But if he has bad breath, you could be overlooking a serious problem with your dogs health.
"Dog Breath" is such a common condition that we make jokes about it. Sometimes we even tease our human "friends" using "dog breath" in play-ground style name-calling ( although hopefully this is limited to teenage boys.) And I know many pet owners who comment that they love their dog or cat like a child, but just can't stand smell of animal's breath! Well, guess what? "Dog Breath" isn't normal. It's estimated that 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats over age of three suffer from periodontal disease — a serious deterioration of gums and supporting bones of teeth. Yes, it's periodontal disease that's responsible for "dog breath". But problem doesn't confine itself to your furry baby's mouth. It's an infection, and tiny creatures responsible for it can break loose and enter bloodstream. Once they do, they can infect vital organs such as liver and kidneys, endangering your dogs health by causing a far more serious illness.The best way to insure your dogs health, especially where periodontal disease is concerned, is with prevention. It can make all difference.
Periodontal disease begins as gingivitis, which is virtually harmless and completely treatable. If allowed to move to next stage--Periodontitis-- it can be stopped, but not cured. And worse it gets, faster it progresses. This applies to all animals, two legged and four legged alike. Think of a car parked at top of a hill. The emergency break is released, and car begins to roll downhill. Now, if you hit breaks right away, no harm done. But farther car rolls faster it goes, and more momentum it builds. It gets harder and harder to stop it. By time it's halfway down hill, you could be headed for disaster! You can maintain your dogs health nicely with proper home care. But, like rolling car, if disease is already present, stopping and controlling it is a bigger job.
Prevention involves, above all, regular veterinary checkups and professional cleanings beginning early in your dog or cat's life. I'll show you how you can help maintain oral health at home, but it's impossible to do a thorough cleaning on an animal who's awake. Trust me on this. It's hard enough to do a thorough job with a cooperative human patient. When we're talking about animals who don't understand what we're doing or why, forget about it.
Most veterinarians recommend annual cleanings, but more frequent or involved treatment may be needed depending on your animal's condition. Please, no matter what you're doing at home, follow vet's recommendations. As for your part, introduce your dog or cat to idea of having his teeth brushed as early as possible. I know, it's not easy, and it takes time and daily conditioning to get your little guy or gal used to it. But your dogs health is worth it!
So how do you prevent most common of threats to your dogs health? Brush her teeth, of course! Every day. Just like you would your own (twice a day for you, and floss too!!). This isn't easy, but it can become an expected part of your dog's routine if you do it right. Here are some suggestions:
Start when your dog is a puppy. The earlier better.
At first, you just want her to get used to you handling her head and looking inside her mouth. Practice lifting up her lips and looking at her teeth and gums--front, back and both sides of her mouth.