How to Detect Peridontal Disease In Your Dog

If regular teeth cleaning is not done to remove plaque and tartar buildup off of your dog's teeth, it can lead to peridontal disease. Just as with humans, peridontal disease can lead to other serious health issues including bacteria infecting the heart, liver, and kidneys of your beloved dog.

Look here to learn what to look for.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A dog
• A watchful eye

1. Bad breath that lasts longer than what would be considered normal after eating something foul smelling.

2. Swollen gums that perhaps are also reddened.

3. Loss of appetite.

4. Excessive salivating.

5. Gums that are starting to part away from the tooth, perhaps going as far as tooth loss.

6. Frequently rubbing their face on things or pawing at their mouth.

7. Show evidence of pain when you mess with their mouth.

8. Visible off-colored buildup on the teeth.

9. Finding blood on things they have chewed on.

Tips & Warnings

• If your dog shows any of these signs, make an appointment with your veterinarian to find out if a good teeth cleaning is in order.
• Do NOT try to scrap excessive buildup off of your dog's teeth yourself. If there is an infection, it is easily transferred into the bloodstream if you don't know what your doing. These dogs often need to be sedated for proper cleanings.

Resources

• Ironwood Kennel - Redbone and English Coonhounds

[SeventhSibling]

on 5/17/2008 Good to know. I'll watch out for this on our six year lab.

[knewf]

on 10/29/2007 Sent your article to a "dog friend" of mine! Great article!