Pet Dental Month

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photos-french-bulldog-grey-kitten-image15578303August is the Australian Veterinary Associations Pet Dental Month with this year’s theme being quality dental care is good medicine.  The idea of Pet Dental Month is to raise awareness of the importance of good dental health in pets, how to care for your pets teeth and to encourage people to take their pets to a veterinary clinic for a dental check up.

It is important for pets to have at least an annual dental examination.  If an animal has bad or unhealthy teeth or underlying dental problems it can have a detrimental effect on their overall health and wellbeing.  Poor dental health can lead to a number of serious conditions including liver, kidney and heart disease.  It can also be responsible for other problems like bad breath, excessive drooling, inflamed gums, pain or discomfort, chewing of different objects and changes in eating habits.  By having an annual dental check up it means that any dental problems can be detected early and promptly dealt with before it leads to any further health complications.

There are a few ways you can help maintain your pets good dental health health at home.  These include;

*  Brushing – use a specially designed toothbrush and toothpaste to brush your pets teeth which helps remove plaque and prevent tooth decay.  Dentipet Dental Paste for Dogs and Cats is a flavoured toothpaste which is ideal for use with a  Dentipet Finger Toothbrush.

*  Dental toys – give your pet some dental chew toys like Dental Kongs, they help stimulate saliva and gently clean teeth and gums and remove food and debris.

*  Dental treats – offer your pet some specially formulated dental treats daily like Feline Greenies, Greenies for Dogs or Pedigree Dentastix.

*  Supplements – give your pet a specially formulated oral care supplement like Vetalogica Canine Oral Defence, PlaqueOff For Dogs or PlaqueOff For Cats.  These help maintain good oral health, prevents tartar, gingivitis and bad breath.

*  Diet – speak to your veterinarian about whether it would be beneficial to change you pet over to a dental feed like Advance Dental or Hill’s Science Diet Oral Care.

*  Check-ups – don’t forget to regularly check your dogs teeth and mouth, as well as taking them for a yearly veterinarian dental examination.

*  Visit your vet – always remember that if you have any concerns about your pets health contact your veterinarian as soon as possible to discuss.

For further information on caring for your pets teeth please read the Australian Veterinary Associations fact sheets on dental health for dogs, cats, horses and rabbits.  These fact sheets can be viewed at http://www.ava.com.au/public/about-pets/pet-dental-health-month/resources.

So why not use Pet Dental Month as a reminder to get your pets teeth checked and keep them smiling!!

Until next time,
Bec

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Author: Bec

From a very young age Bec has always had a great love and appreciation for all animals. Bec is a qualified Veterinary Nurse and also has a Bachelor in Applied Science Animal Studies with special interest in Wildlife and Recreational Animals. Her studies have been put to good use working in various animal industries including small and large animal veterinary clinics, horse studs and the family cattle property. Horses have played an important part in her life, living on a horse stud and caring for horses throughout breeding, foaling, spelling, racing and retirement. Bec is the proud mum of two gorgeous girls, a beautiful Cocker Spaniel, a cheeky cockatiel, chickens and many horses including a naughty little pony.

One Reply to “Pet Dental Month”

  1. This is great information. Dental checkups are just as important as any other type of checkup.

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