dental disease and July offer!

Dental disease is one of the most common conditions in our pets. It’s been found that 70% of dogs and cats have some form of dental disease which, if left untreated, can lead to diseases of the heart, liver and kidneys, as well as causing pain to your pet. Dental disease can start very subtly with no obvious signs or symptoms but can progress quickly to chronic pain, eroded gums and missing teeth. However, unfortunately often dental disease goes undetected; partly due to ‘out of sight, out of mind’ but also because our pets are very good at masking oral pain. Our pets will actually make their best effort to ear despite mouth pain and try not to show any difficulty.

What should you look for?

Take a minute to just look at your pet’s mouth. Have a good lock at the teeth and gums and notice if there is any odour. See the chart (courtesy of Beverly Hill Small Animal Hospital) below to see how your pets mouth compares:

The main things to look out for are:

• Gingivitis – reddened, inflamed gums, particularly around the edge of the tooth.
• Calculus and tartar- build up of yellow/brown material on the tooth.
• Swollen gums
• Bad breath
• Broken teeth

How might my pet act if they are suffering from a dental disease?

Preventing dental disease can be part of your pet’s routine care. The best practice to keeping your pet’s mouth healthy is to introduce tooth brushing, at least 3 times a week to be effective. I know some owners might think this sounds a bit ridiculous, but brushing their teeth, just like us will help minimise bacteria and their by products to help prevent plaque build up and gum disease. Surprisingly, many of our pets respond quite positively to this new form of attention and seem to develop a bit of a taste for the yummy paste! Both brushes and paste can be purchased from our clinic, and if you have any problems, our team of vets and nurses can help demonstrate how to use them. If possible, introducing tooth brushing whilst your pet is young will make life a lot easier, as they will grow up thinking it is all quite normal.

However, for our wriggly patients, where brushing is not an option, there are other methods we could try. Our team of vets and nurses are able to demonstrate dental care for your pet, including tooth brushing, enzymatic toothpastes, supplements, dental foods, dental chews and toys. Remember, many pet insurance policies do not cover dental work, so it’s even more important to look after your pet’s teeth!

What should you do if you suspect your pet is suffering from dental disease?

If you are concerned that your pet may be suffering from dental disease, please come and see one of the team. We are able to formulate a dental care plan to prevent dental disease, or refer you to one of our vets to be assessed for a professional scale and polish treatment.

All patients that require treatment would get a thorough examination both conscious and under anaesthetic in order to fully assess each individual tooth. A scale and polish to remove plaque and tartar will be required by most, and for some milder cases of dental disease, no further treatment may be necessary. However, for those with more severe, extractions to remove the problematic and painful teeth, may well be warranted. General anaesthetic is a necessity in order to perform dental work on your pet. Patients can only be fully assessed once they are asleep, as unfortunately, what we see in the conscious examination is on the tip of the iceberg.

July Offer!

If your vet has mentioned your pet’s mouth in the past or after reading this you are concerned about your pet’s teeth and would like them looked at, now is the time to do so!

We are currently offering a 10% DISCOUNT ON A SCALE AND POLISH of your pet’s teeth. Our competitive prices are listed below, based on the weight of your patient with the cost of the general anaesthetic and two follow up appointments with the nurses included:

(Prices include general anaesthetic and scale and polish. It may be advised that your pet needs pre anaesthetic blood testing/intravenous fluids. There are not included in the price).

On occasions, unforeseen extractions and medications may be required. This is charged separately and we will always try our best to inform you if the cost will be higher than anticipated.

Alternatively, we offer FREE ‘dental checks’ with the veterinary nurse who will be able to assess your pet’s mouth and advise whether any treatment is needed.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us on 01626 835002 to book your appointment early! Or to make life even easier, you can now use our new online booking system by following this link.