An oral exam will help determine the answer to your question and is usually pretty easy to perform on our dogs and cats. (At least usually, because a handful of animals don’t like having their mouth handled. If you have one of these dogs or cats, you know who they are and just please be careful!) Here is a list of things you need to look for in your dog or cat’s mouth:
Are the teeth white? Or are they discolored?
Are the gums pale pink? Or are the gums overgrown, red, or bleeding?
Does it smell like mouth? Or does it smell like something frightening, possibly rotten?
Here is a link to a quick video where I show you how to do the exam.
Because February is national pet dental month, many veterinarians are offering special deals as incentive to get your dog or cat’s teeth taken care of. At Healthy PAWsibilities, we too offer special pricing, as well as every dog who gets a dental cleaning in the month of February will go home with a free elk antler handpicked by myself.
Go ahead, have a peek. You might be surprised what you see in there.