Oral disease affects 68% of cats and 78% of dogs over the age of three years. Because it’s a common disease with a big potential impact on the Pet-family bond, the BARK team has spent a lot of time researching periodontal disease over the last year. We’ve examined the prevalence and risk factors for diagnosis as well as learned more about how often Pets are receiving dental prophylaxis and therapy in Banfield hospitals. Risk factors for periodontal disease include increasing age and small breed (Toy Poodle, Yorkshire Terrier, Maltese, Pomeranian, Shetland Sheepdog, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Papillion, Standard Poodle, Dachshund, and Havanese). Additionally, we’ve learned that canine periodontal disease is associated with certain cardiovascular diseases (cardiomyopathy and endocarditis).
Despite the fact that strategies for prevention of periodontal disease are fairly straightforward, Pets still suffer from the disease. The most effective strategy is multi-faceted and includes teeth brushing at home, feeding of dental diets or treats, and dental prophylaxis performed by the veterinarian. However, client compliance with brushing is low and we’ve found that there’s a big gap between the number of Pets diagnosed with periodontal disease and those that actually receive dental prophylaxis. That gap can be as large as about 2/3 of all cats or dogs diagnosed with periodontal disease.
Why, despite the prevalence and impact of periodontal disease, are preventive strategies not fully implemented for Pets? Why are the behaviors that people have adopted around their own twice yearly dental care not standard for our Pets? Do Pets (especially cats) hide the pain that they may experience from periodontal disease from us?
As veterinarians do we recommend dental therapy less often than we should? Are there factors like anesthetic risk or cost of therapy that affect your discussion of the diagnosis or treatment with clients? What factors influence your recommendations? What factors affect your clients’ compliance?
We’d love to hear what you think!
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