By brushing your teeth, an animal is often understood to mean radically different procedures. For example, when talking about cleaning, some people mean using a brush at home. Others, recalling the need to brush their teeth to their pet, have in mind the removal of plaque and stone, that is, a professional dental procedure that cannot be carried out independently.
Do I need to clean?
Thinking about how to brush a cat’s teeth, many people involuntarily ask themselves whether it is necessary to do this. Indeed, the cats living with grandparents did without any toothbrushing throughout their lives and felt great.
On the one hand, this is indeed true. Not every animal needs a similar procedure. However, most domestic cats need it. The cats that lived with grandparents ate differently, almost all had the opportunity to walk. That is, their lifestyle, and, accordingly, their health, differed from what today's owners of animals have to face.
Uncleaned teeth can cause serious diseases, such as stomatitis. Often, cats with plaque and stone develop fluxes. Persian breeds are especially prone to oral health problems. Accordingly, cats need to brush their teeth. And regularly, without waiting for the moment when there is a need for professional cleaning or treatment.
What does the lack of cleaning lead to?
A cat is also required to brush his teeth to prevent various diseases. The first thing that threatens the animal in the absence of regular brushing is the pathology of the oral cavity, various inflammations, including purulent ones, tooth decay and tooth loss.
But the effects of a lack of cleansing are not limited to the oral cavity. Propagation of pathogenic microorganisms on the gums leads to:
- the development of tumors in the mouth and throat;
- disturbances in the functionality of the digestive system;
- weakening of the immune forces;
- metabolic problems.
Disorders of the digestive system are not only dysbacteriosis, which inevitably leads to the constant ingestion of pathogenic flora from the mouth. It is also constipation, disruption in the processes of digestion and assimilation of food. With diseased teeth and gums, cats are not able to bite off normally, respectively, unnecessarily large pieces of food are swallowed. This causes pathologies in the digestive system.
Metabolic problems are expressed in allergies, vitamin deficiencies, obesity or, conversely, dystrophy. This is due to pathogenic microorganisms on the gums, which appear due to the presence of food debris in the mouth, which, of course, decay.
How to clean?
How to brush a cat’s teeth at home? Of course, a powder, paste or dental gel for animals that are sold in any of the veterinary pharmacies or just at pet stores. Pastes for animals are not suitable for people, because they can cause digestive upset.
In addition to hygiene products, brushes are also required. The toothbrush for cats will be optimal, but not every animal can be accustomed to it. Reflexively, seals begin to "catch" a brush, that is, play with it. The most common action - grasping the brush or hands of the owner with the front paws, biting and beating back. This behavior is the biggest difficulty in how to brush a cat’s teeth.
If the pet behaves this way, then you can use the brushes worn on the finger. They are also among the assortment of pet products. Or take a piece of dense, rough, but not coarse cloth and use it as a brush.
Is there an alternative?
In how to brush a cat’s teeth at home, alternatives to traditional brushes and pastes are very popular. These are all kinds of dry "bones" and "sticks", positioned by manufacturers as a means to clean the teeth of pets.
This option is very good, because it does not require efforts from the owners and provides the cat with oral hygiene. Such funds are especially in demand among owners of adult animals who are not accustomed to the cleaning procedure since childhood.
But sticks and bones are not suitable for every cat. Some animals do not bite them, but simply eat them. If a pet does just that, then these options for cleaning the oral cavity are not suitable for him.
How to do it?
Not every owner imagines how to brush a cat’s teeth. The ideal option is to gradually accustom the kitten to this procedure, which consists of introducing the baby to the objects for grooming, cleaning the front teeth, then the fangs and finally the remaining ones. The hygiene process should be perceived by the animal calmly, as well as combing or cleaning the ears. However, the kitten should not be allowed to perceive the owner’s actions as a game.
How to brush a cat’s teeth? Difficulties usually arise if the cat is adult and not accustomed to the procedure. In this situation, the owners will need to stock up not only with hygiene products, but also with patience. Attentiveness to the animal will not be out of place. Often, seals do not accept a certain fragrance or taste of hygiene products, but not the procedure itself.
The procedure for cleaning and accustoming to it is the same as for kittens. Start with the front teeth. There is no need to make a significant event out of the process, on the contrary, the first time should be held as if by chance, for example, while watching a movie when the cat is picked up. With softness and gradual accustoming, even the most capricious animal will calmly relate to cleaning, perceiving it as stroking.
The animal cannot be forced. Neither a kitten nor an adult. The use of retention, swaddling, or other tricks used by the owners of obstinate seals will only cause a persistent rejection of the procedure. The animal will not get used to it, as many people think, but, on the contrary, it will begin to resist more actively each time or even hide at all, noticing a brush in the person’s hands.
What is the cleaning procedure?
The procedure for cleaning the teeth of the animal is arbitrary. You should act on the basis of convenience - both your own and feline. As a rule, cleaning begins with the front teeth of the upper jaw or fangs. Gradually move to distant teeth.
Whatever the order of cleaning, it is important when performing the procedure that it is not just symbolic to brush or rag the surface of the tooth. It is necessary to clean the tooth line and remember the gums. It is important to clean the gum tissue behind the cat’s cheeks and, of course, from the inside.
Brush the teeth of animals 1-5 times a week. The frequency depends on how much the cat needs this procedure, and on his perception.
What is ultrasonic cleaning?
Ultrasonic tooth brushing for cats is a professional medical procedure that can completely rid a pet's mouth of stone and plaque. This procedure is carried out using a special apparatus - a scaler, in the process the water supply is activated. Water is needed to cool the surface.
Typically, the time it takes to clean up is between half an hour and a half. The duration of the procedure depends entirely on the degree of neglect of plaque and stone in the cat's mouth. Cleaning is carried out once, and after it there is no plaque even in the most inaccessible places. While maintaining hygiene, a repeat of the procedure is not required.
On average, the cost of cleaning in a veterinary office exceeds a thousand rubles. But the prices are different. The severity of the oral cavity and the use of anesthesia affect them.
Is anesthesia necessary?
Many owners refuse anesthesia. They do this for various reasons. Someone - from economy, while others are convinced of the dangers of an injection. Teeth cleaning a cat without anesthesia, in a veterinarian's office, by a stranger, using a device and pouring cold water pouring through its mouth is a great stress for an animal.
The harm from those inevitable experiences, from fear, pain and inability to escape is much stronger than from the introduction of the drug into the blood. Moreover, the doctor is unlikely to be able to perform high-quality cleaning if the animal begins to wheeze and try to at least somehow resist the manipulations. For these reasons, anesthesia is necessary.
Most clinics use light sparing drugs such as Propofol. The medicine does not cause side effects. In addition, before its introduction in a hospital for animals, a pet must be examined.
How to prepare a cat for cleaning?
Toothbrushing a cat with ultrasound is a medical procedure, accordingly, you need to prepare for it.
Preparation for the procedure includes blood tests:
- biochemical;
- clinical;
- in common.
Other procedures are performed according to indications, for example, ultrasound of the heart muscle. This is necessary in order to correctly select the anesthetic drug and calculate its dosage, which will avoid the risk of complications.
You can’t feed the cat before cleaning. The last time you can eat an animal is 12 hours before the procedure. Drinking should be stopped an hour before the manipulation.