Let's See Those Pearly Whites

RAWRRRRRRR. by flickrer trish//gross

February is Pet Dental Health Month, and Dachshunds are in the top breeds of dogs to suffer from periodontal disease according to new data released by Banfield Pet Hospitals.  That's a list we DON'T want to be on!  Excerpt from dvm360:

The breeds at greatest risk for developing periodontal disease include Toy Poodle, Yorkshire Terrier, Maltese, Papillion, Standard Poodle, Pomeranian, Shetland Sheepdog, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Dachshund and Havanese. Data from the survey was generated from a case-control study conducted by Banfield and included 50,000 animals with periodontal disease and 200,000 control animals.
Even more insidious, Klausner says, is the relationship between periodontal disease and other illnesses.
In fact, these data corroborate a very strong link between the presence of periodontal disease and heart disease.
“The worse the periodontal disease was, the stronger the link between endocarditis and cardiomyopathy,” Klausner adds.

Read all the troubling stats at dvm360.  Time to make that appointment.