Dental care is one of the responsibilities that pet owners will often fail to properly satisfy. When this problem occurs, they can inadvertently put their pet's overall health at risk. As with many of the other aspects of caring for a pet, it is vital to meet your animal's dental care needs, but this will likely be easier than you may first anticipate.
Understand the Potential Health Risks Poor Dental Care Can Pose to Your Cat
Proper dental care can be important for keeping your pet comfortable as it will avoid potentially painful dental problems for the animal. However, this can also pose some potentially hazardous health problems for your pet. For example, bacteria from the teeth can enter the blood through the gums. This will allow for the potential of a widespread infection that could be extremely expensive to treat and may even put your pet's life at risk. Regular dental cleanings and other preventative steps can be essential for making sure that your pet will be able to avoid these serious issues.
Provide Toys That Can Clean the Teeth
Taking your animal in for regular dental cleanings may be one of the most important steps for caring for your animal's dental health, but it is far from the only requirement for the animal's dental health. For example, pet owners can provide their animals with toys that are able to loosen plaque and tartar from the teeth that may have accumulated since the last professional cleaning was performed. Over time, these chew toys can lose effectiveness, and you should switch them out with a new one at least once every few weeks. However, a chew toy that your animal uses especially often may need to be replaced more frequently in order to preserve its effectiveness at cleaning the pet's teeth.
Be Mindful Of The Type Of Food You Are Providing
The food that is being provided to your pet is another important consideration in keeping its teeth and gums healthy and free of problems. Some foods can be more likely to cause significant problems for the pet's teeth due to its leaving particles behind that can lead to plaque and tartar forming. For example, canned wet food can be especially prone to causing this problem as it can get into difficult to reach areas that will be more likely to allow plaque to form. While dry kibble can be better for the pet's teeth, it can deprive the animal of an important source of water. Balancing these competing needs can be a challenge, but consulting with your pet's veterinarian will make it easier to meet both these needs.
Reach out to a professional like a dog or cat dentist for more information.
Share10 October 2019
When I moved into the town I'm living in now, there was a large population of stray cats. Unfortunately, that population kept growing in rapid numbers because none of the cats had been fixed. I knew that wasn't a healthy situation, so I reached out to a local shelter and a veterinarian to launch a trap-alter-release program. Within about a year, we had the entire population altered and released back to their environments. The logistics were significant, but not overwhelming. That's why I built this site. My goal is to teach others how to launch a similar program in their own neighborhood to help keep the stray cats healthier and safer.