My! What Big Teeth You Have

Hi All,

Libby here.

Now, how do I say this lightly...we animals aren't exactly known for our breath. More specifically, about how our breath smells. In fact, I'd go so far as to say we have pretty stank breath when it comes down to it. However, in our defense, we don't really tend to live by the oral hygiene standards humans make for themselves. It's fairly common for us to have our teeth cleaned professionally once or twice a year, as opposed to you fine folks who brush what, twice? three times a day? You do the math.

Speaking of oral hygiene, we don't brush as often as you do. So we're even more prone to some of the same diseases as you are. Just last week, Dr. S. had an interesting mouth-related case.

This dog came in (named Major for the record) with his face completely swollen on one side. When Dr. S. opened his mouth (in that semi-frightening way that makes you wonder if the dog is going to chomp on the person in question's hand), he saw blood and pus at the gum line involving three teeth.

Aside from being kind of gross (sorry for my lack of sympathy but you know you all agree with me,) mouth issues can be incredibly painful. So, in the hopes of putting the poor guy out of his misery, Dr. S. put Major on antibiotics to reduce the swelling. The swelling resolved. Yay! Dr. S. then removed the three offending teeth on the upper jaw and Major is back to normal and (virtually) as good as new.

So, you are all probably wondering what you can do to help keep your pet's mouths healthy and avoid situations like Major's. If you are a truly committed pet parent, you can take a gauze sponge and clean the plaque that accumulates on their teeth after meals. And, if you have an animal who is willing to sit still (good luck with that) for long enough to brush their teeth, there are special pet toothbrushes for you to invest in. Another good option is antibacterial mouth wash—it's like ACT for pets.

Well folks, what it all boils down to is, if you are willing to do it, you can take care of your pet's teeth to ward off future mouth issues. But, it does take effort.

Otherwise, bring your pets in for annual teeth cleaning and checkups to make sure all is OK in your animal's mouth!

Til next time,

Libby