Season 2, Show #4 – Pet dental health

Dr. Tony Winkel joins host Victoria Babu in the studio to discuss pet dental health and answer caller questions.

• Pets suffer dental problems similar to humans.
• February is National Pet Dental Health Month.
• Plaque is film that develops on teeth; tartar is the hard substance that sticks to teeth.
• Tarter can creep below the gum line and create periodontal disease.
• A caller's German Shorthair Pointer has a bad skin condition, with itching, bleeding, etc. What can she do to help?
• Warning signs for pet dental disease include:
  • Bad breath
  • Loose teeth
  • A reluctance to eat
  • Gum bleeding
  • Fractured or broken teeth
  • Any teeth with puss around them
• Inspect your cat or dog's teeth when they're young and get them accustomed to you touching their mouths.
• Purina makes special Dental Diets.
• A caller's dog developed an adverse reaction to the "spray bottle" method of training, and now she doesn't want to train at all. What can the caller do?
• Citronella collars can help control barking. These collars contain little cylinders of citronella liquid, and barking triggers a spray of the liquid. Citronella is non-toxic, but dogs hate the smell of it. Citronella collars are a humane way of stopping pets' barking.
• A caller's five-year-old cat is licking herself bald. What's going on?
• A caller's ten-year-old dog has excessive eye drainage. What can she do to help?
• Trivia question: In 1997, Jack Nicholson starred in a movie called As Good As It Gets along with a cute little dog. What breed of dog was it?
• When brushing pets' teeth, do not use human toothpaste.
• Don't rush the tooth brushing process. Start very slowly, in the front, one or two teeth at a time, and eventually, over months, you'll work up to brushing all their teeth with a pet-safe toothbrush and paste.
• Trivia question answer: Brussels Griffon