Animal Corner / Open wide, here comes the brush - Haaretz

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Tue., February 05, 2008 Shvat 29, 5768

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Animal Corner / Open wide, here comes the brush

By Rivi Ronen

Nearly all animal lovers fail in one simple mission: brushing their pets' teeth. But one needs nothing more than a soft toothbrush (a standard toothbrush for humans is fine) and safe, digestible toothpaste. The trademark of a good toothpaste? The smell and taste of meat.

Adult cats and dogs will naturally refuse to cooperate, at least initially. But kittens and puppies quickly grow accustomed to the brushing routine, which should take place at least three times a week. Start with a few teeth along the inner cheek and gradually increase the scope. Adopt a circular motion. There is no need to clean the inner surface of the tooth. The sign of success? Less tartar and less incidence of gum disease.

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One might consider brushing a pet's teeth to be a purely esoteric matter. But the consequences of not brushing can be severe: About 70 percent of cats and dogs suffer from teeth and gum problems as early as 2 years of age. Few are privy to the arsenal of brushing, food and snacks that check tartar buildup, veterinary checkups and professional cleaning, which prevent mouth diseases. Some pets are only treated when the problem becomes acute and they develop such symptoms as bad breath, excessive drooling, tooth loss or failure to eat.

"There is a tendency to believe that dogs and cats do not suffer from toothaches, and they therefore are treated two, three or even four years too late," warns Dr. Hanny Retzkin, a veterinarian who specializes in pet dentistry. "The truth is that they suffer from the same pain humans feel. That has been proven in research. But they don't express their suffering to the same extent."

There are several reasons for this. "Animals do not understand that if they express pain, they will get treated. And more importantly, they do not permit themselves to express weakness because in nature weaker animals are banished from the pack."

The result is that they will do anything to continue to eat and maintain an air of "business as usual" - despite chronic pain. In certain cases, pets can turn aggressive in response to pain.

The problem begins with a lack of awareness on the part of pet owners. "The mouth is concealed from view, and it's as if what is not seen does not exist," says Retzkin. "It is usually enough to lift the lip and peek inside. Sometimes where the teeth meet the gums, you see a conspicuous buildup of tartar, which should be removed before a gum infection develops."

The repertoire of dental treatment for pets includes filling cavities but, unlike in humans, this is a rare intervention because pets eat a low-sugar diet. Only 7 percent of dogs suffer from tooth decay. Root canals are much more common. "A root canal is mainly performed to repair broken teeth," says Retzkin. "If the fracture reaches the tooth's nerve and blood supply, bacteria from the mouth begin to penetrate toward the bone, and we have to address that. In the past, they would have extracted the tooth. But now we can preserve it with a root canal."

And what about crowns?

"You can put in a crown, but we usually prefer to avoid that because of financial costs and also because a crown may break," says Retzkin.

Veterinary orthodontia is another developing field, but its objective is not aesthetic. "In a case where the bite is irregular, as in cases of invasive fangs, we fit the animal with braces to straighten the teeth." Other treatments, all obviously done under general anaesthesia, include gum surgery, surgery to repair jaw fractures and tooth extraction. Extraction is one answer to chronically-infected gums, which fail to respond to other treatment. It seems drastic but is effective. "Our goal is to ensure that the gums and the bone underneath remain healthy. Dogs and cats that lack teeth continue to eat dry food without any difficulty because they chew less than humans," says Retzkin.

The Eukanuba company is sponsoring a campaign which includes free dental examinations from February 15 to March 14 in 10 clinics across the country: the Mazon Lehai and Histadrut clinics in Holon; Dr. Tali Sha'ani's clinic in Petah Tikva; Dr. Amir Segal's clinics in Ramat Hasharon and Ra'anana; the Veterinary Hospital in Be'er Sheva; the Veterinary Center in Gan Yavne, and veterinary clinics in Dimona and Arad. Every pet owner will get a coupon for 50 percent off a 3 kilogram bag of Eukanuba pet food which, according to manufacturers, prevents tartar buildup.

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