This is funny. I've heard of dogs eating just about anything
and everything. The other day a dog owner called to say
that they could not find their false teeth. (I have to admit -
the receptionist could not understand him - I guess he didn't
have his teeth in.)

He wasn't sure whether his dog could have eaten them, so
he brought the dog in for an X-ray. Sure enough, we could
see little teeth floating around inside of this dog! Just when
you think you've seen it all...

So maybe this dog wanted some false teeth of his own? I'm
joking of course, but this did bring up a funny image in my
head of a dog with false teeth. We all had a good laugh over
that one.

Have you ever wondered what your dog might look like with
false teeth? It's funny because Pedigree actually has a
feature now on their website where you can upload a picture
of your dog and put false teeth him - so of course we had to
do it. If you want to check it out, go to "Denture Your Dog".

Go to:
http://www.pedigree.com/oralcare/denture-your-dog.aspx

All joking aside - I'd like to make two serious points today.

1. You never know what dogs will eat. Keep things picked up
as much as possible. The dog that swallowed those false
teeth was lucky - he had chewed the dentures up enough
that he was able to pass them through his intestines. Other
dogs may not be as lucky and could very well require
life-saving surgery.

2. Over 80% of dogs have dental disease or gum disease. In
fact, this is one of the most common diseases in dogs. The
best way to help prevent this disease is to brush your dog's
teeth and to give your dog treats that help reduce tartar.
These tartar-control treats can be very effective.
So... keep your dog healthy and safe. Brush his teeth or give
a special treat that helps control tartar!

Until next time,

Dr. Jon