There are a few reasons why your pet may need a tooth extracted. If it is badly decayed and infected and cannot be treated otherwise, if the teeth are badly fractured and the nerve is exposed or if the teeth are mobile which can be caused by periodontal disease and bone loss. Cats can also be affected with resorptive lesions on their teeth or gum line, which need to be extracted before they cause any more health problems.

If you have a dog, you should be able to identify dental disease. If caught early, most dental disease can be helped with a routine dental cleaning and some recommended chews that are helpful in decreasing tartar along with brushing if you are able.  The biggest thing owners complain of when their pet has dental disease is bad breath. Owners may also notice drooling, red and swollen gums, lack of appetite or their pet pawing at the mouth. These are all indicators that your pet is dealing with some sort of mouth problem and should be addressed.

During your pet’s dental cleaning under anesthesia, the veterinarian will do a full mouth examination and decide if an extraction is necessary. Your pet will be under anesthesia already, so they will feel no pain from the affected tooth being professionally extracted. Some teeth are already loose, so they come out with a gentle tug. Your veterinarian may have to work harder on teeth that are infected, but still sturdy and will use a dental bur to cut the tooth. Here at Ash Veterinary Clinic and Emergency Center, after a tooth is extracted we do dental x-rays to ensure that the extraction was successful and the entire root is extracted. Without these x-rays, if a piece of the root has been left, the mouth can develop and even worse infection or abscess.

                After the extraction, to prevent infections and to relieve pain, your veterinarian will prescribe some medications for your pet which include antibiotics and pain medications. Pets heal very quickly in their mouths, so they usually need pain medication for 2-3 days. By the time your pet is awake from anesthesia and ready to go home, they may be ready to eat. Some pets may need a canned or soft diet for 2 to 5 days after the procedure while others go back to eating their hard kibble immediately.

While your pet is on medication, you should ensure that their mouth stays healthy. It does not usually happen, but in some cases, infections can occur. Infections are signaled by local swelling, redness, pain, foul odor, pus and fever. If you notice any of these in your pet after a dental extraction, call your veterinarian immediately.

                Tooth extractions can be prevented if your pet gets regular teeth brushing and dental chews. Be careful using national brand dental treats. They are high in calories and need to be given every day in order for them to be helpful. If the teeth are not properly cleaned, they will be prone to decay. The minerals and bacteria from saliva and food residue can attack the enamel, causing cavities. Tartar deposits can lead to gum and periodontal disease and mobile teeth. The #1 thing to do is to brush your pet’s teeth 2-3 or more times per week. That is not always possible for many reasons. The next best thing is the enzymatic chews, like CET Chews, that you give 2-3 times per week and are extremely effective.

                 Tooth extraction is not always necessary and you should discuss your alternatives with your veterinarian. In some cases, endodontics may be possible to save the tooth, but can be very expensive. Remember that February is National Pet Dental Month. Please call Ash Veterinary Clinic and Emergency Center in Carleton at 734-782-2827 to schedule a dental cleaning or oral exam for your pet. All dental cleanings in February will be receiving the national 20% discount, so make sure to get your pet in before the end of the month!

Examination is the key to diagnosis and helps determine the health of your pet’s teeth and mouth. A pet owner can help by examining their pet’s teeth and oral cavity at least monthly. First smell your dog or cat’s breath. If you sense a disagreeable odor, gum disease may be present. Periodontal disease is the most common ailment of small animals. Gum problems begin when bacteria accumulates at the gumline around the tooth. Unless brushed away daily, these bacteria can destroy tooth supporting bone, cause bleeding, and if untreated, cause tooth loss. Usually the first sign is bad breath. Watch your pet for signs of mouth pain. Have you noticed any changes in chewing or eating habits? A pet with good oral health should have no signs of pain or changes in eating or chewing habits, and minimal or no mouth odor. However, if your pet is experiencing frequent pain or refusing to eat, has changed chewing habits, or has moderate to severe mouth odor, then an oral problem may be the cause. When examining your pet’s mouth, look for chips or fractures on the tooth’s surface. Contrary to their popularity, chewing on cow hooves, rocks, bones or other hard materials may break teeth and sadly cause and infection or blockage.

When and if there is a dental issue, take a trip to see us for a complete exam. At Ash Veterinary Clinic, every patient gets and entire exam by the doctor. We also do complimentary exams on every patient on our vaccine clinic which is every Wednesday from 10-4, walk in.

                Unfortunately, most creatures cannot point to dental abnormalities with their paws, so other tests are usually necessary. Sedation and anesthesia are essential for an adequate evaluation. Modern veterinary medicine, such as ours, offers a wide array of safe and effective anesthetics. Our fully licensed technicians are the individuals who directly aid the doctor for all procedures that require anesthesia. We use our monitoring equipment to ensure the pet is safe while the doctor does an in-depth evaluation when your pet is sleeping to help determine which teeth have disease.  

                When your pet is under anesthesia, your veterinarian will use a periodontal probe. When dogs or cats are affected by periodontal disease, the probe will help the doctor identify diseased teeth or gums. Unfortunately by the time some pets come in for dental care, it is too late to save all of the teeth. Preventative care and periodic checkups should help slow down the loss of additional teeth. Your veterinarian may also take x-rays of abnormal dental conditions. X-rays show the inside of the tooth, just like in humans, below the gum line. Many decisions are based on x-ray findings and then tell you what needs to be done.

Dogs, cats and other pets do not have to suffer the pain and discomfort of untreated broken or loose teeth and infected gums. When you are considering having teeth looked at, cleaned and/or extracted, this is a perfect opportunity to discuss dent issues and costs. This service is one you should ask your veterinarian about and get to know what standards they use during this procedure. The main things to look at is if the doctors and licensed technician are the only ones monitoring anesthesia or are assistants? Do they recommend a blood screen and IV catheter to be placed to make the process safer? These things are the most important to shop on and beware that a drastic difference in cost usually is a result of keeping costs down by not running blood screens, not placing IV catheters or not having the ability to take dental x-rays. Also, lowering cost may exclude the doctor evaluating the teeth before and after the cleaning with the technician who is licensed and trained, rather than an assistant. You should ask any animal hospital the above questions to get a real estimate of a dental procedure.

February is National Pet Dental Month and many veterinary clinics offer a discount for pets receiving services in this month. This is a great time to have your veterinary present a detailed treatment plan for your pet, not just any pet. Also, don’t forget if you are price shopping this service, you really need to have the exact services, line by line, to compare. On the other hand, if you want a direct exam of your pet’s mouth and teeth, you can call us at 734-782-2827 to schedule a free exam! We at Ash Veterinary Clinic and Emergency Center would love to help you get your pet’s stinky breath more fresh and healthy too!

I received many wonderful compliments about last week’s article focusing on things to think about when you are taking your pets with you on vacation. I am extremely pleased that so many of our readers picked up some of the dos and don’ts of traveling with a pet.

As much as we all would love to take our pets with us on vacation, in many instances this is not possible. Either the place you are going does not appreciate your pets the way we do, or, on the more serious side, the pet can become so stressed from being out of its own home that it can become ill or the situation can turn fatal in some cases. So if your pet experiences either of these situations, you have two choices. You either never leave them, which sounds pretty silly, or arrange for someone or someplace to care for them in your absence.

The very best choice for you, your pet and us veterinarians is to have someone you know and trust to stay at your home to care for the pets just as you would. If you cannot find someone to stay at your house, getting a neighbor or friend to come by two or three times per day for a dog and one or two times a day for a cat to feed them, let them outdoors, play a little with them or just enjoy some petting time with them will help the pets adjust while you are gone. This also works well with rabbits, hamsters, birds, reptiles, etc. My teenagers love doing this for our friends and neighbors and they love making a few extra dollars since they can’t really have a paid job at 15. I am sure it doesn’t hurt that their mom is a veterinarian and only a phone call away.

Always leave the name and number of your veterinarian on the counter or refrigerator in case something unexpected happens. It’s also a good idea to call your veterinarian, explain that you will be out of town and the person you chose will take care of your pets and is authorized to sign for medical conditions and cost if you are not available by phone.

At my clinic, I place an alert on your chart and will try to first contact you with all of the numbers we have on file. Thankfully, these situations do not come up too often, but when they do it sure makes necessary and quick decisions painless. To be sure your wishes are respected, leave a credit card number on file at your veterinary office with the stipulation that it is to be used up to a certain dollar amount. Not only do we respect this, but we also will call you when the patient is stable to discuss further treatments or funds that will be needed. At that point, you have the full information and confidence to make any decisions needed.

The next option owners think about is hiring a dog walker, a cat cuddler and a rabbit feeder, for example. These are pet sitting businesses that should have a business name, tax identification number, pay business taxes and so on. If they have all of the above and are willing to give it to you, you should look into it and check out the business’ website to see how professional it is and whether they have good reviews. Please understand the website condoners are usually friends and family so I usually do not put too much energy in those reviews or any others done by Yelp, Google, etc. because we all know those are just disgruntled employees or clients who want things free. Your best place to get proper information on these services is to call your veterinary hospital and ask if they have heard of this company or if there is a company they recommend. You will be sure to get the best information for the sake of your pet.

Another option is to board your pet at a kennel or at your veterinary hospital. The most important thing to ask about is the requirements for vaccines, stools and heartworm and flea prevention. Universally, vaccinations given by anyone other than a doctor should not and cannot be accepted at any facility. There are so many reasons this holds true that I will discuss it in another article. When showing vaccination papers they have to be from a veterinary hospital with a doctor’s name on it. You should visit any place you are considering to see the cages, kennels, outdoor facilities and rules on puppy playtime, general playtime, feeding options and cost if these things are extra.

Of course, in my opinion, your veterinary hospital is the very best place a pet should stay for many reasons. First, boarders are all treated like patients and are attended to all day. When any medical issues arise, we are not only concerned and confident in treating the patient, but we also are licensed to prescribe and treat the patient. We have access to all phone numbers and emergency numbers to be able to contact you. Not all veterinary hospitals are licensed to board cats and dogs, not to mention birds, reptiles and pocket pets.

Obedience training is important when your dog is in water. Your dog should come when called, even when swimming, so you can call him back before he heads into deeper water or strong currents. Always carry extra retrieving toys. A dog who is heading out into a dangerous area after a ball or stick can often be lured back into shore with a second item thrown closer in. If your dog is not trained, stick to the shallow end so you can walk to him if he needs help and swim him on a long line so he cannot get too far away. If your dog is not much of a swimmer, or once loved to swim but is older now, add a personal floatation device to that long line. Canine lifejackets are especially great for family boating trips because most have sturdy handles for rescue when a pet goes overboard.

No dog should be given unsupervised access to a backyard pool or a neighborhood swimming spot. Teach your dog where the pool stairs are so he can find them and get out when tired. At dog-friendly public swimming areas, do not assume that because your dog is allowed that the water is always safe.  Rivers and oceans can change frequently, and an area that was safe for swimming one visit can be treacherous the next. Consider currents, tides, underwater hazards and even the condition of the water. In the late summer, algae scum on the top of standing water such as small ponds can be toxic, producing substances that can kill a pet that swallows the tainted water. When in doubt, no swimming. Better safe than sorry.

                Be aware of your dog’s condition as he swims, watching for signs of exhaustion. When your dog is tiring, be sure to call him in for some rest, or just call it a day. A tired dog is a good dog, but an exhausted dog is in danger of drowning.  Also, remember that dogs can and do get hot, so bring fresh water and offer it constantly. This is, of course, especially true at the ocean, because salt water is not meant for drinking.

Be particularly careful of young and old dogs. Both can get themselves into more trouble when a healthy adult dog with lots of swimming experience. Young dogs can panic in the water, and old dogs may not realize they are not as strong as they used to be. Keep them close to shore, and keep swimming sessions short.

                Lastly, besides water hazards, people do not realize that there are sun hazards for their pets, too. Dogs can get sunburnt just like people. If you have a short haired dog or cut your dogs hair short, you may need to purchase special doggy sunscreen to make sure your pet is protected. As we know, sunburns very uncomfortable!

                Here at Ash Veterinary Clinic and Emergency Center, we know that after the long Michigan winter, outdoors is where most people and pets want to be. Keeping your pet safe this summer is one of our main goals. If you have any questions, please call us at 734-782-2827.