I must admit I was not
paying too much attention to either Blanca or Itza’s teeth. We just never thought it necessary... And it turned out that they were infact both dealing with tooth problems. Especially Blanca! One thing I had also notices was Blanca’s
BAD breath. I thought it was because she’s a dog and doggys do have doggy breath. That
was not the case, tartar was the reason. Have you ever seen a dog that had very
yellow'ish or even black teeth at the top where the tooth meets the gum? Well that’s tartar buildup and it can lead to
increased gum disease, inflamation of the gums and, ultimately, to tooth loss! When I finally realized I
should take a look at Blanca’s teeth I was disgusted, shocked, saddened, and
very angry, to the point of almost being furious, at both myself and the rest my family for overlooking this issue! She must have been
in so much pain, poor thing! Her gums were terribly inflamed and some of her teeth were
even starting to loosen. I called the vet that same day and got an appointment
for the next day to have her teeth looked at. We were worried sick because we read
on the internet that this problem could lead to blood poisoning if it had
gotten way to out of hand. In Blancas case we were not sure what to expect.
At the vets the day
after I could tell she wasn’t pleased to see the shape Blanca’s teeth and gums were in. Although she isn’t my dog I felt very ashamed. The results were that Blanca lost
3 of her front teeth and had to go on an antibiotic cure for 16 days to get rid of the
bacterial infection and inflamation in her gums. My dog Itza also had inflamed gums, without me even being aware of it, so she also got her teeth cleaned and an antibiotic cure that lasted 8 days. Luckily she didn’t have to give up any of her teeth!All this could have been avoided with the proper dental care. Some dogs manage fine their whole lives without. Other dogs, especially smaller breeds, need to have their teeth checked on more frequently and require that the owner also does what needs to be done to prevent these problems.
Old dogs that have had tooth problems over a longer period tend to get very grumpy and snappish! I would to it it were me in that situation! So if your dog is grumpy, not feeling good or not acting like its usual self it could be a good idea to have its teeth checked. Dogs with healthy teeth and gums live longer, happier lives J
- Some good rules for
keeping your dog’s teeth and gums healthy are:
- Stick to dry dog food.
The wet stuff makes for more tartar buildup.- Have a vet check your dog’s teeth as soon as you suspect something might be wrong.
- Get your dog used to
tooth care and brushing from he/she is a puppy.
- Give your dog chewy
toys that stimulate the gums and dental sticks that forestall tartar buildup.
- DO NOT throw stones
for you dog to catch in its mouth! Have seen a few terrifying examples of
mouths full of broken teeth.
Let his be a warning to every dog owner, please do not overlook you dogs dental health!
Blanca is back to her old, happy energetic self and not missing her 3 teeth to much :) Both dogs are now getting their teeth brush on a regular basis. I even use dental floss on Itza!
You can buy a lot of different stuff on amazon.com to keep you dogs detal health in check. I highly recomend the greenies and getting a tooth brush and tooth paste :)
Ingen kommentarer:
Legg inn en kommentar