Home and Family Author:

Most dogs don't have wonderful smelling breath. But, it's no surprise because dogs can't brush their teeth!

Bad dog breath is one reason why having a good dog dental program for your pet is highly recommended, but an interesting study shows that there could be even more important reasons - ones that may be significant to the life of your dog.

This study was done at Purdue University by Dr. Larry Glickman and included the records of over 100,000 dogs. Half of the dogs in the study had gum disease and the other half did not. The study revealed a link between gum disease and heart disease for dogs.

This was especially true when it came to heart valve inflammation  also called endocarditis. Endocarditis was found in only .01 percent of dogs who did not have gum disease and in .15 percent of dogs that had stage 3 periodontal disease.  So, obviously having advanced gum disease also had an effect on the heart valves.

So, you see it's critical to care for your dogs teeth so that you can keep your pet happy and healthy.

So, what is involved in good canine dental care?

It begins with cleaning your dogs teeth. It should start at home and you can get toothpaste specifically produced for dogs in addition to toothbrushes for dog teeth cleaning. It's recommended to get in the habit of brushing every day. Daily brushing will help in lowering tartar buildup and ward off periodontal disease.

You also should talk to your vet about getting a dental scaling. During a dental scaling, the Animal medical practitioner will remove the built up tarter and plaque from your dogs teeth.

You should also include some special toys and treats into your canine dental regimen. Consider toys like nylabones that are made to help scrape the plaque from teeth. Other treats have enzymes to aid in fighting bad dog breath.

Your dogs continued good health relies upon on excellent dental care. If bacteria and plaque are left to build up on his teeth, it may cause periodontal disease and also the bacteria can end up in his blood stream and bring about more serious problems in other organs, including his heart.  At the very least, your dog will be left with very few teeth and in worst cases, slacking off in the dental care department could shorten your pets life!

Excellent dog dental care can help keep your pet healthy. It merely takes a few minutes each day - isn't your pet worth that much?

Author RSS Publish Profile