Your Pet's Dental Health--Why It's Important!
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Happy February! It is National Pet Dental Health Month. It's no secret that dental health is very important for optimal health in humans. However, you may not know that it's just as important for your pet. Learn 10 reasons why it's important for your pet to get regular annual dental check-ups this month.

• Cats, ferrets, dogs, and hedgehogs all have fixed teeth. This means that after they lose their milk teeth, the new teeth that grow in will not fall out. If these teeth are not cleaned regularly, plaque forms and this plaque in turn hardens around the gum line to form tartar. This leads to cavities, gingivitis, and periodontal disease.
• With periodontal disease, gums pull away from the teeth and pockets are created. Pus can form around the tooth as the base becomes infected.
• This can all cause very bad breath and drooling.
• This may lead to your pet having a painful mouth.
• Your pet can lose teeth and have difficulty eating.
• Some cat and dog breeds are especially prone to dental disease and may need dental cleanings twice yearly. Breeds of dogs with short muzzles, such as Pomeranians, Malteses, and Chihuahuas require regular dental cleanings. Some longer-muzzled dogs such as greyhounds are also prone to severe periodontal disease. Certain cat breeds such as Siamese and Persians are also more susceptible  to dental disease
• Periodontal disease doesn't just stop with the mouth. Dental disease can also lead to heart disease.
• Periodontal disease can also impact your pet's kidneys and liver as well.
• Some cats may be affected by Feline Stomatitis, a condition that can affect even kittens, making regular check-ups for young cats important. This painful condition is an autoimmune disease in which the cat's immune system overreacts to the cat's dental plaque. It leads to severe inflammation and infection of the tissues in the mouth.
• Don't forget that rabbits and rodent pets need dental care too! Unlike Carnivore pets and hedgehogs, their teeth are ever-growing. This means that they need to chew hard materials to wear down their teeth or malformations of the teeth can occur (known as malocclusions). If your rabbit or rodent's teeth are getting too long, it will not be able to eat. Your vet can trim these teeth as needed to keep them in good shape.

As one can see, dental health is vital to your pet's continued wellbeing and happiness. Be sure to have your pet's teeth checked annually by your veterinarian and follow his or her recommendations to keep your pet's teeth clean.

--Laura Daniel for Animal Hospital of Lynnwood

Happy Valentine's Day! ❤︎

Feline Stomatitis

Rabbit dental health