| Dental Hygiene for Greyhounds |
By Glenda Taylor  How are your teeth? Hopefully, you were reared by parents who insisted that you brush your teeth after every meal or, at a minimum, twice a day. Our rescued greyhounds are not so fortunate. While racing, they have no one to oversee their dental welfare. Anyone who does turnout at the kennel can attest that many of our rescued dogs come to us with tarter encrusted teeth. Owners and trainers have only one objective: Their dogs grab that winning purse. Website research shows that racing greyhounds are fed raw substandard 4-D meat. The ‘D’ stands for dying, diseased, disabled and dead livestock. This diet continually exposes the dogs to serious pathogens such as Salmonella and e-coli, but the racing industry continues to feed 4-D meat to the dogs because it is the most economically feasible at this time. Although it is true that 4-D meat is used to make pet food, there is one important difference: The meat is cooked to remove disease-producing bacteria. Racing dogs are fed 4-D meat raw because many trainers believe this causes them to run faster. Racing greyhounds are not given bones to chew on and no attention to dental care is provided by the racing industry, meaning that greyhounds receive no dental care for the first three or four years of their lives. According to 1998 research from Veterinary Clinics of North America, lack of dental hygiene can produce long-term health issues for a greyhound. Neglect of a greyhound’s teeth can cause periodontal disease; a bacterial infection and inflammation of the gums, especially at the margins of the teeth where tartar accumulates. Gums are red and swollen, bleed easily when touched and probably painful to the dog when eating. This disease can also lead to tooth abscesses and bone loss around the roots of the teeth resulting in tooth loss, infections, or inflammation, throat infections, halitosis, and a predisposition to bacterial pneumonia. Periodontal disease may also affect the long-term overall health of the dog, including inflammation in the liver and kidneys and thickening of the walls of the small blood vessels in the heart. Prevention of periodontal disease includes professional dental for the greyhound followed by regular oral hygiene and periodic follow-up for professional cleanings as needed. Five years ago, my dentist recommended, and I purchased, an electric toothbrush. What a difference -- I love it. Every day my teeth feel as though I’ve just had a professional cleaning. So why not share this with my hound Beamer and whatever other greyhound I’m currently fostering? I’ve purchased an additional tooth brush head for my dogs and doggie tooth paste. I set the toothbrush on the low level and off we go. If you love your wonderful greyhounds -- do them a favor and brush their teeth regularly. Glenda Taylor is AGR’s grants coordinator. She also writes those fabulous descriptions you read on the available hounds’ page. Because of Glenda’s dental research along with Angy Shearer, fundraising director, AGR received a dental grant from Red Acres Foundation and a generous adopter contributes monthly to the dental fund. |