Smile! Show Us Your Pearly Whites and Don’t Knock Us Dead with the Bad Breath!

  Posted on November 15, 2010  by Joy of Living  No comments

Bolt, Yorkie-Poo extraordinaire and guest columnist: Whew!  Thank your lucky stars you are not living in my world today.  That other dog that lives with me, Naismith, has some pretty wicked breath.  Whenever he walks into a room after he has been running around, barking up a storm, there is a green haze in the air, compliments of his glaring halitosis.  It could kill an ape.

Naismith is getting on in years.  He has a birthday in a couple of weeks, and he will be six years old.  Okay..he is not ancient, but compared to my youthful presence, he’s retirement center material!

Our master has been dutifully cleaning our teeth and gums, and if you have a pet, dental care is so important to his health and vitality, especially in the Golden Years.  Dental disease can be epidemic in older dogs.  If you have adopted a senior dog from a shelter, you will probably want to spend some time getting him proper dental care.  This goes for cats, too.  When the dental care of older pets is routinely neglected, they are just time bombs ready to explode.

Tartar can build up on their teeth, leading to inflammation of the gums or even infection.  The result is gingivitis.  Not a pretty sight.  The bacteria from this condition can travel to all systems in the body, mainly affecting the kidney, liver, and heart.

Be kind to your senior pet this week – and to any and all of your pets – give proper attention and care to their teeth and gums…and by all means, if they have bad breath like good old Naismith does, PLEASE offer them a breath mint…..or, in Naismith’s case….give him the whole package!  Pheww!

Be sure to consult your veterinarian for information on proper dental care for your pets!

(Thanks to petfinder.com for this insightful information.)