A bad mouth can kill a dog or a cat. “You don’t think of gum disease as deadly, but bacteria can course through a pet’s system and affect the liver, the kidneys and the heart,” says veterinary dentist Dr. Jean Hawkins of Vancouver, WA. Gum disease is significantly more uncomfortable than we think, if not downright painful. “Think about it, an abscess in the mouth; of course it’s painful,” says Dr. Elizabeth Robertson, a private practicing veterinarian who is in Evergreen Park, IL (suburban Chicago). Even if dental disease doesn’t shorten a pet’s lifespan, and doesn’t cause pain – at the very least, it stinks. “Imagine what your breath would smell like if you didn’t brush,” adds Hawkins. It’s not natural for a dog’s breath to be louder than its bark. The official recommendation of the American Veterinary Dental Society is an exam to determine if an annual dental cleaning is a good idea, and it often is. Unfortunately, dogs and cats don’t agree to sit in a dental chair and submit to their teeth being scrubbed and scraped to be white and shiny. So, pets have to be anesthetized, which is something people worry about. “I understand the concern,” says Dr. Craig Mosley of American College of Veterinary Anesthesiologists, and Assistant Professor, Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Corvallis. “There’s some risk (of death) as a result of being anesthetized, it’s likely somewhere between one and a thousand and one in ten thousand.” Certainly, if it’s your pet that dies on an operating room table, statistics are irrelevant. But it’s not likely to be your pet, or the pet of anyone you know. Mosley says your chances of success increase if a pet has a physical exam before undergoing the dental. On older animals, in particular, blood work is a very good idea. Here’s Mosley’s big message: It’s not so much about the anesthetic used theses days being safe as it is about the veterinarian and technicians, and that they are monitoring your pet during and after the procedure. Mosley is a proponent of annual dental exams, and talks about risk/benefit. The risk (for pets with no serious pre-existing medical conditions affected by anesthetics) of something bad happening while being under anesthesia is minimal. The benefits of annual cleanings are significant. If the pets with dental disease don’t have their teeth cleaned, the risk of something bad happening is significant. However, one way to conceivably lesson the time your pet is under anesthetic for a cleaning is to prevent dental disease. “Of course, the best way is to brush (using a toothbrush with toothpaste specifically made for pets),” says veterinary dentists Dr. Dan Carmichael of West Islip, NY. He says the accumulation of plaque is significantly less among clients who simply brush their dog’s and cat’s teeth. And if you’re after the most efficient means of brushing, Carmichael is touting an electric toothbrush made for pets. The manufacturer, Hartz, maintains it reduces bacteria harboring tartar by 85 per cent ; plaque by 28 per cent after three weeks. The impact is significant yet the cost is not; the electric toothbrush is only $2.99 (batteries not included) at many retailers where pet supplies are sold. In people, several studies report electric brushing to be more effective than manual care. Carmichael says there are no similar studies in pets, but it’s likely the same is true. The toothbrush meant for cats and dog; however convincing might not be an easy task. “There’s a lot people can do” says Robertson, “And what works well for one person or one pet may not for another. The secret is doing something. It will matter. I can always tell by looking into a dog or cat’s mouth if their people are at least making an effort.” An alternative to brushing is called OraVet, which is first applied by a veterinarian just after the pet’s teeth are cleaned. It’s a sealant which deters plaque from adhering to the teeth or at the intersection of where teeth meet the gums. Pet owners go home with a kit, and their job is to apply OraVet weekly. Hawkins is such a fan of the product; she uses it in her own mouth. Carmichael says chewing isn’t only fun for dogs, it’s a great way to allow them to clean their own teeth. With countless products out there, he says to look for choices with the Veterinary Oral Health Council seal of approval, stamped VOHC. However, you likely won’t see the VOHC symbol on rawhide and many other treats which are beneficial. “So much also depends on the way individual dogs’ chew as to the good it does – but certainly even rawhide is helpful to scrape teeth clean,” Carmichael says. Today, there’s great concern about the digestibility of some dog chews with recent reports in the media about Greenies, for example, being so indigestible that they’ve created fatal obstructions. “I don’t know how many dogs this has happened to or not,” says Hawkins. “If you’re concerned about digestibility, seek a product that will still take care of dental issues but is digestible.” It’s with that issue in mind that Iams has just come out with Iams Tartar Treats. They’re effective to help clean teeth as dogs chew away, but are easy to digest. In fact, tapioca is among the ingredients. Something else to look for is in dog foods or treats Hexametaphosphate or HMP, which is a pyrophosphate compound that deters calcium from depositing on teeth. When the calcium is deposited on the teeth the mineralized plaque turns to harmful tartar (or calculus). Some toys are even devised to help keep canine mouths healthy. Carmichael most likes the Hartz Petvantage VMX Canine Cleaner since he helped to design it, but he adds, “Many toys help if your dog is scraping (with teeth) against the toy.” Still, Carmichael’s the first to concede, “Toys are great, and so are special dental treats – but nothing beats brushing.” |
