10/05/2021
Loving Your Senior Dogs Series ...continued
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/senior-pets
your dog is considered to be entering his/her senior years as soon as 6 years old! This was a surprise to me, I thought it would be older.
As it is with humans, the kind of care, love and stimulation he/she receives daily can delay many senior issues. That is why we are doing this series. Today's topic is: TEETH
Why is it great value to invest in keeping my dogs' teeth clean?
1. Possibly lower risk of heart, kidney or liver disease. Like humans, there have been studies that link gum disease through the bloodstream.
2. Gum and tooth pain HURTS! Oh my gosh, if you have ever needed a root canal, or had a sore tooth, remember this when you look at your pets! They will not tell you. What they will do is stop eating, growl, lie sadly when they are not distracted by playing or cuddles. I would not wish tooth pain on my worst enemy, (if I had one that is!).
For a senior dog whose immune system may already be compromised or not work as well as it used to, that can be disastrous. Keeping your dog's gums healthy and pain free, will lengthen his enjoyment of life...and perhaps the length of it too.
So how do you keep your dogs gums healthy and pain free?
Ideal: From a young dog, brush your dogs' teeth with DOG toothpaste and a soft-bristled brush. One of my dogs was so laid back that when I bought a new electric toothbrush system, I used the old one with a new brush head to clean his teeth. I figured if it would prevent my getting gum disease, why not use it on him! He LOVED it!
Next ideal: This can be done this week. Bring your dog to the vet and they will do a thorough cleaning and polishing, including the source of gum disease.... under his gums.
If you then, brushed his teeth (especially under gums) daily, you may not need to have another vet cleaning done for years....if ever.
Please share how you clean YOUR senior dogs' teeth. I would love to hear.