Provided by Your Pet Magazine

When you kiss your pet on the nose it's not just a sign of affection, you also get close enough to check your pet's breath and dental health!

Most dirty teeth go unnoticed until heart problems (in dogs) and kidney problems (in cats) tell you it has already been serious for some time. Owners who kiss their pets or cuddle them on their shoulders are the ones most likely to notice the problem and get help. If your pet's teeth are brown, then something must be done.

All teeth need to be cleaned. There are several diets that contain either fibre to clean the teeth or compounds to reduce tartar build up. Most soft foods not only don't clean, but leave behind debris which gets the tartar started. If you feed your pet a soft food diet, then you or your vet will need to clean its teeth regularly or give it raw bones or some other chew.

There are a wide range of teeth cleaning chews for dogs, but owners will need to clean their cat's teeth unless chicken wings or enzymatic chews are enjoyed.

As with all products, it's important to read the feeding instructions on the label.  But if you need to change your cat's diet or introduce a new product, hunger is the best encouragement. Try skipping all food the day before trying the new diet.

If these eating/cleaning habits are not developed early in a puppy's or kitten's life the change is harder to make, especially with cats.  Of course you can start kissing your pet early too!

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