It’s Pet Dental Health Month!

February is Pet Dental Health Month! We all know that we are supposed to brush and floss our teeth regularly to maintain oral health, but did you know that your pets also need regular dental care? Approximately 70% of cats  and 80% of dogs in the United States are affected by dental disease. Dental health is about more than just clean teeth. Caring for your pet’s oral hygiene can help prevent health problems later.

Why Dental Health Matters

According to the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), dental disease is “a painful condition that occurs when bacteria, plaque, and tartar build up on the teeth and get trapped beneath the gumline. The bacteria can be absorbed into the bloodstream and wreak havoc on other major organs throughout the body.” The AAHA states that dental disease starts early in life and that the majority of dogs and cats have some degree of dental disease by the age of 3.

Dental disease doesn’t just affect your pet’s teeth and gums; it can also affect the function of other organs and body systems. According to the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) periodontal disease is the most common dental condition in dogs and cats and can lead to kidney, liver, and heart changes in your pet’s older years. Neglecting your pet’s teeth can cause chronic pain and may even lead to weight loss and behavioral changes.

Signs of dental disease or issues with your pet’s oral health include:

  • Bad breath
  • Broken or loose teeth
  • Extra teeth or retained baby teeth
  • Teeth that are discolored or covered in tartar
  • Abnormal chewing, drooling, or dropping food from the mouth
  • Reduced appetite or refusal to eat
  • Pain in or around the mouth
  • Bleeding from the mouth
  • Swelling in the areas surrounding the mouth

Always be sure to schedule regular veterinary exams for your pets. Annual exams include a dental check-up, which can help you catch signs of dental disease early. Be sure to mention anything out of the ordinary, like foul smelling breath or excessive drooling, to your veterinarian. Your veterinarian will also provide regular teeth cleanings, extractions, or repairs if necessary to help maintain your pet’s oral health.

Providing regular home dental care for your pets can help prevent problems like bad breath or tooth loss as well as keep any dental disease from worsening, thus causing chronic pain or organ damage.

Not sure how much you already know about your pet’s dental health? Take this quiz from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) to find out!

Tools for Home Dental Care

  • Toothbrushes: Be sure to use a pet appropriate toothbrush. You can use soft bristled brushes that look much like human toothbrushes but are smaller or finger brushes with rubber bristles. Some people even use gauze wrapped around their finger, but be careful it doesn’t snag on your pet’s teeth if you do that.
  • Toothpaste: Always use pet safe toothpastes; never use human toothpaste. Human toothpaste includes foaming agents and other chemicals that can upset your pet’s stomach. Pet toothpastes come in a variety of types and flavors. You can get gels or pastes in chicken, beef, liver, mint, or peanut butter flavors to encourage your pet’s enjoyment of the process. There are even some oral sprays that are designed to help break down tartar build-up, but make sure you introduce that slowly to your pet as well because the action of the spray bottle could be startling or stressful.
  • Chews and toys: There are many types of dental chews and regular toys that can aid in caring for your pet’s teeth and gums. Products like Greenie chews or Nylabone toys are frequently recommended by experts. Playing tug with a rope toy can even help “floss” your pet’s teeth.

Check out this helpful video from the AVMA about the tools and tricks for caring for your pet’s dental health at home.

 

Tips for Home Dental Care

Regularly brushing your pet’s teeth is the most effective thing you can do between dental cleanings to keep your pet’s teeth and gums healthy, and may even prolong the period between required dental cleanings. It’s not easy to brush your pet’s teeth every day (I know from experience), but even brushing 2-3 times per week can make a huge difference.

  • Start a routine when your pet is young. We don’t always have our dogs and cats as puppies and kittens, but starting a dental care routine as soon as you become their owner is important. You can always start later as well, but will likely face more resistance from your pet.
  • Start your routine slowly. Buying a toothbrush and pet toothpaste at the local pet supply store and immediately attempting to start brushing your pet’s teeth can be frustrating for you and scary for your pet. For both dogs and cats try to start small and work your way up to a full brushing over weeks or months. Here are some helpful steps from Petco to get you started:
    • Let your pet get accustomed to the toothpaste by allowing them to lick it off of your finger
    • Let your pet check out the toothbrush/finger brush and give them plenty of treats to encourage a good association
    • Massage your pet’s teeth and gums with your finger to get them used to the feeling, both with and without the toothpaste
    • Put toothpaste on the toothbrush/finger brush and brush just one tooth or a couple of teeth
    • Slowly work your way up to more teeth and longer brushing
  • Feed your pet a healthy, well-balanced diet. We know that your pet’s overall health begins with a good diet, but did you know that many dental health issues are caused by malnutrition? Work with your veterinarian to address your pet’s nutrition and develop a healthy eating plan. Consider feeding a VOCH (Veterinary Oral Health Council) approved pet food. Some pet food brands offer specifically formulated dental care foods designed to help reduce plaque and tartar build-up.
  • Offer your pet dental treats and chews. There are many brands of dental treats and chews out there. Try to find brands that are VOHC-Approved, as those have been scientifically proven to help reduce tartar build-up. There are many types of chews for both dogs and cats that are designed to help care for teeth while indulging your pet in some quality entertainment. Be careful with chews (like bones or antlers) that are hard to bend or break easily, as those can potentially result in fractured or broken teeth. While treats and chews cannot replace regular brushing, they can be a great addition to an oral health routine, and lots of fun for your pets!
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Pet Hair Can Be Ruff on Appliances

black cat sitting in dryer reaching out toward camera

 

There’s no doubt that our furry friends add heaps of joy to our lives. Pet owners handle the quirks and oddities that their companions bring with a touch of good humor. But sometimes there are little things that new pet owners, and some veteran pet owners, may not have realized. When we say that pet hair can get everywhere, we mean literally everywhere. And it can gum up even the best built machines.

You’re probably familiar with the vacuum cleaner losing suction and needing to be serviced due to excessive pet hair. That’s not the only appliance in your home that needs a little extra maintenance when there are shedding dogs and cats in the home though.

 

The Washer and Dryer

You probably do a little bit of maintenance on your washer and dryer anyway, and you may be familiar with cleaning out the lint trap in your dryer. But did you know your washer also has a filter that needs to be cleaned out regularly? If you’re the proud owner of a heavy shedder like the popular golden retriever, you’ll want to clean out the filter of your washing machine regularly. The more shedding your pets do, the more it gets on your clothes, and your washing machine gets the first go at cleaning all that out.

If you completely neglect this simple task, then a quick wash out could turn into an archeological excavation after the machine stops working entirely. On the plus side, it doesn’t need to be done as often as your dryer lint.

 

The HVAC System

Your HVAC system refers to the appliances that heat and cool your home. In North America, this is usually an air conditioner and a furnace combo. All HVAC systems have a ventilating system where warm or cool air is delivered via ductwork to different rooms in the house. And because air is traveling through an open system, this means there are areas where pet hair can be introduced. A good filter will stop the pet hair from reaching the components of your system, but filters do wear out over time. If all you have is a beagle or a cat, a quality filter should last about three months. But the more pets you have and the more shedding that occurs, the more important it is to check the filters and replace them regularly. It’s so important that some HVAC companies even recommend reducing the shedding with regular grooming.

 

The Computer and TV

Pet hair drifts everywhere, as many pet owners know. Another common place to find a build-up of pet hair or dander is across your television or inside of your computer, mouse, and keyboard. While it may be annoying to have cat hair scattered across your televiosn while watching a movie, it does not tend to be as damaging as large amounts of pet hair inside of your computer, which can slow processing or cause an increase in heat without the ability to vent it safely. Vacuum regularly around your computer and other electronics and dust with a soft cloth (never spray electronics directly with cleaner). You can also use canned air to spray hair away from your keyboard and the bottom of your mouse. For more detail on how to clean your electronics check out this article from the Spruce.

 

Pet Hair under the Fridge

This is one of the worst places to deal with pet hair. Fridges are heavy and the items inside are not always perfectly sealed. Moving them around can be a hassle. But if you have ever moved one aside you may have noticed that pet hair clinging to the metal under the fridge or up against the wall. The problem occurs if the pet hair becomes so dense that it clogs up the refrigerator’s condenser coils. When this happens, the fridge stops cooling the way it was designed to. Fortunately, you can use a vacuum cleaner with a thin attachment to get into most hard-to-reach places, including around the fridge. If the coils are already clogged, there is a special brush for refrigerator coils you can use. On the plus side, this is not something that takes too long or has to be done too frequently in most situations.

 

Although it seems like a lot, the truth is that pet hair just accelerates the regular maintenance we should all be doing on our homes anyway. Instead of vacuuming once every two weeks, we might have to do it every Saturday. Instead of changing the filter once every three months, it might be every other month now. And that is okay, because our walking fluff balls are worth it.

Besides regular home mainentance, there are a few things you can do to minimize the amount of hair tumbleweeds blowing around your house before they get caught in various appliances. By regularly grooming your pets you can often reduce the amount that they shed. That may mean combing your kitty once a day or bathing your Bassett Hound monthly. Those of us with double coated dogs know that the few times a year that they “blow out their coats” feel like it’s snowing dog hair in your home. Have a specific place (probably one that is well contained) to brush your dog daily through that time period and promptly collect that hair so it doesn’t have a chance to travel. You could even put that excess hair outside; birds love to line their nests with animal hair for warmth!

If you notice that your pet is shedding escessively it may be a sign of stress, poor nutrition, or a medical issue. If your pet’s shedding patterns change, you may need to consider a trip to your veterinarian to check for underlying conditions.

 

Author: Brett Elliott

Brett is writer, digital marketer, and pet lover with three dogs. Brett often writes for Home Service companies such as https://lakesideheating.com/ who helped sponsor this story.

 

 

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