Dental care is unfortunately one of the most overlooked health issues that pet owners concern themselves with. As in humans, plaque constantly forms in the mouth of all cats and dogs. Once plaque has calcified into tartar it can no longer be brushed off. In many cases it has to be removed by a veterinarian using an ultrasonic scaler under general anaesthesia.
If tartar build-up is left untreated it can result in bad breath, gum disease, tooth decay, tooth pain and premature tooth loss. Tartar that is allowed to remain for too long can also cause infections that can spread throughout the body and damage the heart, lung, kidneys and liver.
Dental home care can make a tremendous difference to your pets overall health and comfort, minimise bad breath, minimise pain and minimise your veterinary dental bills.
What can you do?
Tooth brushing: Daily brushing is the gold standard in dental health. It requires patience and persistence to enable your pet to learn the new routine, but once it’s down pat you’ll find it’s really quite quick. You may find it difficult to imagine brushing your pet’s teeth, but daily brushing is the cheapest and most effective way to help your pet avoid dental disease. Read more in our Tooth Brushing blog.
Dental Diets are a simple and effective way to improve and maintain your pet’s dental health. The food tastes great and cleans your pet’s teeth as they eat it. At Hill’s Pet Nutrition, nutritionists and veterinarians have developed clinical nutrition specially formulated to keep your dogs and cats teeth clean and help control the oral bacteria found in plaque.
Prescription Diet t/d™, Science Diet Oral Care™ and the new Hill’s Vet Essentials™ have been scientifically proven to reduce plaque, stain and tartar buildup. The special, larger kibble has unique one way fibres to deliver a toothbrush like action as the pet bites into the kibble. The distinctive kibble scrubs away laden plaque in the mouth to improve overall health.
Why not feed them something that cleans their teeth every day of the week? It tastes good and is a complete and balanced diet.
OraVet® Chews are a unique dental chew that is highly palatable. It is dual action, has an effective mechanical action as well as the patented action of delmopinol, shown in studies to reduce plaque and calculus build up, and reduce bad breath. OraVet® is low fat (only 2.5%) so great for dogs that are fat intolerant and low calorie. OraVet® contains no animal protein, so is good for those allergic dogs, and dissolves well in the stomach and intestines, so poses less risk of obstructions. OraVet® is really effective in keeping the teeth clean after a dental scale and polish but has been shown to work well even in a dirty mouth.
Greenies® Dental Treats help control plaque and tartar buildup by mechanical abrasion. As a dog or cat chews the treat, its chewy texture allows the teeth to sink in for maximum tooth contact causing a mechanical scraping and scrubbing of the tooth surface. The GREENIES® are also proven to freshen breath and maintain healthier gums.
Chew treats and toys are a better and safer option than bones. Chew treats like rawhide chews, Chewbies, pigs’ ears and chew toys such as rubber Kong toys are all great options.
PlaqueOff® is made from seaweed and can significantly help reduce dental plaque and tartar and improve breath in cats and dogs. It is a dry powder and is sprinkled on food. It effectively prevents accumulation of plaque by affecting the ability of plaque to ‘stick’ to surfaces in the mouth. Existing tartar becomes porous, loosens by itself or can be easily removed by brushing, cleaning or chewing.
Dental home care does not replace the need for regular dental checks and professional cleaning under general anaesthesia. Even humans who brush and floss their teeth twice a day and use mouthwash and other products still need to have their teeth examined and professionally cleaned on a regular basis. Dental home care works as an adjunct to professional care, and means that the teeth are less likely to be irreversibly damaged or lost.
Book in today for a FREE dental health check.