As cats and dogs get older they may need dental treatment especially if they have always been fed soft tinned food. The signs of dental disease include smelly breath, pain when eating, (shown by a reluctance to eat hard food and dropping food rather than swallowing) and rubbing the face when eating or jaw chattering. Treatment can vary from simply de-scaling and polishing the teeth removing the offending tartar, to extensive work requiring several extractions.

Any dental work has to be done under general anaesthesia. As dental work is more commonly required in older pets, we often advise a pre-anaesthetic blood sample to assess internal organ function. The liver and kidneys are the main organs which metabolise and excrete the drugs used in anaesthesia and so it is useful to assess the function of these before an anaesthetic to help quantify risk.

After treatment, prevention of the recurrence of tartar is essential. This is done by using special diets, dental chews, oral gels e.g. Maxiguard or brushing with toothpaste. We advise Hills TD diet which is a prescription diet that cleans the teeth whilst your pet is eating. Brushing is best, and should be done at least 2-3 times a week. We can provide a special kit for this with a specially designed tooth brush for dogs' teeth. Do not use human toothpaste – the fluoride content is toxic if swallowed. It is a good idea to train your puppy so that they are used to your finger in their mouth and then progress to a soft child’s brush so that when the adult teeth have erupted, brushing is part of a regular routine.

If brushing is not an option, the alternative is “Logic gel” or "Maxiguard gel" which is similar to toothpaste but doesn’t have to be brushed. Dental chews, hide and cartilage chews are also useful but we do not advocate cooked bones as these can splinter and cause tooth fractures.

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