Caring for your pet’s teeth is a necessary part of keeping their entire body healthy, but, unfortunately, this simple fact is often overlooked by pet owners.
Poor dental health places unnecessary strain on other organs, the immune system and causes pain. If we can avoid these unhappy situations with annual dental scaling, teeth brushing and dental diets then our pets will live longer.
As we know from human medicine, plaque left to accumulate causes gingivitis. Gingivitis is painful and, left untreated, will develop into infection. This creates bad breath, which we often assume is “normal doggy breath”. This is not normal – it is a chronic infection.
These chronic oral infections continuously seep into the bloodstream, meaning the kidneys, liver and heart must filter the infected blood. This puts these vital organs under unnecessary strain and may contribute to their early decline.
When vital organs, such as the liver and kidneys, are placed under strain and the body is fighting a chronic infection, this can affect the entire immune system. A weakened immune system will find it more difficult to deal with ordinary diseases and, as a result, the general health of the patient declines.
Finally, as you can imagine, poor dental health can create pain for your pet. Gingivitis, caused by plaque accumulating under the gum line, creates chronic pain as the gums are red and inflamed. When this plaque is left untreated it will cause decay of the tooth, which is even more painful. Sadly, approximately 80 per cent of our pets are living with some form of painful gingivitis or tooth decay.
So, what can you do to prevent dental disease? Visit your VetLove clinic for a FREE pet dental check today or, like us humans, why not book your pet in for that annual trip to the dentist for their fresh breath scale and polish! It is the most important commitment you can make to keep them dental disease free.
Receive $50 OFF your pet’s dental scale and polish*
Plus, receive a free take home bag of Hills Pet Food, Dental Diet*
* A dental scale and polish requires a pre-check-up before a general anaesthetic, plus a blood test and IV fluid. For more information on a dental procedure, please contact the clinic.