Can probiotics help your pets dental health?
The so called good bacteria and better dental health connection…
Is it really a thing?
Turns out yes, and the microbes that populate your dog and cat’s mouth can have NOT only a dramatic impact on their dental health, but also on serious disease prevention, such as heart disease.
You should be supplementing with a probiotic.
An easy way to do that… .
For dogs: www.thedogsupplement.com
For cats: www.thecatsupplement.com
Can Probiotics help your dog and cat have better teeth and gums?
Probiotics, for people, dogs and cats have received a tonne of attention initially for gastrointestinal (G.I.) issues. A healthy gut is essential for overall good systemic health. The gut microbiome is the “ecosystem” of the G.I. tract. Nourishing and supporting the gut microbiome is a way to improve digestive and overall health. In fact over 70% of the immune system is located in the gut – these probiotics really are critical to your pet’s health.
Are Probiotics OK for Dogs and Cats?
In a healthy dog and cat gut, good bacteria break down food particles and can help with digestion. If a gut is imbalanced, harmful bacteria can lead to G.I. abnormalities such as diarrhea, flatulence, poor or excessive appetite, and ill thrift appearance. A probiotic specially formulated for dogs can be beneficial to restore and maintain the balance of good and bad bacteria.
Probiotics & Pet Dental Health
The oral cavity, which is the first part of the digestive tract, also has a unique microbiome. Periodontal disease disrupts the normal oral flora due to chronic inflammation.
Common clinical signs of periodontal disease include:
* halitosis (bad breath)
* gingivitis
* red bleeding gums
* increased plaque
* rapid build up of tartar
* loose teeth
Oral Health is Serious Business
Studies have suggested that oral bacteria and the inflammation of periodontitis could play a role in some serious health issues and diseases, including:
* Endocarditis (heart infection)
* Cardiovascular disease
* Pneumonia
* Diabetes
* Affect the immune system
* Cognitive dysfunction
Using a probiotic can help minimize the microbiome’s disruption, which leads to the rapid progression of periodontal disease. A probiotic is a valuable part of the home care arsenal in minimizing periodontal disease.
Probiotics have received attention for oral health in human dentistry. The benefits of probiotics noted in human dentistry include managing dental caries, periodontal disease, halitosis, and even oral cancer.
Although probiotics are not a cure for oral cancer, they have been used to improve and maintain oral health during cancer treatment and recovery. Oral health exists when the microbiome and host are in equilibrium. With the disruption of the normal flora due to oral disease, dysbiosis can lead to increased progression of periodontal disease and additional G.I. signs.
Best Wishes,
Dr Andrew
P.S. Many people are finding probiotics to be very beneficial for dental disease, and this is now translating over to dogs and cats. For instance WHY is it that 2 dogs who have the same diet/treats, and also appear to chew their food the same, can have very different amounts of dental tartar?
My dog Tula is a great chewer, but has dental tartar quickly building up shortly after a dental. My last dog Lewis ate much quicker, sometimes inhaling his food, and hardly had any dental disease.
I think a BIG key is the right bacteria in the mouth preventing this from happening.
P.P.S. An easy way to help…
I have a 10 year old Maltese. We give him dental chews and Dr jones ultimate canine supplement plus digestive enzymes and Dr jones anxiety chew as well. We brush his teeth as well 3 x s a week.
However most his teeth are white excepts his cuspids.he will not allow us to scrape this off and he has light pal he on the front teeth. I will order the plaque off chews too but my question is do we still take him to the vet to get a cleaning scale and polish or wait and see if these additional cleaning products a chance to work or do we get his vet cleaning. My concern is he is 10 years old and the last time we had this done he was probably only 5 years old and it took him 3 days to eat again. Since then we changed his diet and he gets lots of extra help as I stated above so I’m reluctant to get them vet cleaned and hoping the tarter on the cuspids will fall off but I’m not sure if it’s worth the risk of infection. I keep close eye on his teeth watching for any redness soreness or worsening conditions. Any suggestions on this matter. Thank You!!
Hi Donna, Dr. Jones is moving away from suggesting Plaque Off, as he hasn’t seen good results with it. Are you giving your dog any raw bones, or dental bone treats? If you are not comfortable with giving raw bones, there are many good dental chewables out now that work very well, ones with oyster shells / etc that are abrasive and do really help.