Oral Pet Care: Filling the Gap

How to help veterinary clinics reinforce the importance of oral care for the pets they serve.

When I heard that a friend’s dog was having a dental cleaning the same week I started writing this column on oral health care, it provided a great opportunity to ask about his experience, both before and after the procedure. Periodontal disease is the most prevalent disease for both dogs and cats, but is that message being conveyed to pet owners? Are veterinary teams explaining the importance of home dental care to their clients? With an estimated 86% of dogs and 70% of cats having some form of periodontal disease, there is an obvious communication gap.

Unfortunately, that lack of communication turned out to be the case with Teddy. He’s a 10-year-old Maltese/Yorkie mix – one of the small-breed dogs prone to periodontal problems. According to his owner, he had a couple of teeth removed six or seven years ago, so there were obvious signs of dental disease by the age of three. His owner doesn’t recall the veterinary staff ever raising concern over him losing teeth so young or discussing how it could be avoided in the future.

At his annual exam two years ago, Teddy’s owner was told to “keep an eye on those teeth” since they needed a “good cleaning,” but the staff provided no recommendations on home dental care, didn’t schedule the cleaning that day, or follow up with a reminder. Since Teddy had bad breath – no surprise there – he was sent home with a bottle of water additive, but no explanation of how the active ingredients fight the bacteria in a dog’s mouth helping to reduce plaque and tartar, or the importance of using it consistently. Teddy finally had that dental this fall and lost five more teeth.

When I asked if the staff took the time to discuss the importance of prevention and products to help Teddy avoid losing still more teeth in a year or two, I already knew the answer: Nope. I’d like to think this clinic’s lack of client education is the exception, but I doubt that’s the case, with only about 2% of owners regularly brushing their pets’ teeth. After charging over $700 for Teddy’s cleaning and extractions, they did his owner a real disservice by just handing back the credit card and sending him home.

Oral health as a priority

Clinics need to make explaining the importance of in-home dental care a priority, since the success of a dental procedure depends on controlling plaque between veterinary visits. Teddy’s owner wasn’t thrilled when I told him that plaque can start to reaccumulate practically from the time he got home. Plaque can attach to newly cleaned teeth within 24 hours, start to form tartar after only three days, and gingivitis can start to develop in just 2 weeks. Once plaque and tartar have hardened, tooth loss and serious illnesses can occur. Sharing those facts with clients makes it obvious why daily dental care is so important.

“Dog breath” is considered normal by a lot of pet owners, and dental health is seldom top of mind. Being able to show the presence of periodontal disease during a regular wellness exam can get the attention of the owner and help with better compliance to treatment recommendations. OraStripdx is a periodontal diagnostic strip that shows the presence of infection in the mouth by detecting the concentration of thiols. A veterinary technician just slides the thiol test strip along the upper gumline of the dog or cat. Within 10 seconds, if the strip changes color to any shade of yellow, infection is present.

The importance of daily brushing isn’t recognized by most pet owners, even though they’re probably brushing their own teeth a couple of times a day. As far back as 1986, a study showed the minimum frequency of brushing a dog’s teeth to prevent gingival inflammation was three times a week, so clients can still see good results even if they can’t or won’t brush every day.

Owners look to the veterinary team to demonstrate how to acclimate their pets to regular brushing. While there are a variety of toothpaste flavors that appeal to pets, in the first days of getting them used to the brush, there’s nothing wrong with using a tasty treat to get them excited and even looking forward to the routine.

It’s definitely the gold standard for dental care, but when brushing just isn’t an option, there are a number of passive products that can be very effective with daily use. User-friendly options include oral gels and sprays, wipes, water additives, dental diets, antimicrobial or enzymatic chews and dental treats. Be ready to discuss the variety of products you carry, and home delivery options that can improve both compliance and practice revenue. Pay particular attention to VOHC-Certified products that carry the seal of the Veterinary Oral Health Council. To receive certification, products must pass double-blind studies showing a 15-25% reduction in plaque, tartar, or both. The full list is available at vohc.org.

I know Teddy’s owner feels badly that he waited almost two years before scheduling his dental procedure, but it’s the responsibility of the veterinary staff to explain that taking care of an oral health problem now can prevent problems like tooth loss or serious systemic issues in the future. Working with your clinics to provide the best products and educational materials to address dental care will help them reinforce the message that oral health is essential to maintaining every pet’s well-being.

Dawn Singleton-Olson has more than 25 years of experience in the animal health industry, including distributor sales, manufacturing, practice management and as a zoo supervisor. She is a volunteer, fundraiser and board trustee for several humane organizations and the Omaha (Neb.) Police Mounted Patrol.

Periodontal Health

Visual proof of infection provides a fast assessment of the pet’s periodontal health and a great opening to explain how dental disease can lead to serious systemic issues.

Photo credits:

istockphoto.com/Ignacio Villafruela

istockphoto.com/dimarik