9 Signs Your Pet Needs Dental Care

Check Those Fangs!

An easily overlooked yet crucial indicator of your pet’s health is their mouth.

Keeping up with your pet’s dental cleanings both at home and at the vet will help your them live the healthy, happy life that they deserve, and also help you save money by heading off problems before they become costly major issues.

9 Signs of Pet Dental Health Problems

Make sure you’re looking in your pet’s mouth on a regular basis for any of the following:

• Bad breath
• Broken or loose teeth
• Extra teeth or retained baby teeth
• Discolored teeth or teeth covered in tartar
• Abnormal drooling, chewing, or dropping food from mouth
• Reduced appetite or dropping food from mouth
• Pain in or around the mouth
• Bleeding from the mouth
• Swelling in the areas around the mouth

Periodontal Disease

By and far the most common dental condition in dogs and cats – most dogs and cats will exhibit signs of this disease by age 3 – and can contribute to serious health issues such as:

• Kidney Disease
• Heart Disease
• Liver Disease

How Pet Periodontal Disease Starts

Tartar above and below the gum line is formed when plaque hardens. Tartar above the gum line can be removed easily but tartar below the gum line requires intervention by your veterinarian.

How We Treat Dogs and Cats with Gum Disease

First we conduct a through dental cleaning and x-rays to determine how severe the disease is. Once we make the determination of the severity of the disease we will discuss options with you. We scale the severity of the disease on a scale from 0 to 4, with 4 being considered severe.

Early intervention is key when it comes to Periodontal Disease so the sooner you are able to have your pet examined the better.

What You Can Do At Home

The best thing you can do is brush your pet’s teeth frequently! The more the better but if you are able to get in two or three brushings per week you will be in good shape. If you need to be shown how to brush your pet’s teeth feel free to contact us and we will get you started in the right direction.

Call your preferred Callanan location or use our form to request a dental exam with our team of friendly and experienced vets and technicians.