You MUST Know These Things About German Shepherd Dental Hygiene!

Hello German Shepherd lovers, welcome to K9 SuperHeroes, my name is David.

Coming at you with German Shepherd Super Tip #2 with somethings you MUST know these things about German Dental Health.

As we all know, German Shepherds require a lot of care in all areas. And like humans, dental care is no exception and can sometimes be tricky.

We want to make sure our German Shepherd has a healthy mouth and we want to feel comforted by the fact there is nothing sinister happening to our German Shepherd's health in general.

Sometimes it can be hard to know what to spot or what the potential dangers can be.

Firstly, Let’s talk about some common German Shepherd teeth and mouth problems you need to look out for.

They may suffer from some of these common dental issues, the first one is plaque & tartar, what is that?

So plaque is a film that develops on your GSD’s teeth, a build-up of plaque on your dog’s teeth can do worse than just give them smelly breath.

If left unchecked plaque on your dog’s teeth plaque will develop into tartar, this can cause pain, can cause gum disease, it can cause tooth loss and it can cause infections, abscesses, and in even worst cases, it can develop into heart disease.

The second one is gingivitis, gingivitis is an inflammation of your German Shepherds gums.

And the early stages of gum disease, it’s very common in dogs and is treatable.

Although if left untreated it can develop into advanced periodontal disease, which can lead to teeth lost together.

Gingivitis is caused by, bacteria that accumulate due to plaque and tartar build-up.

The inflammation of the gums may become more severe and painful and the gums may even start to bleed, so look out for that.

The third one is periodontitis disease, which is the most common infectious disease of adult German Shepherds altogether.

It is a progressive cyclical inflammatory disease of the supporting structures of the teeth and is the main cause of dogs' dental disease and early tooth loss.

Another give away is halitosis (bad breath) is a sign of periodontal disease, again, if a German shepherd’s teeth are not brushed properly, it can lead to plaque and tartar buildup which causes dog halitosis (bad breath).

In some cases, it could be a symptom of internal organ damage as well.

So that’s some of the problems out there, they can be pretty severe if left untreated.

Let’s have a look at what some of the giveaways which you MUST know.

These things are your German Shepherd gum color. The gum color can tell you a lot about their health.

If the color of your German Shepherd’s gums suddenly changes it can indicate illness.

Therefore it is imperative to take a look at your German Shepherd’s gum every so often and talk to your vet as soon as possible if something does change.

The following colors can indicate health issues, so the first one is pale/white.

Anemia is the leading cause of pale/white gums in dogs it is caused by internal or external bleeding or infections, other reasons for pale gums include shock, liver shunt, and dehydration.

Slightly red gums can be an indication of gingivitis or inflammation of the gums].

Then you’ve got bright, blood-red gums that can be an indication of exposure to toxins or heat stroke.

And yellow, if your German Shepherd dog has yellow gums that can be a sign of leptospirosis, a bacterial infection that can be passed to humans.

Another reason could be jaundice which can be a sign of liver disease so make sure that you keep an eye out on your German Shepherd’s gums and because it can be pretty severe, so keep an eye out for that.

Now, it's going to take some work to remember to do this but too many dog owners leave the teeth in a bad state for too long that can develop into something nasty.

Obviously, remember to clean their teeth 2–3 times a week when they are 6 weeks +.

Focus on the outside surfaces of the teeth, because the dog’s tongue can clean the inner surfaces. If you notice a tartar build-up you may need to use a dental scaler to scrape it away.

If you do this and get on top of anything of the colors that don’t look right with your vet early, you can significantly improve their dental hygiene and you can be sure there’s nothing sinister festering in your German Shepherd's mouth.

So that’s all for today guys, I hope that was useful for you.

Make sure you check out our article on 5 Simple Tricks for Healthy German Shepherd Teeth.

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What I’d like to know is, What problems have your GSD had with their dental Hygiene and how did you overcome them?

And remember, when we change ourselves, we change their worlds.