Did you know that many dog show signs of gum disease by the time they are 4 years old?
To help prevent your dog from developing gum disease, follow these helpful tips.
- Regularly brushing their teeth
- Providing a healthy diet
- Provide plenty of chew toys
- Feeding your dog dry food rather than moist foods
What is better dry food or moist?
Most people don’t realize this but dry food mechanically removes the soft tartar that builds up on the teeth, while soft food, because it is wet and somewhat sticky, encourages the buildup of tartar. When the tartar is left it irritates the gums, causes bleeding, inflammation, and increases the chance of gum disease. Dry food, hard treats, and chew toys help message the gums, strengthen the teeth and clean the teeth, by mechanically removing tartar, making dry food better for dogs. If they only eat wet food this increases the buildup on the teeth which in turn increases the chance of developing gum disease. Brushing is still a habit that should be practiced, whether you feed your dog wet or dry food but if you only feed them wet then brushing becomes much more of a necessity.
The following are signs that your dog may have a problem in his mouth or gastrointestinal system and should be checked by a veterinarian.
- Bad breath
- Excessive drooling
- Inflamed gums
- Cysts under the tongue
- Loose teeth
Make oral care a habit and your dogs will love you!
Your Golden, CO dentist cares!