Just as with humans, proper oral care is a basic way to maintain health. Taking your dog to a pet dentist is a great way to keep health issues from ever arising. Keeping an eye on the symptoms between check ups can let you know when it is time to get in to see your pet dental veterinarian a little sooner than planned. Here is a basic list of what to look for:
- A change in your dog’s breath (from good to bad or bad to worse!)
- Excessive drooling beyond a usual amount
- Any swelling around the eyes, nose, below the eye, under the chin or along the lower jawbone
- Discharge from the nose
- Swelling of the eyelid or a crust that forms on the eye quickly overnight (conjunctivitis)
- Problems while eating
- Only using one side of the mouth to chew
- Not wanting to eat hard biscuits but eating soft food
- Dropping food from the mouth while eating
- Stopping using chew toys
- No longer wanting to pick up or carry toys
- A change in nature that can include becoming quieter
- Being unable to settle
- Increase in irritability
- Avoiding being petted or patted on the head
- However – Please note: most dogs and cats show no signs of dental disease
These are, of course, also symptoms of other issues and are a bit general. The underlying issues in the mouth can often be difficult to visibly identify if you don’t track how they should look normally. These symptoms are often attributed to other health problems when oral care is overlooked. This is why it is so essential to do check ups of your dog’s teeth yourself in addition to a once or twice yearly check up by your veterinarian. A great time to do this is during the annual vaccination. When you take your dog in be sure to ask for a dental check up and examination and get an assessment relayed to you on the findings. This will allow you to know a bit more about your pet’s health so you can monitor it day in and day out.
Contact us at Martindale to schedule your dog’s next dental check up.
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