Dog Teeth and Heart Disease or Dog Liver Disease Can Be Linked
Last time we described how important “inspecting” your dog’s teeth and gums was to his or her health as well as your peace of mind and wallet. After 20 years of raising our Dalmatians, we have learned a lot about critical dental care. We want to share what we have learned to help others as they care for their own “best friend”. Dog teeth and heart disease and periodontal disease are linked.
Routine Veterinary Visits are Important
A cardinal rule regular vet exams. The plaque we described earlier actually turns into tartar, or calculus- quickly. Bacteria can develop, It can eat away at the teeth and gums.
Many problems like dog bad breath, dog periodontal disease, dog heart disease, oral pain and tooth loss occur. The bacteria can cause disease in the mouth, dog liver disease or heart disease in a dog.
The key here is prevention. When that does not work, early detection and correction are important. Take care of dental disease as soon as you suspect it, no matter how minor it may at first appear. Of course, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure so, work hard to prevent it!
Prevention Is the First Line of Defense
You know the steps in preventing dog dental disease. Keep a regular regimen of inspecting your dog’s teeth and gums. Observe problems and attend to them early. Brush your dog’s teeth. This will reduce the chance of dog heart disease or dog liver disease.
Professional Care Issues
From time to time, a professional dental cleaning may be necessary. The first time we had this done for Lady – it was a shocker – and expensive. But it was critical and we did have to have it completed. Some dogs need dental cleanings one or more times per year, while others can go longer.
The entire procedure requires the same work as you and I have at our dentists. The process usually requires a general anesthesia. With the dog sedated, the vet will clean your dog’s teeth and clean the gums. That is also an excellent time to get a thorough and expert examination for problems.
Each procedure will most likely be fashioned to meet your dog’s individual needs. But generally, the vet will scale and polish the teeth. The vet may find that some problems a best resolved with a tooth extraction. Your vet may even refer you to a – wait for it – a veterinary dentist for specialty procedures.
Sedation Has It’s Risks
Now for the final warning. Your daily care is critical to preventing dog heart disease and dog liver disease, your wallet and even your dog’s safety. You should discuss this with your vet in detail. Sedating a dog is serious and requires a vet and staff that know their responsibilities. Our experience was a real awakening for us. During her procedure, Lady was “rolled over” to get to a few teeth in one part of her mouth. Sedation relaxes many muscles in a dog – include those supporting their digestive system and stomach. The “rolling” actually twisted her stomach and caused a constriction that the vet “missed” the next day.
We picked Lady up and took her home in less than 48 hours from her procedure she swelled up and began salivating severely. It was late at night – off to the emergency vet clinic we went. Over 15 hours and a lot of very tender care were needed to save Lady. We rubbed, an sat with her for hours.
