Dental disease is an ongoing concern in our companion dogs
and cats. All cats and dogs will at some
point experience a level of dental disease that will benefit from being
addressed by a thorough dental cleaning under anesthesia. Just like you or I benefit from having our teeth professionally cleaned every 6 months so do our pets. Just like our dentist we are able to scale plaque and tartar that accumulates under the gum line that is difficult to eliminate with routine home care.
When we brush our teeth everyday it contributes to our oral
health and hopefully makes our routine visits to the dentist just that,
“routine”. Our goal with our own dental
home care is to minimize gingivitis and gum disease that leads to progressive
periodontal disease. The same goes for
our pets.
Now we all know that not all four legged friends are created
equal in their tolerance of dental home care in its forms of brushing, oral
rinses and wipes. This leaves us with
diets and treats. There are so many
products on the market that are labeled to benefit our pet’s oral health. As veterinary professionals we hold stock in products that have the VOHC seal of approval. VOHC stands for Veterinary Oral Health Council and includes 9 veterinary dentists and dental scientists that have established pre-set standards for products that reduce plaque and tartar with continued use.
Some of the products that are included on this list that we strongly recommend to our patients are Science Diet t/d prescription food for both cats and dogs, Tartar Shield soft rawhide chews for dogs, and greenies for cats and dogs and Virbac CET veggie dents for dogs. You can access information about other products with the VOHC seal of approval at www.vohc.org.
