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| Believe it or not, just like you, your pet needs dental care. Just like you brush your teeth at home and visit your dentist on a regular basis, your pet needs at-home care and in-office checkups with your veterinarian! Without it, your pet runs the risk of plaque and tartar build-up, gingivitis, and/or periodontal disease.
Plaque is an invisible film that forms on teeth. It contains large amounts of bacteria, and, if left unchecked, will build up, causing infection, destroying gums, and resulting in the loss of the tissues and bone that support the teeth. With preventative oral care, however, you can help reduce plaque formation and also help maintain proper oral health for the duration of your pet's life. |
All pets have a potential for developing dental issues. If your pet displays any of the warning signs listed here, serious periodontal disease may be present, so don't wait for these signs: start a program of preventative care today!
- Brownish-yellow buildup on teeth
- Bleeding gums
- Not eating at the food bowl
- A change in chewing or eating habits
- Loss of teeth
- Behavioral change
- Excessive drooling
- Dropping food out of the mouth
- Swallowing food without chewing
- Poor oral hygiene
- Ignoring the condition of your pet's mouth can lead to periodontal disease, tooth loss, and other, more serious health problems, such as heart, liver, and kidney failure
- Breed
- Smaller dog breeds and certain cat breeds run a higher-than-normal risk of periodontal disease
- Age
- Periodontal disease is more common as pets grow older
- Start early! Begin a brushing program early and gradually, as the training may take several days or weeks
- Familiarize your pet with brushing by rubbing your finger over the pet's mouth and teeth. Dipping your finger in beef bouillon (for dogs) or tuna water (for cats) may make the process more enjoyable. Keep these sessions brief, and be positive with your pet
- After your pet is comfortable having your finger in his/her mouth, repeat the process, but with gauze on your finger; rub the teeth in a circular motion
- Before graduating to a soft-bristle toothbrush, put a small amount of pet-specific toothpaste on your finger and allow the pet to taste it. Do not use toothpaste designed for humans, as it contains ingredients that may upset your pet's stomach
- As a last step, apply a small amount of pet toothpaste on a moist toothbrush and allow your pet to lick the bristles. Begin by brushing gently at a 45-degree angle away from the gumline
- Visit your veterinarian
- All regular exams at the Green Bay and Allouez Animal Hospital include a thorough dental exam. If we find signs of disease, we will recommend a treatment plan. For the overall health of your pet, it is important that we take care of any dental problems that we find. We will also recommend a home-care plan that is a key part of keeping your pet healthy.
- Start an Oral Care Routine at Home
- Plaque should be removed from your pet's teeth every day before it mineralizes into tartar. Brushing your pet's teeth properly every day will remove plaque buildup. Ask us about the best methods of home care for your pet.
- Schedule Regular Dental Checkups
- We monitor the progress of your pet's preventative program, so regular dental checkups are essential, just as twice-a-year checkups are important for people. For pets that form tartar quickly or those with a history of oral problems, frequent examinations and cleanings may be advised.
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Canine heartworm disease is a potentially deadly infection, caused by worms (Dirofilaria immitis) that may grow to be 14-inch-long
adults. These worms live in the right side of the heart and arteries of the lungs. Dogs of any age and breed are susceptible to
infection. Heartworm infection can cause potentially serious damage to these arteries, eventually leading to heart failure,
and in severe cases, damage other organs such as the liver and kidneys. In extreme cases, a dog can be infected with several
hundred heartworms. Cats are also susceptible to the disease.
Coinciding with mosquito season, heartworm disease is spread by mosquitoes that become infected with microfilariae while taking
a blood meal from an infected dog. The microfilariae mature into the infective larval stage within the mosquito. When the
mosquito then bites another dog, cat, or susceptible animal, it then passes the larvae into the animal’s blood stream
through the bite wound, resulting in heartworm infection. It then takes a little over six months for the infective larvae
to mature into adult worms that can live for five to seven years in the dog.
For both dogs and cats, clinical signs of heartworm disease may not be recognized in the early stages, as heartworms tend to
accumulate gradually over a period of months and sometimes years and after repeated mosquito bites.
In dogs, recently infected animals may exhibit no signs of the disease, while heavily infected animals may eventually show
clinical signs, including mild, persistent cough, reluctance to move or exercise, tiredness after only moderate exercise,
reduced appetite, and weight loss.
Cats may exhibit clinical signs that are very non-specific, mimicking many other feline diseases. Chronic clinical
signs include vomiting, gagging, difficulty breathing or rapid breathing, lethargy and weight loss.
Detection of heartworm infection in apparently healthy animals is usually made with blood tests for microfilariae or a
heartworm substance called an “antigen”, although neither test is consistently positive until about seven months after
infection has occurred.
Heartworm infection may also be detected through x-ray and/or ultrasound images of the heart and lungs, although
these tests are usually used in animals that are known to be infected.
Because heartworm disease is completely preventable, the American Heartworm Society (AHS) recommends that pet owners take
steps now to talk to their veterinarian about how to best protect their pets from this dangerous disease. According to the AHS,
heartworm prevention is safe, easy and inexpensive compared to treating a dog or cat after worms have matured into adults.
While treatment for heartworm disease is possible, it is a complicated and expensive process, taking weeks for infected
animals to recover.
There are a variety of options for the prevention of heartworm infection for dogs, including daily and monthly tablets
and chewables, monthly topicals or an injectable administered by your veterinarian that provides protection for six months.
For cats there are monthly tablets or a topical solution. All of these methods are extremely effective and when administered
properly on a timely schedule, heartworm infection can be completely prevented.
In dogs, most cases of heartworm disease can be successfully treated with a drug called an adulticide that is injected into the muscle.
A series of injections are given to dogs that have received a thorough examination to assess the risk of the treatment. Hospitalization
is usually recommended during treatment, but treatment can also be performed on an outpatient basis. During the duration of the recovery
period lasting one to two months, it is recommended that exercise for the pet be limited to leash walking, decreasing the risk of
partial or complete blockage of blood flow through the lungs by dead worms.
Dogs in heart failure and those with caval syndrome (a form of liver failure) require special attention. Administering a
heartworm preventative prevents reinfection. Some preventatives also eliminate the microfilariae if they are present.
Currently, there are no products in the United States approved for the treatment of heartworm infection in cats. Cats have
proven to be more resistant hosts to heartworm than dogs, and often appear to be able to rid themselves of infection spontaneously.
In severe cases of the disease, veterinarians will treat an infected cat with supportive therapy measures.
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