Dental Care is Important but Often Neglected

Do you brush your dog’s teeth?  Be honest.  We all know we should do it.  Bad dental health leads to a host of serious health complications, just as it does for us humans.  Most of us do not brush our dog’s teeth, though.

Last week, I took Gracie to vet for a dental cleaning.  At her annual checkup last fall, the vet recommended that her teeth be cleaned.  Well, it is expensive, and I admit I put it off.  While we were on vacation, I noticed that dry kibble seemed to be a problem for her.  She rolled it around her mouth as if she had a sore tooth.  I decided I had waited long enough and made the appointment.

She did indeed have a problem with her right fang tooth.  It had decay underneath the tooth that caused some bone loss.  The vet worked her magic, though, and corrected the situation.  Fortunately, the tooth was still viable so no extraction was needed.

Seeing Gracie after the procedure broke my heart.  She whined for the rest of the day, subsiding later in the evening into deep, pitiful moans.  She was disoriented from the pain medication.  She clung to me like Velcro, desperately needing reassurance.  She could not jump.  My usual firecracker was in misery.

Fortunately, she was more like her usual self later the next day.  For the last week, she has enjoyed a wet dog food only diet.  It will be fun switching her back to the mixture of wet and dry food she usually has.

I am now resolved to brush her teeth.  It will be an interesting challenge but one that is necessary.  After seeing the results of NOT doing it, I cannot bear to put Gracie through trauma again. 

I will keep you posted as I attempt to implement a dental care regimen.  It is something we all know that we need to do for our dogs.  If we are honest, most of us just do not do it.  I must suck it up, though, for the greater good.  Gracie cannot brush her teeth – and Kiki definitely will not assist!

Stay tuned.   The next training adventure begins.

Rescue Mommy

Dental Care for Your Pets

As you have probably read from her blog post, Gracie had a dental cleaning last week. February is apparently Pet Dental Health month. Our vet offered a 20 percent discount on cleanings, so we decided to have Gracie’s teeth cleaned sooner rather than later.

At about 4 years of age, she had accumulated some tartar on her teeth. It was not severe, though. Her teeth are shiny and white post cleaning. Now, we plan to begin a cleaning regimen since we have a clean slate.

Some people laugh when you mention that you had your pet’s teeth cleaned. It is no laughing matter. As with humans, dental health is extremely important in both dogs and cats. We saw some rather gruesome pictures of dogs whose teeth had been neglected.

We encourage you to do a little research into the matter. If you can afford to have your pet’s teeth cleaned, we recommend that you do it. If not, at least try to brush his or her teeth. Do not use human toothpaste. You can find several reasonably-priced pet toothpastes at your local pet supply store. Good luck!

Rescue Mommy and Daddy