Sure, we’ve all heard our veterinarians chide us about brushing our dog’s teeth on a regular basis, but let’s face it. Most of us don’t even take care of our own dental hygiene as well as we should, never mind our dogs’! Yet, true to the dentists’ warnings, both we and our pets can only get away with bad habits for so long before everything catches up to us.
Why Did My Dog Suddenly Stopped Eating?
For myself, I didn’t realize canine periodontal disease (the fancy name for gum disease in dogs) was a serious threat until Lewis, my Scottish terrier, mysteriously stopped eating. Not that he normally gorges himself as soon as the food hits the bowl (like some dogs I know), but morning after morning, not one kibble seemed to disappear.
My Guess: It was the Cat.
At first I thought he had learned from our cat to be suddenly finicky (cats are like that, after all). She will occasionally put up a hunger strike in a bout of feline rebellion, as if the food she’s been eating for the past three years is suddenly no longer to her taste. (But simply present a different flavor and suddenly the order of the universe has been miraculously restored)! Lew is not one for catty attitude, though, so I started watching more closely for other signs that he was not feeling well.
Initial Evidence: My Dog is Healthy.
Still drinking plenty of water, still going outside, still desperately excited for a ride in the car. He even learned to spell W-A-L-K. Lew was acting healthy in every other way. He even continued to eat his favorite treat (canned green beans) and comb the kitchen floor for crumbs and splatters after dinner, so clearly his appetite was not the problem.
More Evidence: My Dog’s Bleeding Gums
It was not until I noticed blood on a few tennis balls and chew toys that I began to suspect the reason Lew was turning up his nose at crunchy kibbles. He had a toothache! Or more accurately, a gum-ache.
Lew Had Gum Disease, or Periodontal Disease
Gum disease is actually the most common ailment in all dog breeds and can manifest itself in different stages of severity.
Lew’s bloody gums and aversion to crunchy food are a stage 3 of periodontal disease (gum disease). Once I realized this, I let him begin feasting in soft wet foods (a luxury usually only the cat wheedles her way into), Meanwhile I quickly made a vet appointment for a thorough teeth-cleaning.
How to Prevent Periodontal Disease in Dogs
As it turns out, I had already done everything I could to prevent canine periodontal disease – some breeds are just more prone to it than others. Also, as dogs age, their risk increases. Risk is higher for dogs that eat only wet food and do not clean their teeth regularly either by brushing or with chew toys and rawhides. Lew has always been on dry food and rawhides might be the next best thing to a w-a-l-k in his estimation. I even slip some vet-recommended teeth-cleaning solution into his drinking water for those days when teethbrushing is the last thing on my mind.
The Cure for Bleeding Gums in Dogs
But I guess age wins out, and even though he is only 6 years old, his pearly whites were not so pearly any longer. Happily, the professional teeth-cleaning procedure will scrape off the calculus (not math, but just as nasty) on his teeth. Calculus is the hardened plaque on dogs’ teeth.
With careful attention (and maybe some extra rawhides) he will be back to normal. In the end, I think we’ve learned the lesson that brushing your dog’s teeth is definitely worth more than the cursory nod at the vet’s office. Lew can expect some more chicken-flavored toothpaste coming his way in the future.
Meanwhile, my cat is wondering why her indelicate snobbery has never won her more gourmet dishes and treats. But then again, she isn’t very good at chasing tennis balls either.
Sources:
Periodontal Disease in Dogs
Rob Toccs enjoys playing with both his dog and cat. He tries to take good care of them, as any pet owner should.
More from Rob:
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Introducing Tropical Freshwater Fish
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