our advice : ASK DR . CATE
Vet Rap by Dr . Ryan Cate
Pet Dental Care
FEBRUARY 2017 PARKER COUNTY TODAY
Question : My pet ’ s teeth are slightly discolored . I know there are lots of products out there , and I know that many vet ’ s offer specialized dental care . What should my pet ’ s dental care routine be ?
Answer : To address the significance of oral health care for pets , the American Veterinary Medical Association sponsors National Pet Dental Health Month every February , so your question is very timely . Our pets need preventative dental care and a routine just like we do to keep their teeth healthy .
Starting with puppies and kittens , each should lose all of their baby or milk teeth by six months of age . If there are any left behind , they will need to be extracted . You can tell the difference between permanent teeth and baby teeth because the permanent teeth are less sharp and are larger than the baby teeth . If the baby teeth are left in place , they can cause periodontal disease at a young age because of tartar and debris building up in your animal ’ s mouth . If extraction is necessary , a good time to do this is when you bring them to your vet to be spayed or neutered so they would only have to be anesthetized once . The vet will also look at the puppy or kitten ’ s bite to make sure there aren ’ t any problems .
After this six month check and all their baby teeth are gone , most dogs and cats ’ teeth can be looked at annually during their routine veterinary exam . Just like we go to the dentist every six months for a cleaning , that ’ s an appropriate timeline for smaller dogs like Shih Tzu , Yorkies and Dachshunds . Larger breeds can wait a year to 18 months between dental checkups while most dogs need to be checked each year .
At the checkup , your vet will evaluate your animal ’ s mouth and give them a 1-4 rating , with one meaning only mild accumulation on the teeth to four with solid black or green on the teeth . Based on the rating , your animal may need extensive cleaning , polishing and maybe even radiographs of the teeth so the vet can see what ’ s going on under the surface . Unfortunately , if you can see accumulation on your animal ’ s teeth it is too late for you to do anything about it . It will require your vet scaling off the accumulation and your animal might need more extensive treatment to look at accumulations in the pockets around the teeth and the gums . Extraction may also be necessary for any teeth that move when touched . Those teeth will not heal and need to be removed .
I ’ ve been asked what to use when cleaning a pet ’ s teeth and I recommend looking for the VOHC seal . The seal is given by the Veterinary Oral Health Council to some animal foods , rawhide and other pet treats , rinsing products , dental gels , mouth sprays and other items . The seal means that the product has been tested and actually does something to help your pet ’ s dental health .
I can ’ t express the need enough to brush your animal ’ s teeth .
Most owners don ’ t , so even if you can do it a couple times a week , it will mean a big difference in the health of your pet . In the past , many vets didn ’ t pay much attention to your pet ’ s teeth . But if you ’ ve ever had a toothache yourself , you know that oral pain is real pain . Since teeth are a living organism , they have to be taken care of . And the best person to take care of your pet ’ s teeth is you with help from the one that takes care of all your other animal concerns . Your trusted family vet .
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