My parents’ dog Becca (who I think of as my fur-sister) recently needed to have eight teeth removed.
A year or so ago, the vet noticed that the teeth on one side of Becca’s mouth were dirtier than the teeth on the other side. He mentioned that a professional cleaning might be useful. But it wasn’t an urgent need, and my parents didn’t follow up.
Fast forward to a few months ago. My mom starts to notice that Becca is only chewing on one side of her mouth. Could something be wrong with her teeth? My parents decide to mention it to the vet when Becca goes in for her annual check up. Something isn’t right with her urine sample — she has an infection. The vet says that the infection could be due to a problem with her teeth.
The first thing to try — even before antibiotics? That teeth cleaning. The same bacteria that lead to gum disease can cause bodily infections.
Becca was lightly sedated for her cleaning, and the vet found that she had some serious problems: eight of her teeth were cracked and had to be extracted. Once she got over the pain, the family could clearly see a difference in behavior. She was chewing on both sides of her mouth again, and enjoying a rawhide chew like she used to. Those cracked teeth must have really hurt!
Oral care is just as important as the other things you do for your pets!
- Pets can develop gum disease, just like humans do.
- A toothache is just as painful for a pet as it is for a human — but a pet can’t complain, or point to where it hurts, or call the dentist for help.
- Bacteria that cause gum disease can get into the bloodstream.
- Bacteria that cause gum disease can damage internal organs.