Gum Disease Can Harm Your Pet's Heart

Gum Disease Can Harm Your Pet's Heart

Believe it or not, gum disease can directly affect the health of your pet's heart.

Gum disease has the opportunity to take hold when you pet's teeth are not kept clean. As tartar and plaque build up along your pet's gum line, the bacteria that cause gum disease are given a place to live and breed. Eventually the gum disease causing bacteria burrow in beneath the gums and multiply undisturbed.

Soon these nasty gum disease bacteria form pockets around the roots of your pet's teeth, causing them to loosen and fall out. But that is not the worst that can happen. The bacterial plaque that causes gum disease has the opportunity to enter your pet's bloodstream, where it will eventually reach the heart.

The gum disease plaque accumulates in the heart until it causes a blockage. At the least, this causes your pet to weaken, and at it's worst, this gum disease plaque can cause a heart attack.

The best way to protect your pet's heart from gum disease bacteria is too keep your pet's teeth free of tartar. Check your pet for these warning signs of early gum disease:

* bad breath
* red, swollen gums
* chalky build up on teeth at the gum line
* loose teeth (other than puppy teeth)

You can prevent gum disease by brushing your pet's teeth once a week, and providing a healthy daily snack such as Greenies Dental Treats for Dogs and Cats to help remove tartar between brushings.

February is National Pet Dental Health Month, but protecting your pet from gum and heart disease should be a daily concern.
 by www.pawshop.com - Your pet gift headquarters