Dental Health Month
February is Dental health month for pets! This month is dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of dental health. You will see dental chews on sale, posts everywhere, and a lot of veterinarians will be running dental cleaning specials for the month (seriously look into these it is great!). So I just wanted to join in and share some things that I love to do for my pet’s dental health! This really is a major thing to be aware of as most people don’t brush their pets teeth there is a staggering rate of dental disease in our pets which can cause other health issues down the road including heart problems!
So why is the rate of dental disease so high these days? Well for one thing kibble. Have you ever tried brushing your teeth by eating crackers? That is the equivalent of eating kibble. Sure it will scrape some of the plaque off but it puts almost just as much back on every time they eat it. And that is the brown gunk you see along your pets gum line, plaque. Plaque leads to gum irritation when not dealt with and cavities. So what is an owner to do? Here, let me give you some pointers.
You can brush their teeth! No way. My pet won’t let me near them with a brush. Ok, don’t fret! I will list some other ideas for you down below! And honestly I advocate for doing a couple and rotating through them! So first brushing. Look for a pet safe brush, the bristles are going to be a bit softer than ours. And then go get yourself a pet toothpaste, enzymatic toothpastes work the best! Try to get in the habit of doing this once a day! (I type this out knowing full well that I haven’t brushed any of our cats teeth ever or Ayrie’s for at least a month, keep reading to find out why.) This is the most important one to do if you feed kibble because it will get rid of the plaque quickly. I’m including in this some gels. There are some gels made by a couple brands that you just squeeze into your pets mouth along the gum line and it just slides down and works on the plaque without brushing. It doesn’t work as well as a brush but if your pet will tolerate this better it works!
Next up dental chews. These are a treat you can give once a day that your pet chews on and it helps to clean the teeth. These can be tricky because there are so many options. Personally I only use a couple kinds of these. I never use Greenies anymore because I don’t like the ingredient panel. I used them in the past and they are still the name brand that everyone looks for. Some brands that I personally prefer are Health Extension, Bocce’s Bakery, and Whimzees. Now with Whimzees be aware of your dogs chewing style. Since these ones are harder than the other they run the risk of cracking the teeth, but they scrape plaque off the best because of how hard they are. The other two are a lot closer in texture to greenies but the ingredient panel is SO much better.
Supplemental options, there are a few kinds to list here. There is kelp, there are water additives, and Plaque-off. Kelp naturally helps to break down plaque in the mouth. If your pet has any thyroid issues check with your veterinarian before adding this into the diet though. Water additives you add directly to their drinking water and they help to break down the plaque as they drink. With these if your pet is picky you need to start very slow with adding it to the water or they won’t drink the water when they smell something in it. Plaque-off is another name brand that people look for because it WORKS. You just add it to their food and watch the plaque disappear!
Ok the very very best thing you can do for your pets is getting them into your vet for a regular check up and periodically scheduling a dental cleaning! This is the fastest way to get all their teeth clean and get any dead or infected teeth out before they cause more damage! This month most vets are running specials so if the cost is a big factor for you not taking your pet in for one of these (believe me I get that first hand! Ayrie broke a tooth jumping out of the car before I grabbed her and it cost $800 to remove it…) then I would check in with your vet to see how much of a discount is being offered this month and get them in if you can! And put a reminder in your phone for the month before next year if they are already booked up to snag a spot next year! Ideally our pets should get one of these yearly!
So why don’t I brush my pets teeth personally? First off, I should. I am being bad not doing so. But even then I don’t stress about it because all of our animals are fed raw food and they don’t have any plaque. We get compliments every time they go into the veterinarian about how beautiful their teeth are. Because they don’t eat anything with starch they don’t get plaque and any plaque they do get when we give them raw treats and bones they scrape it off themselves! Raw food naturally raises the pH of the mouth and stomach in order to break the food down. This in turn makes their mouths less hospitable to plaque and bacteria so it doesn’t thrive there! I will still sometimes treat Ayrie to a dental treat. Also we give them all kelp with their dinner to break down anything extra and they love it! Raw meaty bones are really the best though. I want to start giving the cats some this spring when the weather warms up as I personally do not like having the raw bones in the house with the carpet in the bedrooms. Ayrie has gotten raw bones for years and they are one of her favorite treats still!
What do you do for your pet’s dental health? Comment below!