Dental Care | Parasitic Diseases | Preventive Medicine
Do not underestimate the importance of your dental care to your pet's health. Dental disease affects the entire body. It is not just a matter of bad breath and dirty teeth. Many people adopt the attitude of "out of sight, out of mind". If you care for your companion then take care of his/her teeth today and everyday.
PERIODONTAL
DISEASE
Most animals start off life with healthy teeth and gums. Their breath is fresh,
the gums are a healthy even pink and the teeth are shiny and white. Sometime
within the first two or three years of life, changes become apparent. The breath
starts to "smell", the gums have a red line where they meet the teeth
and the teeth develop a brownish deposit. This is no longer a healthy mouth.
Without intervention this condition progresses. The brownish deposit is called
tartar (calculus). It starts as plaque, the soft mushy stuff we see adhering
to teeth. Particles of food, especially soft food, mixed with harmful bacteria
are the basis of plaque. It is not just on the teeth but under the gumline.
Plaque can be removed with careful brushing on a regular basis. If left in place
this plaque becomes mineralized from the components of saliva, this is what
we call tartar. Tartar is very hard and cannot be brushed away once solidified.
As tartar builds up, periodontal disease progresses. The space between the gum
and the tooth becomes filled with this bacteria rich mixture. It wedges in and
breaks down the attachment between the tooth and the boney socket. The gums
become infected and the tooth loosens. This process is detrimental to the entire
body. The infected gums are inflamed and often bleed. Bacteria from the plaque
and tartar can get into the bloodstream and travel to other parts of the body.
The heart valves, kidneys, lungs and other organs can become infected by these
pathogenic organisms. Dental disease is a major threat to the overall wellness
of your pet. Dental disease is avoidable through diligent dental hygiene practices
and treatment of periodontal disease.
PREVENTING DENTAL DISEASE
Dental disease can be prevented. . Excellent dental hygiene and routine dental
cleaning can keep a mouth healthy throughout an animal's life. Brushing your
pet's teeth on a daily basis helps remove soft plaque before it becomes mineralized
and hard. It is important to use special pet toothpaste, as human type paste
can be harmful if swallowed on an ongoing basis. Specially designed toothbrushes
and finger brushes are available to make brushing more comfortable for you and
your pet. Some people use bandaging gauze wrapped around a finger for rubbing
teeth and gums. It is important to start gradually with lots of praise and positive
reinforcement. Once a routine is established it is easy to maintain. If your
pet objects strongly to brushing do not force the issue! There are other options.
Dental chews that have a special enzyme action help work plaque off the teeth
and gumline. Rope toys and dental Bongos are tooth friendly toys that can make
brushing fun. Hills Prescription Diets have a Tooth Diet, "TD", which
helps remove plaque and retards its accumulation. However, before using chews
or dental diets make sure they are suitable for your pets overall dietary needs...
some pets have more than one problem to consider. Professional care plays a
major role in the maintenance of dental health AND the alleviation of existing
dental disease. Even with thorough brushing calculus will develop over time.
In order to properly assess the teeth and gums, remove calculus deposits, clean
the salukis and tooth roots, polish and apply fluoride, and if necessary extract
a tooth general anesthesia is required. A full physical examination should take
place prior to any general anesthesia. Blood tests and x-rays may be necessary
in order to properly assess your pet's health. The information gathered in the
pre anesthetic period helps us assess your pets anaesthetic risk level. It helps
reduce anaesthetic risk by allowing us to choose the safest anesthetic protocol
for your pet. Each animal has individual problems and thus individual requirements.
If an animal is deemed high risk the anesthetic protocol will be changed to
decrease the risks. In addition if there is evidence of gross infection an antibiotic
will be chosen for administration prior to the dental procedure. When infected
gums are worked on there is an increased chance of dislodging bacteria into
the blood stream. The antibiotic will be continued at home for a few days after
the treatment.
At SCVC we ask that animals be food
fasted but allowed access to water before being admitted for general anesthesia.
Once admitted they are given a Pre Anaesthetic injection to help them relax
controls discomfort and increase safety during the induction of anesthesia.
Anesthesia is induced,
a breathing tube is inserted and monitoring devices are put in place. It is
important to monitor an animal during anesthesia so that the anaesthetic can
be altered to match the animal's requirements moment by moment. At SCVC electronic
monitoring devices are utilized by the Veterinarian and a Technician in order
to assure each patients safety. An ultrasonic scalar is used to remove the heavier
deposits of external tartar. Once this is accomplished the mouth is thoroughly
examined. Any teeth that are loose with frank pus in the root will be extracted
at this time. If there is loss of root attachment over one-half the tooth root
length then it is unlikely the tooth will be salvageable. t this point the dental
work that is visible to the eye is complete. Root planing is done next and is
a very important aspect of cleaning teeth. This is when the area beneath the
gumline is scraped clean. This is where pockets of bacteria can be left behind
to grow and flourish. Thorough root planing combined with appropriate antibiotic
therapy helps to slow the recurrence of periodontal disease.
Ultrasonic scaling and the attachment
of tartar leave minute scratches on the tooth surface. These scratches can serve
as a place for plaque to cling to. Because of this they must be smoothed out.
This is done with a dental polisher. The polishing paste, prophy paste, usually
contains fluoride, which also helps maintain the tooth surface. Analgesic medications
are administered to animals that have had extractions or extensive root planing.
The recovery period is closely monitored. Most animals are able to go home the
same day. The interval between professional dental procedures varies from animal
to animal. With careful brushing and early professional intervention, periodontal
disease can be kept under control. By initiating affirmative action at the Early
Gingivitis Stage the more advanced stages of periodontal disease can be avoided.
However, if periodontal disease is allowed to progress, your pet will need its
teeth cleaned more often. The best way to deal with periodontal disease is to
not let it develop in the first place!
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Parasites can often affect both animals and humans. The fact that many of your pet's potential parasites can also affect humans (zoonosis) makes it doubly important to keep your pet parasite free. Diligent routine prevention programs can avoid some parasites. Parasites come in many forms and affect various parts of the body. Geographical location, lifestyle, housing conditions and species play a role in which parasites are likely to be a problem for your pet. The organisms discussed in SCVC's web site are those we need to be aware of in our geographical area.
PARASITE PREVENTION
Through routine screening and the use of safe, effective preventive products
parasites can be kept at bay! Parasites need their host animal in order to exist.
It is not in parasites' best interest to kill its host (although this can, and
does happen), however, they often result in a less than optimal physical condition.
Poor hair coat, inflamed itchy skin, intermittent diarrhea and poor physique
can be markers for parasitism. In many cases the host can appear perfectly normal
while harbouring and spreading these organisms. Fecal parasite examinations
can detect if your pet currently harbours intestinal parasites. If organisms,
or their eggs, are detected upon this microscopic examination appropriate medications
can be dispensed to treat the infection. Blood tests that can be done rapidly
in clinic can detect the presence of heartworm. Flea combs and skin taping can
be used to detect superficial parasites. Skin scraping is required to detect
mites that dwell deep in hair follicles.
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YOUR PET and CONTAGIOUS DISEASES
HEALTHY PETS need conscientious caregivers to provide for their needs. Together,
owner and veterinarian, can develop a wellness plan suited to each pets' specific
needs based on factors such as age, lifestyle and current state of health. As
with ourselves, each pet is an individual...what is appropriate for one pet
is not necessarily so for another. Many of the diseases we are protecting our
pets against are common, untreatable and fatal.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES can occur in pets when they come into contact with harmful viruses or bacteria. These diseases make your pet feel unwell and many of them are fatal! Depending on the organism involved they can be spread by direct pet to pet contact, via objects contaminated with the organism (fomites), via ingestion of contaminated substances or via airborne dissemination.
PREVENTION for many diseases can be provided through a good vaccination program. When a healthy pet is exposed to a safely modified virus or bacteria the immune system responds by producing protective antibodies. These antibodies circulate in the blood for a finite, although often undetermined, period of time protecting the pet against invasion of the wild, virulent form of that organism.
CONTINUED PROTECTION requires repeat vaccinations as the protective response period does not last indefinitely. The timing and frequency of repeat (booster) vaccinations varies with the age of the pet, the organism and the individuals' own response to the vaccination given and the characteristics of the vaccine itself. In many instances the level of a specific antibody present in the blood at any one time can be determined by performing an antibody titer test. However, there is considerable controversy about whether the measurable antibody titre level truly reflects the actual level of protection against disease challenge. Until this issue is fully resolved it is up to each veterinarian and caregiver to determine how much faith to put into antibody titre levels as a measure of disease protection. There is a definite need for more research to be done in this field.
VACCINE REACTIONS must be considered when embarking upon any vaccination program. As in humans, animals may feel sluggish, feverish and have less appetite for a short period of time after vaccination. Many seem to have no adverse reaction at all. Others may exhibit more severe reactions varying from soreness and/or swelling at an injection site, snuffling and/or sneezing after an intra nasal inoculation, vomiting and/or diarrhea, itchiness and/or swelling of ears and face to full development of anaphylaxis, and if no medical intervention is provided, even death.
In cats there is concern over the
increase in incidence of injection site fibrosarcoma. Although some of these
potential reactions are very severe, even fatal, they are also very rare. At
SCVC we have begun to use the newest vaccine technology that decreases or may
in fact eliminate vaccine reactions in cats.
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