Dog Dental Care Issues

by Champi

They often laugh about Bad Breath in Dogs. Dog dental care is a serious issue, there can be dangerous consequences of poor dental health. Dogs can suffer from tartar, gum disease, and tooth decay. It is important to clean your dog's teeth, or have the veterinarian do it, to prevent dental problems. A toothless dog is not happy with himself, and an infection that starts in the gums can spread throughout the body.

Dogs start with 28 deciduous (baby) teeth. After six months these baby teeth fall out and are replaced by permanent teeth. They then have 42 teeth. Especially Staffordshires have very powerfull jaws and strong teeth and need to chew to keep these healthy. When they are young they need to chew to develop their jaws. When they are old, they need things to chew to keep their teeth clean en get rid of stress. The teeth should form a scissors bite.

Dog dental care should start immediately when they are young. You should be on the lookout for retained deciduous teeth and malocclusion (bad bite) problems. Your Veterinarian can teach you how to care for your doggies teeth and gums early on.

The heart, intestinal tract, kidneys, and joints may also be infected when a dog has Infected gums and teeth. The tartar and any infected areas of the mouth contain a multitude of bacteria than can 'seed' to other parts of the body. With regular dental care, you can prevent some of these more serious side effects.

Talk with your veterinarian and arrange a dog dental care program for yourself at home (brushing). Make an appointment with him when it's nescesarry.

When the dog is over the age of three years you should check his teeth. If a dental cleaning is necessary, it is advisable to do pre-anesthesia blood work to make sure your pet does not have any underlying problems.

When a dog needs a dental cleaning pre-dental blood work is recommended. This is a check on the overall health of the pet to make sure that liver, kidneys, and blood counts are within normal ranges and to reduce any risks possible prior to the anesthesia. Your dog will be fasted from the evening before for the anesthesia. There will be a tartar removal, checking for cavities, gingival (gum) pockets, loose teeth, any growths on the gums or palate, removal of diseased teeth, and finally, polishing. The polishing is to smooth the tooth after tartar removal, as the tartar pits the tooth.

Champi says: do not laugh about Bad Breath in your Dog. With good dog dental care, your doggie can enjoy a long and healthy life.

About the Author Champi, my Doggie and Friend. You can read more about this staffords life, and can get usefull doginfo at http://www.champi.nl/blog