Your Dog's Breath, and the Eighty Percent Problem

Dog breath jokes are everywhere, and most owners just assume it comes with the territory. But breath that's genuinely bad, not just doggy, is usually telling you something specific, and it's worth listening to rather than getting used to. The same goes for cats, whose dental disease tends to be quieter and easier to miss than a dog's, simply because a cat is much better at hiding that anything's wrong.

The number that gets everyone's attention

The American Veterinary Dental Society estimates that over 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats show some form of dental disease by age three. That's not a small or unusual group, it's most pets, which is exactly why we bring it up at routine visits even when nobody's complained about anything.

Signs worth paying attention to

Dental disease doesn't always announce itself loudly. Here's what we'd want you to mention at your pet's next visit:

• Tartar buildup on the teeth
• Red, swollen, or bleeding gums
• Bad breath
• Drooling
• Changes in eating
• Facial swelling
• Loose teeth
• Lethargy

Any one of these on its own might not mean much, but together, or if any of them shows up suddenly, it's worth a look. Many of the earlier signs are easy to miss day to day, which is part of why we don't wait for symptoms before we bring dental health up at all.

What a cleaning actually involves

A professional cleaning at Best Friends uses ultrasonic dental equipment to break down tartar above and below the gumline, followed by polishing and a fluoride treatment. Your pet is under anesthesia for the procedure, which lets us get to places a home brushing routine simply can't reach and means your dog or cat isn't stressed through it.

Anesthesia, monitored the whole way through

We do pre-anesthetic testing and a physical exam before any procedure that requires general anesthesia, dental cleanings included, and your pet's vital signs are monitored the entire time they're under. General anesthesia is given in stages, a sedative first, then an IV induction, a breathing tube, and gas anesthetic combined with oxygen for the duration of the procedure. Pain medication is part of the plan before, during, and after, and most pets go home with medication to keep them comfortable in the days that follow.

What happens after the cleaning

We apply therapeutic laser to the gum tissue after every dental procedure. It's a drug-free way to support healing and reduce inflammation in the gums right after the cleaning, and it's standard practice here rather than an add-on you have to ask for.

It's already part of your pet's regular checkup

Dental health isn't a separate appointment you have to remember to book on top of everything else. It's built into the same annual wellness exam we already recommend for healthy adult dogs and cats, alongside the physical exam and any bloodwork, fecal, or urine testing that visit calls for. That's deliberate, a dental check is easiest to keep on top of when it's just one more thing we look at while your pet is already here, rather than something that only comes up once there's an obvious problem. Puppies, kittens, seniors, and pets with existing health issues are already on more frequent visits than once a year, which means more chances to catch a dental issue early too.

Why we recommend an annual exam even without symptoms

Given how common dental disease is by age three, and how quietly it can build, we recommend an annual dental exam as a standard part of your pet's checkup, not something reserved for when the breath gets noticeably worse. Catching it earlier generally means an easier, less involved fix than catching it later, and it means fewer surprises at an exam where you were expecting to talk about something else entirely.

None of this requires you to diagnose anything yourself, and it's not a reason to feel behind if it's been a while. If you've noticed any of the signs above, or it's just been a while since your dog or cat's teeth were looked at, that's reason enough to have it checked. Give us a call at (319) 341-7111 or email ask@bfveterinarycareic.com and we'll get you scheduled.