Why Does My Dog Have Bad Breath?
In todays day and age our dogs now enjoy a longer and richer life, due to advances in veterinary care and vastly improved diets. Until recently though, one area that has always formed an important part of our healthcare regime, has been overlooked and poorly addressed in our dogs, their dental health. Sure, we can all spot obvious signs of health problems such as, flaky skin, runny eyes, etc. how many of us wrinkle up our noses in disgust when our dog yawns in our face and discount the nasty yellow teeth as something all animals have and not something to be really concerned about?
Bad Breath Could Be Serious
If you are one of them - you are wrong. Dental disease is the most common disease of adult dogs, as well as cats and, as it’s name suggests, it is a disease and one that can have lasting and sometimes, disastrous consequences. Dental disease not only causes bad breath, pain, discomfort, bleeding gums and infected teeth but can affect the whole body, particularly the heart valves and the kidneys, as bacteria spread from the mouth into your pet’s bloodstream. Dogs with tooth disease have been shown to have more than eight times the incidence of endocarditis (inflammation of the lining of the heart) and five times more heart murmurs. When older pets have a valve related murmur, it is often due to bacterial deposits on the valves. A very common source of this bacteria is dental disease.
Prevention Tips
The good news is that it is easily preventable, the bad news is that current estimates suggest that 85% of pets over three years of age suffer from gum disease of varying degrees. As it one of the single most important things a responsible pet owner can do to maintain good condition, why is the number of pets with poor oral health so high? Several reasons may apply:
1) Dental disease is slow in progress and owners don’t always know what signs to look for.
2) Modern convenience foods for dogs such as canned wet foods are promoted purely for their nutritional value, but they stick to the teeth providing a breeding ground for bacteria and the formation of plaque.
3) Modern dogs are significantly longer lived and therefore the disease has a longer time to develop.
Taking Action
Pet food companies are responding though, as dog owners become more aware and are demanding better solutions to the problem of tooth and gum decay. A barrage of dental treats, special foods and chews are available and they can improve oral hygiene significantly. However, prevention is always better than cure and by far the best way to prevent dental disease is by brushing and needs to be part of every dogs weekly routine. If we took our children’s oral health as we do our pets, imagination what their mouths would look like by the time they were twelve!? Imagine the amount of lost teeth and dental work required! Dental work in dogs can be extremely expensive, but to neglect your dogs tooth health is putting them at risk, not only in the long term with the associated health issues but also due to the need for a general anaesthetic required to carry out most dental procedures.
There are several things all you can do cheaply and effectively to prevent tooth and gum problems;
1) Feed your dog primarly dry food, use a wet food as the odd treat to fill out the diet and help with a shiny coat.
2) Brush daily if possible, but even once a week will make a huge difference.
3) Have your dogs teeth checked regularly by your veterinarian.
4) Give chews and treats designed to help clean the teeth.
Prevention is better than cure and keeping your dogs mouth healthy will make a big difference to their long term comfort and well being. On average, dogs with good oral health live up to 20 percent longer, or an average of 2 years!
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