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February is Dental Health Awareness Month

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Dental Health Awareness Month

February is pet dental health awareness month, so we thought it appropriate to “brush up” on your pet’s oral care. Talking about bad breath is a really serious matter! Many pet companions may not realize just how crucial oral care is. Did you know that according to the American Veterinary Medical Association, or the AVMA , that by the age of three, nearly 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats show signs of oral disease? Bacteria and plaque forming foods can cause a buildup on your cat or dogs teeth. This can then harden into tartar, possibly causing gingivitis, receding gums and ultimately tooth loss. This entire painful and life threatening process can be vastly improved upon and avoided by proper dental care. One solution to this is a regular teeth cleaning. Many of our locations at wag N’ Wash work with local professionals who come into each location on a periodic basis to do teeth cleaning scheduled by appointment. You can contact your local store to see if and when they have such professionals available. These numbers can be significantly reduced by several factors in simple dental care with your companion animal.

The first step in an oral hygiene program is to visit your veterinarian who can help you in establishing a preventive healthcare plan. Some of the things that you can do at home to help determine the need for this plan are as follows:

Does your dog or cat have bad breath? Although normal breath may not smell like roses, an especially offensive breath, and/or possibly other symptoms may mean a trip to the vet is overdue.

Check your pet’s gums about once a week by lifting their lips. The gums should be a healthy pink, not white or red, and should show no signs of swelling. Teeth should be clean, without any brownish tarter.

If your pet may be showing any signs of problems in their mouth or with their gastrointestinal system, to include bad breath, excessive drooling, inflamed gums, abnormalities in the gums or tongue, loose teeth, it’s time to visit your vet.

Brush, Brush, Brush!

The very best thing you can do for your companions dental health is to brush. Every Wag N’ Wash location has toothpaste, and tooth and finger brushes especially formulated and made for your pet! You should never use human toothpaste as the ingredients are formulated for us humans and not for our companions and can cause stomach upsets. Here are some steps to follow to begin a brushing regimen:

First, get your dog or cat used to the idea of having their teeth brushed. Massage their lips, gums and teeth with your finger in a circular motion for 30 to 60 seconds once or twice a day for several weeks. When your companion seems comfortable being touched this way, put a little dog/cat formulated toothpaste on your finger and let them lick it off like a treat. When they seem comfortable with that, begin with a specially designed pet toothbrush or finger brush, applying the pet toothpaste to the brush. And remember if you have a professional teeth cleaning to ask your vet or professional if it is appropriate to wait a few days before brushing to allow for any tender areas from the cleaning to heal first.

The most effective way to brush your companion’s teeth is at a 45 degree angel in small circular motions. Work on one area of your dogs or cats mouth at a time, lifting the lip as necessary. The side of the tooth that touches the cheek usually has the most tartar, and giving a final down stroke can help to remove it. If your companion resists having the inner surfaces of the teeth cleaned, don’t worry too much as only a small amount of tartar accumulates there. Once you get the technique down, try to brush at least two to three times per week.

Treats and toys, food and supplements

Every Wag N’ Wash location has treats, toys, foods, and supplements that are great at helping you keep your dogs and cats teeth healthier and for good overall oral hygiene. Although these items can help, they are not a substitute for brushing! Some of the great treats that we have that help keep teeth and breathe healthier and better are raw marrow bones, elk antler, and several chews that take time for your companion to chew. Many of the pet foods that we carry make greats dental treats you can find in most of our locations to include the breathless brushless toothpaste treats from Ark Naturals, plus several other treats from companies such as Natural Balance, and Merrick, and Zukes. There are also many toys in every Wag N’ Wash location that are great for dental health such as rope toys and many toys from Petsafe that enable “brushing” while playing, some with replaceable treats attached and other that can be stuffed with treats. Many of our diets such as raw diet that you can find in the freezer and the dehydrated diets that we talked about last week contain live enzymes that aid in keeping plaque at bay. Lastly, we have several supplements we like to recommend, however most of our locations carry a great supplement made from ascophyllum nodosum seaweed called PlaqueOff that comes from the North Atlantic that has been clinically proven effective in reducing plaque, tartar, and bad breath. This type of supplement is used daily on food and is safe for both dogs and cats! Although most of these items are available in every location, each Wag N’ Wash location is as unique as community and may have something slightly different for you to choose from.

And, you can be assured that you can stop in to any Wag N’ Wash Pet Food and Bakery location to ask one of our knowledgeable team members about what kind of dental regimen would be the most appropriate for your dog or cat. We are always happy to take the time you need to answer all of your questions so that you have the information you need to feel comfortable helping you improve your companion’s dental health. Wag N’ Wash is so confident about our dental health products that we give you our unconditional guarantee that we will take them back in exchange for a different item, or a full refund. You can find one of our locally owned locations in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona, in Castle Rock, Colorado Springs, Highlands Ranch, and Littleton, Colorado, and in Eagan, Minnesota. As the experts in companion animal health, we always promote a healthy lifestyle for your dogs and cats.

We’d love to see them share a photo of you smiling companion. Visit us on Facebook and share!


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