oral hygiene especially among pets is often overlooked and over a period of time it can take a toll on your pets health pet dental health experts tell us more encouraging pet parents to train their furry friends early on to get into a brushing routine so that it becomes part of their daily lives make it a habit to brush your pets teethpet dental health experts believe the sooner pets get into the habit of brushing regularly the better it is in the long run akshata ubale a veterinarian shares its important to introduce pets at a young age to a brushing routine so that they get used to the idea pet parents can use soft toothbrushes and a dog toothpaste to brush their pets teeth at least two to three times a week cats on the other hand tend to be more strongwilled and are likely not to let you brush their teeth so you will have to rely on toys that help them get rid of the food residue if you are not comfortable brushing your pets teeth at home you can avail of grooming services at a pet salon many of which also clean your pets teeth disha tanna whose pet salon offers such services adds we generally recommend that a pet owner brushes their pets teeth every alternate day you can also bring your pet to a salon who will do this for you once a week you can then follow the same ensuring that you brush your pets teeth at least twice a week or every alternate day and this is vital because pet oral hygiene if neglected can lead to buildup of bacteria in the mouth which can cause heart and kidney disease in older dogs bad oral hygiene can cause periodontal disease in petsapart from heart and kidney disease having bad oral hygiene can also lead to periodontal disease in pets which is an extremely painful condition dr mitali barve a veterinary physician with expertise in dentistry says basic oral hygiene is almost the same for dogs and cats the first step is to recognise signs of dental disease formation lookout for a yellow film on the teeth bad breath excessive drooling all these signs show up after the age of two or three years if oral hygiene is not maintained when they are puppies or kittens decaying food matter in the mouth gives rises to microorganisms and these can cause kidney heart and liver problems in the long run apart from a brushing routine dental chews that cause grinding of the teeth can prevent tartar and plaque buildup if ignored it can lead to periodontal disease in dogs and cats which can affect the gums and roots and can be very painful as a result your dog may avoid eating hard or chewy foodsigns of periodontal diseasebad breath and appearance of yellow or brown patches on the teeth bleeding gums excessive salivation and refusal to eat hard food are all signs