Dental Focus January to March
It’s our Dental Focus Time again! For the first 3 months every year, we run our annual Dental Focus. What we want to do here for our dear patients is to promote awareness of dental diseases in cats and dogs. Our fluffy friends, unlike us, tend not to show any outward symptoms of dental pain. They will hide it and this makes it hard for you to know that your pet is suffering from dental disease.
Dental disease is a painful condition. People often comment that their pet is not suffering from dental pain because they are still eating well. This could not be further from the truth. Animals hide dental pain much better than we do so just because your pet is still eating well does not mean they are not in pain!
Symptoms of dental disease may include one or more of the following:
- Bad breath
- Drooling more
- Dropping food when eating
- Pawing at face after or during eating
- Pets often only go off their food during end stage dental disease
During the months of January right through to March, our vets offer a free dental check. This includes a thorough examination of your pet's teeth and oral cavity. You will also get a home care bag free of charge which will include a sample food pack and lots of useful information.
Your friendly vet will then recommend one or more of the following:
- Teeth cleaning – with a soft tooth brush and dental paste made for pets. This is only for pets with very mild dental disease and acts more as a preventative rather than a treatment
- Diet supplements - these aim to prevent the buildup of plaque and tartar on your pets’ teeth
- “Aquadent” is a water additive
- “Plaque-Off” is a powder you add to your pet’s food
- Change in diet
- This usually includes changing onto a dental friendly diet (Royal Canin Dental diets) – these diets are extremely effective at preventing dental disease
- These kibbles are made larger in size to encourage chewing of each individual kibble which has a mechanical action of teeth brushing. This is far more effective than you trying to brush your pet’s teeth
- General anaesthetic and full dental scale and polish of all the teeth in your pet’s mouth
- This Dental Focus offers this at a much discounted price during Jan to March. A full general anaesthetic is required to prevent aspiration of the fluid we use during teeth cleaning. Think of you when you get your teeth scaled and polished – there is plenty of water inside the mouth which is extremely dangerous if your pet breathes it in.
- When your pet is anaesthetised, this also allows us to fully examine the inside of each tooth which is difficult to examine in a conscious pet
- Extractions are quite often necessary – this can only be assessed completely when your pet is anaesthetised
- Dental x-rays – this is available at our Midland Veterinary Hospital and is also offered at a discounted price. Dental x-rays are extremely helpful to diagnose painful conditions which may not be obvious to the naked eye.
Let us work together to keep your pet’s teeth healthy and pain free. Maintaining good dental health will prevent extractions and keeps your pet’s breath nice and fresh! Book in for your free dental check now with your friendly vet. Please do not hesitate to ring us if you have any queries at all.
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Although chocolate may be one of your favourite treats, never feed chocolate to your pet. It is poisonous for them! It contains substances called theobromine and caffeine (methylxanthine alkaloids) which are also contained in coffee, tea and some over-the-counter stimulants.
Chocolate poisoning is most commonly seen in dogs because of their habit to ingest food rapidly and they often have a “sweet tooth”. We see a higher incidence in puppies and young dogs, probably because they tend to ingest large amounts of unusual foods.
Chocolate poisoning can also affect cats, birds, rodents and reptiles however we see these cases much less frequently.
Symptoms of Chocolate Poisoning
The toxins in chocolate can affect you pet’s digestive system, nervous system and cardiovascular system.
Digestive system
- Vomiting & diarrhoea (2-4 hours after ingestion)
Nervous System
- Excitation/restlessness (increased body temperature, alertness)
- Muscle rigidity & tremors
- Seizures
Cardiovascular
- Increased respiratory rate
- Increased heart rate
- Reduced blood pressure (hypotension)
- Progresses to cardiac failure leading to weakness, coma and death can occur within 12-36 hours after ingestion.
The toxins are found in the highest concentration in cooking chocolate and dark chocolate, and there are lesser amounts in milk chocolate. There is almost no toxins are found in white chocolate.
Diagnosis
Chocolate poisoning can look similar to many poisonings or other conditions. Serious poisonings such as that caused by strychnine, amphetamines, pesticides, and some rodenticides can cause similar signs.
If you know your pet has eaten chocolate, contact us immediately, especially if your pet is showing any of the symptoms above. If possible, bring any vomit to the clinic as well, since this may aid in rapid identification of the toxic substance. Your veterinarian will need to examine your dog's nervous system and cardiac function carefully. He/she may want to run some blood tests to check for blood sugar levels and rule out other diseases. Since this poisoning progresses rapidly, signs may need to be treated symptomatically until a laboratory diagnosis is confirmed.
Treatment
There is no antidote for chocolate poisoning. Your veterinarian may use drugs to induce vomiting if the chocolate was consumed within the previous 2 - 4 hours or they may even need to administer a general anaesthetic in order to pass a tube into the stomach to wash
Once the chocolate is out activated charcoal treatment may be given to prevent any toxins remaining from being absorbed.
Pets that show more severe symptoms may need more specific medications in order to control the seizures and to prevent heart failure.
The expected course of chocolate poisoning is 12 to 36 hours depending on the dosage and effectiveness of treatment. Prognosis is good if the chocolate is removed within 2 to 4 hours of ingestion. Prognosis is guarded in animals with advanced signs such as seizures and serious heart dysfunction. So, please remember to keep your chocolates, cakes and chocolate-coated goodies safely away from your pets. Stick to healthy treats if you want to reward your special furry or feathered friend.
Have more questions?
Our state-of-the-art facility offers separate consultation rooms for dogs and cats, a fully equipped in-house laboratory, and specialised suites for surgery and dental care. For those tender moments, our uniquely designed Grief.
