Although people tend to not realize it, pets need dental care too. Although it’s not nessecery to have your pets teeth cleaned yearly, like our own, it should be done about every 4 to 5 years.

If you feed your pet canned food it becomes even more crucial. Dry food is the better choice of food for your pet in all instances. It keeps the tartar from building up on your pet’s teeth.

Some breeds are more sepectable to having bad teeth than others as well. The smaller breeds, torkies, schnauzers, and any breed that the teeth do not come to a sissor bite(shih Tzu, Lasa’a, bulldogs,pugs etc)

Brushing your dogs teeth is a good way to keep them a bit more healthy. They make toothpaste for dogs or you can use baking soda as well. DO NOT use people toothpaste on your pet,, it is toxic to the animal.. Although you would find it very hard to floss a dogs teeth, the rope toys work the same way as floss, so play tug of war with one to help your dogs teeth. When checking your dogs teeth press on the gums as well, make sure there are no abbesses or sores on them.

Cleaning your pets teeth by the vet can be quite expensive, especially compared to getting ours cleaned. You must realize though, the reason it cost so much is, unlike us, they must sedate the pet to clean the teeth. I do recommend, unless your pet is old or sickly, refuse the blood work and other tests they try to push on you before they clean the teeth. Although they do sedate the pet, it is not the same sedation they use for surgery, and it is unlikely that anything will happen to your pet while getting it’s teeth cleaned. I have all the respect in the world for vets, but these days, they seem to be trying to pad their pockets more than nessecery.

I personally would not try to brush my cat’s teeth, they tend to NOT like it one bit and you might end up being bit or scratched by them. The Greenies treats for cats seem to help a lot though. Cats don’t seem to have as many problems with their teeth as dogs either, with the exception of persians. I’ve been able to get away with only having my cat’s teeth cleaned once in her life, at 10 years old. She is 20 now and still has all her teeth.

I know most people are not like me, but you should make it a habit of examine our pets teeth, along with examine the rest of your pet as well. Look for abbesses in the mouth, check the skin, ears, feet and rub your hands all over your pet on a regular basis. Since most of us don’t take out pets to the vet but once a year, it is up to you to notice any changes in your pets body.

Remember, although your pet can not talk, it’s body language can often tell you that something may be wrong with your pet. We all love our pets, so it is up to us to make sure they stay healthy and happy thru-out their lives.