Park Hill Vet: Look Ma, No Thumbs!

Our Pawed Friends Lack The Digits They Need To Brush Their Teeth

By Margot K. Vahrenwald, DVM, CVJ

For the GPHN

Did that headline make you scratch your head? Think about it – what is the one thing that makes your life easier? Thumbs! No insult intended to those without thumbs for any reason, but human agility with our hands allows so much more than paws.

Home oral care and regular professional veterinary dental assessments/cleanings make a significant difference in your pet’s health and your quality of life with them. If you can smell bad breath, there might be a ticking time bomb lurking in your pet’s mouth.

If our dogs and cats had thumbs and could be trained to brush their own teeth at least twice daily, you would never hear from your veterinarian about significant dental disease. But alas, no thumbs means that regular home oral care for cats and dogs falls to pet parents – and most of us are not so good at keeping up enough to make a difference.

I’ll confess that I don’t brush my dogs’ teeth due to temperament (Chihuahuas). None are willing to have their teeth brushed without great struggle and biting involved. But if you are not brushing or using some pet dental care products daily, your cat or dog may require more regular dental cleanings to keep their oral cavity in good shape and widen the intervals between cleanings and lessen the loss of teeth.

Human dentists do a really great job at educating us about the benefits of preventative dental care. As veterinarians, we also strive to educate our pet owners about dental health care. But we run into resistance to the investment of that care. It comes down to time and money.

1. Yes, there is a cost involved. The cost of pet care comes directly from our discretionary income after all the other bills, debts and demands are met. However, the cost will be definitely greater for your pet in terms of pain, infection and a shortened life span without appropriate dental care.

2. Yes, there is anesthesia involved, and it’s not a big scary deal.  Anesthesia lets a pet be stress- and pain-free while allowing the veterinary staff to do the most thorough evaluation, cleaning and treatment possible.

3. Yes, times have changed and pet owners have pushed and demanded that veterinary medicine in many areas offer the same level of care that they themselves receive, including dental care. We’ve come a long way in the past 30 years in helping pets live longer because of preventative care.

4. No, we veterinarians are not just trying to upsell unsuspecting owners into costly procedures. Our evidence-based education teaches us through training and experience that preventative and interventional dental care really does make a difference.

So, avoid any oral ticking time bombs and get to using those human thumbs for daily home oral care to improve the oral health of your pet/s.

Dr. Margot Vahrenwald is the owner of Park Hill Veterinary Medical Center at 2255 Oneida St. For more information, visit www.parkhillvet.com.