Aging Dog - Dental problems

Question
Our lab is 13 years old and we just noticed in the past 2 weeks that his breath has gotten significantly worse and that he is eating a bit slower.  Tonight while playing with him he yelped.  We looked into his mouth and noticed that one of his molars looks bad.  We will make an appointment for the vet tomorrow, but are wondering if we can give him orajel to help him with the discomfort in the meantime.

Answer
Hi Liza,

Yes, you can use Orajel on your dog until he can be seen by your vet.

Even though your dog is a mature 13 years, after he's had his dental work done (which might be an extraction and a cleaning) you should start brushing your dog's teeth. This will help prevent future decay.

Besides the avoiding the obvious smells of oral decay, when your dog's teeth are ignored it can cause organ failure when left untreated. Bad teeth and especially bad gums (gingivitis) allow bacteria to directly enter the bloodstream, causing septicemia (a serious, life-threatening infection that gets worse very quickly). The bacteria may infect any organ, especially kidney, liver, and heart, leading to organ failure and death. Dental disease can be very painful too- if you've ever had any dental problems you know what it feels like.

Ask your vet to show you how to brush your dog's teeth, or read about it here:
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1653&articleid=384

Best of luck,
Patti