Connection between dental problems & diabetes ??

[Nancy K]

Just wondering if others have noticed a connection with this in their furry friends ? Reason I ask is b/c MY dentist saw a big change in my dental health earlier this year (and I was having some severe issues - ended up having 1 extraction - things are better but still fragile) and asked me if I was by any chance diabetic. Since my father was Type 2, I went immediately to my doc for wellness check. Sure enough my numbers had just barely edged into what was termed 'pre-diabetic' range. Everything else looked good.

One year ago, when Kohl visited the vet, she recommended dental treatment: an overnight/anesthesia/cleaning & check up for Kohl which I did not do due to his already being so stressed out last summer (awful neighbor cats encroaching our yard/dog bite from off-leash animal invading the yard one day/ongoing remodeling inside and outside repairs due to 70ft fir tree having fallen on the house Jan 2015). We were both stressed and of course the expense of all the tree repair was horrendous. Anyway, I am severely regretting not having worked in that dental exam over the winter somehow. Busy working to pay for everything, but still no excuse :-( His BG was 139 last summer when he went in for dog bite treatment and got full a senior blood panel btw.

 

[JanetNJ]

I think it has to do with sugars in the blood. Sugar and teeth are not friends.

 

[PlumsMom]

Yes, and Plum is scheduled for a dental (and at least 3 extractions) next Friday. Meanwhile, he's been on a low dose antibiotic and his numbers have been steadily trending down. The vet & I are hopeful that getting his mouth in good shape will help him come off insulin entirely. But don't beat yourself up, Nancy - I had no idea Plum's teeth were bad. His breath wasn't terrible and the previous vet never said anything about them.

So sorry to hear about Kohl's dog bite - that sounds very stressful! Hopefully with a little bit of insulin and help here you can get him regulated.