Don’t you love those gorgeous sunny days sitting out in the sun giving your beloved pooch a good pat and belly rub? Then it happens … the great big lick. You know the one, it’s kind of unexpected and you end up with an unwanted dog tongue in your mouth. I love my dog but not quite enough to enjoy this kind of affection!
Now normally I would give my mouth a good wipe and the story would end here. However on this occasion there was a serious case halitosis. Hali-toe-what?? No its not a fancy name for a rotting toe, it describes foul smelling breath.
Bad breath is never normal. It is a symptom of dental disease that needs to be promptly addressed. Carefully I lifted Lily’s lips up to have a look at her front teeth – all was ok there. Not the case for her back teeth. On examination of these back it was evident that her gums had become red and swollen and there was also a yellowish brown discolouration to her back teeth. Now luckily this stage of dental disease is reversible.
It is a great idea for you and your pet to become familiar and comfortable with opening your pets mouth and looking inside. Had I not recognised the signs early, things could have become a lot worse. Untreated gingivitis leads to the build up of tartar. The bacteria that love living in this kind of environment are pretty tough and unfortunately very nasty to the adjacent bone and gums. These horrid little bacterial buggers literally eat the bone away and can lead to the tooth rotting out. If it becomes severe enough the jaw can break!
Now all this goes to show that despite a good diet, her love of chewing and a little extra help with brushing her teeth (ok to be toothful, I haven’t been doing this every day), it was time for a professional clean and polish to get Lily’s teeth back on track.
I should probably book myself in too!
Photo – This dog hasn’t just eaten cottage cheese – there is pus around the gum line.
http://www.newtownvet.com.au/Dentistry.aspx