Did you know February is national pet dental month? Riverview Animal Hospital offers 15% off your entire dental invoice when you call to schedule in February, but don’t worry you can have the dental cleaning done anytime during the year!
Watson asked me, “Why would I need a dental cleaning? I’m not as old you, Kyra! Only older pets need dental cleanings!” I then informed him how the American Veterinary Dental Society showed that 80% of dogs and 70% of cats have periodontal disease by the age of 3 years old! I am 7 years old and started having annual teeth cleanings around 4 years old. I would rather have my teeth cleaned and polished every year, then wait until I’m 15 years old and have 15 teeth pulled! Ah, teeth extractions, everyone thinks that their pet will never be able to eat again if they have teeth pulled. Well let me tell you, my late sister, Cheyenne, had probably only 20 teeth left at the end of her life and she could still eat! Did you know dogs have 42 adult teeth!
Another question a lot of my furry friends ask me about is the anesthesia involved with a dental. Even though I am a good dog, there is no guarantee that I won’t accidentally inhale the tartar or water from the scaler (that could lead to pneumonia)! But more importantly you cannot scale above or below the gum line when I am awake or with a “hand scaler.” Our teeth are like an iceberg, you might think the tooth looks fine, but lurking below the gumline there could be bacteria or other problems causing the red inflammed gums (aka gingivitis).
Wow, I had a mouthful to say about teeth…hehehe. But remember even though February is national pet dental month, our owners should always be checking our teeth and mouths!
