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16241 Redmond Way
Redmond, WA 98052
Tel: (425) 895-8888
Fax: (425) 895-1958
Medical Topics
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Dentistry
Dentistry
General Dental Care [ Top ]
Keeping your pets teeth and gums clean and healthy is an important part of an overall health care plan for your pet. All pets over the age of 3-5 years that have had no previous dental care most likely have some degree of tarter build up and will need to have their teeth cleaned.
How can I tell if my pets teeth need to be cleaned?
Signs that your dog or cats teeth may need attention include foul breath - "doggie breath" is not normal!! Drooling and difficulty eating dry food are also indicators of potential problems. To check their teeth it as a simple matter of lifting their upper lips back to reveal their teeth. Make sure that you check all the teeth including the large upper premolar and molars at the very back of the mouth. Healthy teeth are clean and white with no discoloration or plaque or tartar buildup. Healthy gums are pink, not swollen or inflammed and do not bleed easily.
What happens if I don't get their teeth cleaned?
Generally tooth decay is less common in dogs and cats than gum disease. If left unchecked, plaque and tarter will build up and cause the gums and the structures holding the tooth in place to become infected. This results in erosion and weakening of the root support structure. The tooth itself may not be decayed, but if the root structure becomes sufficiently damaged, the tooth will eventually fall out. Plaque and tarter are also great places for bacteria to accumulate. In conjunction with gingivitis (gum inflammation) bacteria may enter the blood stream and end up at other sites of the body such as the heart and kidneys and cause potentially serious problems there.
What is involved in getting my pets teeth cleaned?
Dental cleanings are usually done under a general anesthesia. Prior to anesthesia, a complete pre-anesthetic exam and bloodwork (if requested) are performed. This is to detect any underlying problems such as diabetes, heart disease, or kidney failure prior to anesthesia. At our clinic we only use isoflurane gas anesthesia. It is the safest anesthetic we have available, and pets recover quickly which allows them to go home the same day. Dentals at our clinic are only performed by oour licensed veterinary technicians. The teeth are cleaned using an ultrasonic scaler the same way your dentist cleans your teeth. Some areas may also require hand scaling. Following a thorough cleaning, the gums aree checked for any deep pockets that may indicate gum disease, and the teeth are checked for any loose ones as well as for signs of decay. Extractions are only done on teeth that cannot be saved by any other means.
What happens after the teeth are cleaned?
That is up to you! Unfortunately once tarter has developed, a dental cleaning needs to be scheduled to remove it. It is possible however to decrease the rate at which new tarter will build back up. This is achieved by regular brushing, ideally daily, but at least three times a week. Also the use of tarter control treats such as Science Diet T/D is beneficial in delaying tarter buildup.
Specific Dental Problems [ Top ]
Baby Teeth Extractions.
Occasionally in some dogs, typically the smaller breeds such as the Pomeranian and Dachshund, baby teeth do not fall out like they should. By six months of age, all baby teeth should be replaced by the permanent adult teeth. Baby teeth are usually smaller in size and are sharper than their adult counterpart. The canine teeth (fang teeth) are the most common culprit for hanging around too long. If not extracted bacteria and tarter can build up. This can cause the tissues holding the permanent teeth to be weakened. All remaining baby teeth should be extracted once you pet is six months of age or older.
Abscessed Carnassial Tooth.
The carnassial tooth is the largest tooth in your pets mouth. It is on the upper row of teeth near the back of the mouth and looks somewhat like an inverted pyramid in shape. When you see your pet move something around to the side of it's mouth to chew on it, those are the teeth that are being brought to bear. Tremendous pressure can be brought to bear on the point of the tooth. This can result in part of the tooth fracturing off. This exposes the root canal. If the root canal becomes exposed it can allow infection to travel up to the tip of the root and develop into an abscess. The first sign that this has occured, is often swelling below the eye on the affected side. The tooth must then be extracted to allow drainage of the abscess which will then heal.
Geriatric Medicine [ Top ]
Geriatric medicine consists of three broad areas: preventative medicine, diagnostic medicine, and treatment medicine. Preventative medicine involves providing our aging companions with moderate exercise and mental stimulation appropriate to their age. Certainly as conditions like arthritis take hold, a five-mile run is out of the question. However, a leisurely jaunt around the neighborhood keeps our dogs limber and mentally alert. For the cats in our lives, mental and physical stimulation are a must as well. Window ledges may be more difficult to jump on - help may need to be provided so our feline friends can still survey their world. A time for play each day should still be provided even to the most aged feline and certainly brushing and combing provide that essential bonding and comforting experience. Animals interact physically with their environment and encouraging touch and play keeps their quality of life at the optimum.
For cats, the current thinking for geriatric nutrition is a restricted protein diet since the major killer of cats is kidney failure. Lower protein and lower salt diets put less stress on the kidneys, prolonging their life span. Some internal medicine specialists believe that all cats at ten or more years should consume a special "kidney diet". Certainly a good quality diet will put less stress on the body organs in general. The same weight recommendations also apply to cats. Cats may not suffer as outwardly from arthritis, but it still occurs. They are also much more susceptible to diabetes if they get fat. Diabetes can be very debilitating to all body organs. Keeping the weight down in cats goes a long way toward preventing chronic problems.
Of course, preventative medicine also involves the veterinarian. Many animals benefit from a long-term relationship with the same veterinarian. A regular veterinarian detects changes in weight and appearance more quickly. Yearly exams help to evaluate and track changes that can lead to problems. Changes that are caught earlier can be more easily managed and controlled. The current thought in veterinary medicine is that those yearly exams are probably more important than the vaccines!
Geriatric medicine also involves diagnostics. Typically, if we find a change in weight or eating habits, we will order a complete blood screen and urinalysis. This checks the major organ functions, including the thyroid. Often, we will find a cause to the weight loss here. Sometimes, x-rays may need to be done to rule out heart problems or cancer. Blood work, x-rays, and urinalysis can be done at any time, even before a problem is noticed in the pet. We do routine blood checks on all our animals every year. The impetus for this was one of our cats, who has since passed on. We found leukemia in him on a routine blood screen and were able to prepare ourselves and treat him accordingly. Currently, we are monitoring one of our cats for borderline diabetes picked up on the yearly blood screen.
Treatment of diseases has more success at early stages rather than late. If we discover that a pet has early kidney or heart problems, a change in diet is all that may be needed for the moment. Medicine for thyroid dysfunctions can stave off clotting disorders, heart problems, and weight gain. At later stages, our treatment may come too late and a life is lost perhaps earlier than necessary.
Clearly, preventative medicine is our most powerful alley in senior pets. The quality of life provided by owner and the care provided by veterinarian can help many of our pets live long and satisfying lives. Contact us if you have any questions about exams, diagnostics or treatments of older animals. We are also now offering senior care programs for our older pets that provide some monetary savings for the owner.