Preventing dental disease in companion animals through regular home care is more effective and less costly than treating established disease, with significant welfare benefits across the animal's lifetime.
Companion animal dental prevention welfare reflects the principle that chronic pain prevented is better welfare than chronic pain treated. Dental disease causes pain that animals stoically continue living with, rarely showing obvious distress but experiencing reduced quality of life across years. Daily brushing established from puppyhood or kittenhood prevents the majority of dental disease and the associated welfare costs. The investment in establishing brushing tolerance - which requires patience and positive reinforcement in early life - pays dividends across the entire lifespan of an animal that would otherwise suffer dental disease from middle age.