Dental treatment
Did you know
- Our pets’ teeth are very similar to ours?
- Dogs have 42 teeth
- Cats have 30 teeth
- By 2 years of age 70% of cats and 80% of dogs have some form of periodontal disease.
- They can get a build-up of plaque and tartar
- Animals can get tooth ache as humans do.
- Bad breath and excess salivation may indicate poor dental health. There are bacteria sitting in the tartar which may cause damage to other organs such as the heart, liver and kidneys.
Book Dental Treatment
At Gilabbey we can do dental treatment during which we perform a full oral examination to assess, scale and polish your cat or dog’s teeth to remove the tartar which causes the bad breath and eventually can cause gum disease tooth loss, and pain. Dental treatment is one of the most common reasons vets anaesthetise pets over the age of 8 years of age. Dogs and cats usually feel (and smell) a lot better afterward. We recommend a pre-anaesthetic blood test to check general health in older animals.
You can help prevent the build-up of tartar by regular dental treatment at home, this involves brushing your dog’s or cat’s teeth. This is best started with your new puppy or kitten if possible but is surprisingly well accepted by older animals if introduced slowly and gently.
How to brush your dog’s or cat’s teeth
- Use animal toothpaste and a soft toothbrush.
- Get the dog or cat used to having their mouth handled and their lips lifted
- Allow them to taste the toothpaste
- Let them sniff the toothbrush and gently introduce it into their mouth.
- Gradually build up the amount of time spent brushing the teeth. It may take about 6 weeks to get to the stage of brushing the teeth fully.