Whew! What has Spot been eating? His breathe smells awful. Doggie bad breathe may mean that you need to pay more attention to your dog’s oral hygiene. Dogs are prone to the same dental problems as people - cavities, plaque build-up, and gingivitis.

What’s happening?

A dog’s mouth is warm and moist and provides an ideal environment for bacterial organisms to grow sometimes leading to plaque and calculus. Once plaque and calculus form on the teeth, the normal microbes gets out of balance and trouble can follow. A common condition discovered during a physical exam is a foul breath odor resulting from periodontitis. Periodontitis is a general term for a disease of the oral cavity that attacks the gum and bone and the delicate tissues around the teeth.

Other common dental conditions seen in dogs include: Gingivitis an inflammation of the gums; Caries - an area of decalcification of the tooth enamel leading to cavities in the tooth; Plaque - the buildup of material adhering to the enamel of the tooth composed of a mixed colony of bacteria; Calculus (Tartar) - calcium carbonate and calcium phosphate combined with organic material, deposited on the surface of the tooth; and Pyorrhea - an inflammation of the gums and tooth sockets, often leading to loosening of the teeth and accompanied by pus.

What should you do?

One of the best ways to ensure oral health is to provide the dog with a well-balanced, meat-based dog food. Meat assists in keeping the mouth environment healthy. Encourage your dog to chew treats that require some exercising of the teeth, such as is provided by compressed rawhide chewies, and hard rubber or nylon chew toys. Brushing the dog’s teeth can be a big help, too, but needs to be done almost daily.

There are also new dental care products that include antiseptic chewies, canine tooth brushes, and even flavored tooth pastes. Routine oral hygiene vet visits for ultrasonic teeth cleaning, close inspection of teeth and gingiva, and assessment of overall oral health is recommended. Your personal vet will have some training in assessing your pet’s dental needs and providing treatment. Pet dentistry is also one of twenty specialties currently recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association. A certified pet dentist will have had 3 to 6 years of training in the area of specialization beyond the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.

Owners of dogs should place greater emphasis on the prevention of dental diseases in their pets. Dental disorders have been found to bear a strong connection to other systemic disorders in dogs. That is why, today, dental care gets top priority.

Daily Care of Your Dog’s Teeth

Dogs should not be given highly alkaline or acidic food in order to prevent damage to their teeth.

The development of new teeth makes the animal bite anything that catches its fancy. If a dog does not get a bone or something resembling a bone to bite on early in its life, there is a higher risk of it developing dental disorders later in life. Therefore, dog owners should give their pets something to bite on during this crucial stage in their lives.

The teeth of hunting dogs need to be taken care of more than any other breed in order to avoid dental complications in furture. Get a good brush for your dog’s teeth. You need to, however, invest time, energy, and a lot of patience to use a brush on your dog.

Nip Dental Disorders in the Bud

Antibiotic treatment has to given right in the initial stages of a dental infection. Otherwise, it might lead to infection of specific areas. In worse conditions, the infection might spread to areas such as the pharyngeal region, the mucous membrane in the oral cavity and so on.

If the dog has bleeding in the oral region, it should be examined carefully for any dental disorders. Usually puppies, and at times, even adult dogs suffer from dental injuries. As a preventive measure, they should be immediately attended to. Otherwise, the animal might develop secondary bacterial infection.

In many countries, centers for disease control and prevention are now formulating guidelines to prevent dental disorders in dogs. Take you dog for regular oral examination. A little bit of care goes a long way in nipping any dental disorder in the bud.