Did you know that our dogs are exposed to a very common disease among mammals called "periodontal disease"?
This disease affects a high percentage of our appreciated pets, that is the importance of a frequent dental cleaning and suitable to protect the dental health of the dog.
What is periodontal disease?
Periodontal disease appears with a general inflammation of the gums called gingivitis if it is not paid attention progresses and generates periodontitis and is that in general, the disease manifests itself in the dog at 3 years Halitosis being the most obvious symptom, if we are not used to checking and cleaning the teeth we will not notice other signs of the disease.
When you take your dog to the vet, you should require revision of teeth to be able to detect signs of the disease and prevent its progression and the complications that derive from it, among which is the loss of teeth.
Experts point out that there is a greater propensity to suffer from periodontal disease in small breed dogs.
Causes of periodontal disease
The poor diet of our pet is one of the causes and the other very important is poor dental hygiene or absent altogether, these factors contribute to the formation of the fearsome bacterial dental plaque that lodges in the surface of the denture.
This plaque is removed with the periodic tooth cleaningOtherwise, it hardens with the help of the dog's saliva and over time becomes dental calculus, further promoting the accumulation of bacterial plaque; at this stage the problem is greater because it will not be enough to do a reactive brushing, but rather it will be necessary to visit the vet to remove these stones through a procedure that necessarily involves anesthetizing the pet.
Even more worrisome is the plaque that accumulates on the edge of the gums, where bacteria proliferate that damage the tissue that keep the tooth in place, seriously compromising the dog dental health.
Stages of periodontal disease
It starts with the presence of bacterial plaque on the surface of the dog's teeth, if they are not removed they cause inflammation of the gums or gingivitis and as a result of these problems our pet may present Bleeding gums, general malaise and feverish symptoms, however, at this stage it is easy to reverse the disease by going to the veterinarian and applying good oral hygiene from now on.
In the event that we ignore these symptoms, the disease will advance to give rise to a periodontitis stage where unfortunately the damage can be irreversible and cause the loss of some teeth.
The periodic visit to the veterinarian, together with the revision and hygiene that we provide to our pet will be decisive for avoid periodontal disease. Not necessarily if there is an excess of dental calculus it means that the disease is at an irreversible level, that will be determined by the veterinarian.
Symptoms of periodontal disease
It is important to pay attention to certain behaviors of our pet, which are very clear signs that there is something wrong and that can go unnoticed
- Presence of halitosis, although this can be caused by something else, it does not hurt to consult with the veterinarian
- Oral bleeding
- Loss of appetite, avoid consuming foods that are hard
- You constantly rub your face as if something is bothering you
- Is reluctant to have his mouth checked
The way of prevent this disease It is by maintaining regular oral hygiene from the beginning and constantly checking the teeth to detect any problems in them, also requesting the veterinarian to check them in routine visits.
Caring for your dog's teeth
The utensil indicated for the proper care of our pet's teeth is the toothbrush, it is recommended to start with the use of this since the pet is still a puppy so that it gets used to the hygiene routine, this cleaning should be applied every day or at least 3 times a week.