by Alissa Wolf
The Importance of Lifelong Dental Health Care for Pets
And How Clean Teeth from Epic Pet Health Can Help
Proper dental care for pets involves a lot more than ensuring that dogs and cats have winning smiles. Because pet oral ailments can affect other organs, poor dental health can cause a host of serious residual problems in pets. These include potentially life-threatening heart, liver and kidney diseases.
Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way. My then 3-year-old ginger tabby, Amanda – whom I adopted as a stray when she was an adult – developed such severe abscessed teeth that the infection spread to her kidneys. Not only did she have to undergo extensive, very costly dental surgery, she had to be placed on massive doses of antibiotics for an extended time. On the bright side, she lived to the ripe old age of 19. But all of this could have been avoided with proper preventative oral health care.
The vast majority of dogs and cats will develop some forms of dental problems at some point in their lives, as early as age 2. That’s why taking care of your pet’s choppers throughout their lives should be a top priority, beginning ideally from the time they are puppies and kittens.
The Kinds, Signs and Symptoms of Pet Dental Disease
According to the American Veterinary Dental College, the most common pet dental health issues are:
- Periodontal disease (bacterial infections that destroy teeth, bone and gums below the gum line)
- Plaque (the result of food and bacteria trapped along the gum line)
- Tartar (hardened plaque)
- Gingivitis (gum inflammation caused by long-term excessive tartar accumulation)
The signs of pet dental disease may include bad breath, loose or broken teeth, redness and swelling along the gum line, discoloration and dark deposits on a pet’s teeth and appetite loss. Cats are also prone to stomatitis, a severe, extremely painful inflammation of the gums and overall mouth that can result in oral ulcers.
Unfortunately, many of the signs and symptoms of dog and cat dental disease are not visible until an ailment has progressed to an extreme level. So an ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure when it comes to your pet’s oral and overall health.
Great Pet Oral Health Starts with Clean Teeth
It’s very important to have your veterinarian evaluate and monitor your pet’s oral health during their regular checkups. Ideally, you should brush your pet’s teeth once daily with a toothbrush and toothpaste made especially for companion animals as approved by the Veterinary Oral Health Council.
As many pet parents know, not all dogs and cats will tolerate brushing. That’s why the Clean Teeth product from Epic Pet Health comes in very handy. Like all Epic Pet Health remedies, this is an all-natural, odorless, tasteless liquid with holistic ingredients made from minerals and vitamin electrolytes in alkaline water.
Simply spray on your pet’s food or water once daily to maintain good dental health. Or use three times daily to improve dental health which will reduce tartar, treat bad breath, and promote healthy teeth and gums. Even if your dog or cat does tolerate brushing, supplementing their oral care regimen with Clean Teeth can greatly aid in maintaining optimal dental and overall good health throughout a pet’s lifetime.