Pet's bad breath may be sign of dental disease

Owners are advised to take their pets to the vet twice a year for routine checkups and get their teeth cleaned once a year.

In a perfect world, Ortiz said pet owners would brush their dog's or cat's teeth twice a day, but twice a week will produce amazing results.

Add dental chews and a water additive that helps prevent tartar and pets should stay very kissable, Ortiz said.

Brushing an older pet's teeth for the first time can prove challenging, the vets acknowledged, but it is easy to teach a puppy or kitten to learn to like it, Ortiz said.

"Start with your bare finger and rub it along their gums and teeth. Get them used to having something in their mouth. Then get a finger-sized toothbrush with small fibers that do not scrape the teeth," he said. Toothpaste isn't necessary to remove tartar, but once the pet is used to the brush, it can be added.

Cats usually won't sit still for too long, so it helps if the toothpaste is tuna or chicken-flavored, Ortiz said.

Stepaniuk warned not to give pets human toothpaste. "If human toothpaste is swallowed, which pets will do, it is toxic (due to the high levels of fluoride) as well as a gastrointestinal irritant," he said.

Any invasive dental work on pets - extractions, root canals, and any thorough exam involving instruments and X-rays - requires anesthesia, Stepaniuk said. There are no such things as dog dentures, he said, and implants and bridges are almost nonexistent, but some dogs - usually show dogs - do get braces.

Pets do cope with the loss of teeth, Ortiz said, and their health and behavior typically improve once the pain is gone.

Veterinarians will try to save strategic teeth when possible. These include the canine teeth and carnassial teeth (the big chewing teeth), Stepaniuk said.

Other types of pets are also vulnerable to dental problems. Ferrets can get tooth decay just like dogs and cats. Rabbits, guinea pigs, and chinchillas have continually growing cheek teeth and incisors; given the wrong diet, their teeth will overgrow and cause abscessed teeth, Stepaniuk said. Reptiles have teeth and without proper husbandry, they too can get severe infection and stomatitis.





The Associated Press


