Dog Bad Breath
Dog Bad Breath is something that often the owner feels uncomfortable about, which he or she cam smell when the dog comes close to be petted. The origin of this inconvenience is usually tartar, even though sometimes it can be cause by a mouth ulcer or bad digestion. Treatments and remedy are always available to us. Tartar is a deposit of minerals causing bad dog breath and that are usually found in saliva; it sticks to the tooth's neck, forming a gray, whitish coating. The germs accumulate under this deposit and produce a nasty smell as well as infections. The teeth can bleed because the tartar provokes the loosening of the gums. This appears after the puppy is five years old, though it varies with the dog's breed.
Factors that Favor the Formation of Tartar and bad breath: Age is a determining factor. Dog's that are over 2 years old are exposed to this. The digestive and renal problems help the tartar to deposit faster and abundantly. The lack of vitamin A lowers the resistance of the gums; and the lack of vitamin C favors the inflammations. The soft kinds of foods favor the formation of tartar also. The lack of dental hygiene is another determining cause, which has an easy fixing: cleaning the dog's teeth.
Mouth Hygiene: This is the essential operation of all the ones that refer to the dog's teeth. This is done with anesthesia, simply so the dog does not move, since the elimination of tartar is not painful. Once the dog is asleep, we will place a mouth opener to keep the mouth open during the intervention. The tartar is eliminated with an apparatus that works with ultrasounds and destroy the tartar with vibrations. Spraying water prevents the gums from overheating. When the intervention is finalized we must disinfect and wash up all the blood. During some days we must give the dog soft foods and in some cases we will be prescribed with an antibiotic.
Dental Problems: Tooth and gum infections are very frequent.
The Dental Abscesses: This is the most common problem in old dogs and is usually found in the superior molars. This is due to an infection in the root and alveolar bone. The most evident symptom is the presence of a little ball under the bone. This ball is soft, warm and produces pain when it is touched. The treatment consists in antibiotics and the extraction of the molar. This is done under the effect of anesthesia and in some cases it is very difficult because the roots are numerous.
The Pyorrhea: This is the term that defines an irritation that rapidly transforms into an infection generated in the mouth. The tartar also small thorns can cause pus in the gums, which show as a light white deposit and bad breath. This requires the use of antibiotics.
Cavities: In the dog these are rare, but the complications can be very frequent: pulpitis and the destruction of the crown. In dogs cavities are usually on the tooth's neck. The animal feels great pain, will not eat and it will seem like it has difficulties to swallow. Extraction is not the most practical solution. According to recent studies 80% dogs that are 5 years old or older suffer from some dental illness. Dog skin Care
