February: Pet Dental Health Month!

This February, Pet Peeps celebrates Pet Dental Health Month! It’s the perfect time to focus on an extremely important health issue that all too often escapes pet parents’ attention.

Most Pets Are Behaviorally Programmed To Hide Pain

If you try to remember the last time you had a toothache, you’ll most likely remember how it greatly affected your mood for the worse. This applies to pets as well, but aside from pain from periodontal disease, it is also a known stressor on organ health. When it comes to pets however, they rarely show clear signs that they have this serious disease. This is mostly because many cats and dogs are genetically programmed to hide their diseases so they do not appear too vulnerable. While there are pets who are more “vocal” about oral illness, the majority will provide no clues until you’re left with very obvious and serious bleeding, facial swelling, foul odors, tooth mobility, or worse.

A Third Of Dogs Have Fractured Teeth

Due to aggressive chewing of hard objects, around a third of dogs end up with fractured or chipped teeth. The affected tooth is very sensitive and can expose the pulp cavity. If your dog has a deep fracture, it leads to tooth infection, and eventually a root abscess. It’s important to bring your pet to a vet as soon as possible so they can fully diagnose dental disease.

Around 85% Of Senior Pets Have Periodontal Disease

When many cats and dogs reach 3 years old, around 85% of them have some form of periodontal disease. Aside from this, periodontitis or the swelling and inflammation of the gums is also possible. Many pet parents think that there is always an obvious gum recession that they can spot before teeth become seriously diseased, but the opposite is true. Inflammation can often be hidden under normal gums and if left untreated, the quick progression of bone loss can happen in a few years.