You might rather go to the dentist yourself than sit down and try to brush your cat’s teeth—but you’d be doing feline friend a grave disservice. Oral health is extremely important for everyone, especially your pets.
Pet dentistry is often overlooked, which is a shame since over 70% of dogs and cats have some kind of oral disease by three years old. It is extremely important to maintain and manage your pet’s oral hygiene early.
Like most health issues, the best advice is to keep issues from happening in the first place by acting proactively. This is especially important considering how expensive and debilitating oral problems in pets can be.
There are two best practices to giving your pet a leg up in the fight against gingivitis, at home and then at the vet dentistry.
Yes, I’m advocating you Brush your Dog’s Teeth too
I spent enough time on public transportation to be made unfortunately aware that simply remembering to brush your own teeth is a problem for some, but the rule is just as important for pets!
Dogs and cats can use toys and dental treats designed to clean their teeth, but nothing works better than tried and true tooth paste (pet tooth paste, do not use Crest in your cat’s mouth). Oral gels and rinses are also great options for working with your pets.
This, in all honestly, sounds harder than it actually is, generally, it just involves rubbing turkey flavored paste on your dog’s teeth. The sooner you start on doing this, the easier it is. There are plenty of online tutorials for brushing your pet’s teeth created by veterinarians and other experts, I recommend you do your own research or check out these videos here: for cats and for dogs.
Remember, this is all for maintaining oral health. Just like with humans, pets will need professional teeth cleaning as well to help combat severe oral disease, but by regularly brushing your pet’s teeth, you’ll be able to prevent most major issues, helping your pet stay happy and saving you money.
If you don’t feel like brushing your pet’s teeth is safe, then there are other options available. Special diets, minding wet food, and oral rinses might be the better choice. You can always talk with your vet and come up with the best plan for you and your pet.
Pet Dentists (this is not the title of a failed Beach Boys album)
On top of at-home care, professional cleanings should become a regular part of your veterinary checkups. Regular teeth cleanings are vital to keeping your pet protected from oral disease later in life.
Poor oral health can lead to a pet becoming lethargic, whiny, or angry. Depending on the severity it can even lead to bad breath, drooling, or excessive thirst (we all know what that leads to).
Affording Pet Dental Care
I’ve seen enough 90s sitcoms to know how much responsibility a pet is. Dental care is a big part of that responsibility. Ignoring it isn’t fair to the pet and it’s not fair to your wallet either.
Cleanings for pets who don’t receive at-home dental care can cost up to $700. Factor in treatment for oral disease, teeth pulling, and medication, and the price skyrockets. The best way to afford pet dental care is to make proactively cleaning your pet’s teeth part of your routine.
The second-best way to afford pet dental care is with pet insurance.
Nationwide Pet Insurance offers SDPEBA members between 50 and 90% reimbursement on dozens of veterinary procedures and, depending on your plan, that coverage can extend to preventative dental care as well, saving you a lot of money and your pet a lot of heartache.
Interested in signing up? Click here.
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