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"  February is National Pet Dental Health Month! I recently sat down with Greenies, which makes dental treats for dogs and cats and Dr. Brook Niemiec, a veterinary dentist and the President of the Academy of Veterinary Dentistry. While I consider myself a huge dog person (cats are okay, too, I guess) I didn&amp;#039;t realize how much there was to know - and be concerned about - when it comes to the teeth of our furry family member(s). Greenies had some eye opening information from a consumer study of almost 1000 pet owners. It found that 1 in 3 people surveyed think it&amp;#039;s normal for a pet to have stinky breath. Turns out, it&amp;#039;s most definitely not - it&amp;#039;s usually a sign that your pet could have periodontal disease, which in itself is pretty icky, but is even worse when you realize it can be affecting your pet&amp;#039;s overall health. Gum disease in pets can lead to much more serious problems such as diabetes, heart, liver and kidney problems.  I was also unaware that small dogs are more susceptible to gum disease as their mouths are more crowded and they typically don&amp;#039;t chew as much as bigger dogs; the mechanical act of chewing helps &amp;quot;clean&amp;quot; the teeth, although chewing hard objects shouldn&amp;#039;t be encouraged and may actually cause tooth fractures. Have you ever heard that dogs&amp;#039; mouths are cleaner than humans? Another myth! A dog&amp;#039;s mouth has plenty of bacteria, but the microbial profile is different than ours&amp;#039;, so the bacteria&amp;#039;s less likely to infect us. (We&amp;#039;re more likely to get an infection being bit by a fellow human, which hopefully won&amp;#039;t happen!) Perhaps that&amp;#039;s the origin of the idea that dogs&amp;#039; mouths are cleaner.  Armed with this information, Dr. Niemiec and Greenies are on a quest to educate pet owners about the importance of taking care of their pets&amp;#039; teeth. They encourage pet owners to be more proactive, brushing their pets&amp;#039; teeth on a regular basis. Dr. Niemec recommends starting pets at an early age and making it rewarding (condition them by rewarding regularly with a treat afterward) so they learn to like the process. Functional treats like those from Greenies can also be helpful. While dogs and cats can enjoy gettin&amp;#039; their chew on, the shape of the treats help mechanically scrub the teeth while providing essential protein and vitamins.   "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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