Why Is Pet Dental Care so Important?

For a long time, nobody really understood the importance of brushing your dog’s teeth, or your cat’s teeth, for that matter. But as our pets’ diets and lifestyles have changed and veterinary knowledge has increased, we’ve learned a few important things:

• Dogs and cats get cavities too.
• Cavities hurt for dogs and cats, just like they hurt for humans.
• Unfortunately, cats and dogs can’t tell us why they hurt, so they often suffer in silence.
• While they suffer in silence, pet periodontal disease can worsen to the point where…
• The bacteria involved in periodontal disease travel through the bloodstream and damage a pet’s heart, liver and kidneys.

What makes it more tricky is that while there are symptoms of pet dental disease, they aren’t always immediately obvious unless you’re looking for them:

• Extremely stinky breath
• Red, bleeding, swollen gums
• Loose or missing teeth
• Reluctance to eat or drink
• Blood on chew toys

Even if your pet doesn’t show any of these symptoms, if he or she has never come in for a pet dental checkup, now is the time to schedule one. Like humans, pets do better when they get into the following regular dental care routine:

• An annual veterinary dental checkup and cleaning
• A daily pet teeth brushing routine

Learn more about how to start brushing your pet’s teeth every day; and if you’re in Northern Virginia, call Woodbridge Animal Hospital at (703) 897-5665 to schedule a pet dental checkup and cleaning today.

Dr. Jim McDonald
Woodbridge Animal Hospital
2703 Caton Hill Rd.
Woodbridge, VA 22192
Phone: (703) 897-5665