Bad Breath or Serious Disease
Have you ever been awakened by your most loyal pet companion with a lick on the cheek? How many times have you turned your head the other way because your trusted buddy has seriously wicked-bad breath? Lets look inside your pets’ mouth for a minute, and discover the real truth behind bad breath!
Plaque and tartar buildup on the teeth cause the odor, and is defined as thousands of micro-colonies of bacteria adhered to the tooth surfaces. The tartar has a rough porous surface, encouraging more bacteria, which become trapped under the gingival (gum) tissue, and feast on it.
This causes gingivitis, periodontal disease, tooth loss, bone loss, and abscesses. Even more alarming, every time
your pet swallows, a load of bacteria is ingested and carried into the bloodstream
affecting the heart, liver, kidneys, bladder, immune system, and can even cause diabetes. Once diagnosed, these diseases are not usually reversible by western medicine methods. Most pets have some degree of periodontal disease by the age of three according to the American Veterinary Medical Association!
There is a simple solution to your faithful friends halitosis! Professional dental scaling and polishing! With proper techniques and holistic veterinary supervision, this can be done safely without anesthesia on most dogs and cats. Professional dental care should start by one to two years of age, and continued every 6 months, just like people! A list of Q and A’s can be found on www.NaturalVeterinaryServices.com, along with a video and description of “proper technique”.
Dr. Kristen Swanson,
Holistic Veterinarian and Author
Natural Veterinary Services
