Pet Dental Care at Linwood Animal Clinic

Preventative dental care helps protect your pet and catch problems before they become more serious. At Linwood Animal Clinic, we recommend that pets have a dental exam at least once a year from our veterinary dental specialist. Most pet dental disease occurs below the gums, where you can’t see it. Left untreated, dental disease isn’t just bad for your pet’s teeth; it can damage internal organs, including the heart, liver, and kidneys.

Signs of mouth and tooth disease to look out for:

• Reduced appetite
• Preference for soft food or table scraps over normal hard food
• Chewing on one side of mouth or slow or deliberate chewing
• Reduction in grooming behavior (mostly cats)
• Pawing at mouth/face
• Excessive slobbering/salivation
• More sneezing than normal
• Nasal discharge
• Acting head shy (not allowing petting of head, possible aggression when head touched)

We also recommend at-home dental care including brushing your pet’s teeth regularly which is the single most effective way to maintain dental health between professional dental cleanings.

Click here to see how you can grade your companion’s teeth and gums.