As we cruise into dental awareness month, I would like to share with you a personal story from a client who recently brought their dog in for a dental. This client has given me the ok to share her dog’s story with you all. To remain anonymous, I will be using the name Lisa for the client and Rex for her dog.
Rex is a beautiful, high every dog who loves to play! Sometimes he likes to play with things he shouldn’t like rocks. Lisa noticed one day a few months back that one of his front teeth was turning dark grey, but when she touched it, it didn’t seem to bother him, so she didn’t give it a second thought. Rex was still the same happy dog. Then he started doing something strange. Lisa noticed that Rex had begun to chew on her comforters, which was very out of character for Rex. Now Lisa had already scheduled Rex in for a regular dental to ensure his oral health was just as excellent as his physical health. Upon routine dental X-rays, the veterinarian working with Rex noticed that the tooth that had turned grey was broken. Not only was it broken but it was shattered into 5-6 pieces. The veterinarian removed all these pieces and after getting a good cleaning and full mouth X-rays, Rex was discharged with a clean bill of health! Lisa has since noticed that Rex no longer chews her comforters and continues to be the same high energy dog she knows and loves.
Regular dental check-ups are so important to catch things going on below the gums as we see here with Rex.
Signs of problems in the mouth can be very obvious or subtle. Make sure you are discussing your animal’s health with your veterinarian at their yearly check-ups, and see what you can do at home to better their oral health!
I don’t know about you, but when my animals give me kisses, I want it to be with a clean, healthy mouth!
Written by Emily, RVT
