Companion Animal Dental Health and Welfare

Dental disease is the most common health condition in companion animals yet remains widely undertreated, causing chronic pain millions of pets endure silently.

Key Facts

Up to 80 percent of dogs and cats over 3 years old have some degree of dental disease
Pets rarely show obvious signs of tooth pain due to evolutionary masking of vulnerability
Untreated dental disease causes chronic pain, difficulty eating, and systemic health problems
Professional dental cleaning requires general anesthesia which many owners avoid due to cost
Regular tooth brushing is the most effective preventive measure available to pet owners

Welfare Considerations

Companion animal dental welfare represents one of the most significant unrecognized sources of chronic pain in domestic animals. Dental disease causes constant, low-grade pain that pets are evolutionarily adapted to hide. Owners often assume their pet would show signs if they were hurting, but this assumption leads to years of unreported suffering. The welfare solution requires both improved veterinary communication about dental disease and owner education that normalizes preventive dental care as a welfare obligation.

What You Can Do

Brush your pets teeth daily or at minimum several times per week from a young age
Schedule annual dental examinations with your veterinarian including mouth assessment
Do not avoid recommended dental procedures due to anesthesia concerns without veterinary discussion
Learn to recognize subtle signs of dental pain including reduced chewing and head tilting