Common Pet Dental Issues- Symptoms, Risks and Possible Treatments

Just like you, your pets also need regular dental care to keep their pearly whites, healthy and strong. But unlike us humans, they cannot pick up a toothbrush and brush their teeth daily. Although animals do have a natural way of cleaning various parts of their body, these methods don’t normally work for domesticated animals. This is partly because of the way they are brought up in more protected environments than those who grow up in wild and partly because of the different diet they are introduced to from a very young age.

Here are some of the common animal dental health problems to help pet owners quickly observe and understand the severity of various conditions:

• Loose teeth- The most common dental problem among pets.
• Symptoms- Bleeding gums, change in eating habits and excess drooling.
• Risks - Pain, eating problems and infection.
• General vet treatments- Extraction of the loosened teeth.
• Periodontal disease- Almost 85% of pets develop periodontal disease by age 5.
• Symptoms- Bleeding gums, subdued behavior, bad breath and pawing at mouth.
• Risks- Pain, receding gums, lost teeth and systemic infections in heart, liver and kidney.
• General vet treatments- Professional cleaning.
• Tooth root abscess-
• Symptoms- Pawing at mouth, subdued behavior and change in eating habits.
• Risks- Eating/ digestion problems and extreme pain.
• General vet treatments- Antibiotics, root canal and/or possible extraction.
• Feline Oral Resorptive Lesions (FORLs)-
• Symptoms- Change in eating habits, pawing at mouth and lesions on teeth.
• Risks- Extreme pain and problems in eating/ digestion.
• General vet treatments- Antibiotics, extraction of affected teeth and pain medication.
• Malocclusions-
• Symptoms- Excess drooling, difficulty in chewing and sometimes no symptoms.
• Risks- Problem with eating/ digesting food and discomfort.
• General vet treatments- Extraction or capping depending on the condition.

It is important for the pet owners to give due attention to the behaviors and dental condition of their pets for early detection of problems. If you observe any of the above symptoms in your pet, be quick in booking an appointment with a professional vet in Windsor for treatment of the same. In general, a pet requires an annual professional dental clean up every year after he/she gets 2-3 years old. You can keep most of the dental problems away by regularly brushing up your pet’s teeth (a minimum 3 number of times per week); just like how you clean yours.

I am Ronny Lesnar. As a writer, I process both my knowledge and experience in generating articles on health care industry. I am also an active blogger.