PET HEALTH BULLETIN 2012
Spring 2012
Inion Pty Ltd
ABN: 98 078 787 372
1. Dental disease in dogs and cats
So what exactly is dental disease?
Our pets, like us suffer from dental
disease. An annual dental check with a
veterinarian is important to recognize
early signs of dental disease. Dental
disease is extremely common and up to
85% of pets above the age of 3 have
dental disease that requires treatment.
The brown crust that is formed on the
teeth is plaque. Plaque is a combination
of bacteria and protein from their saliva.
When left to accumulate, it mineralizes
and form a calculus. The rough surface
of the calculus then further encourages
attachment of more plaque. When the
amount of bacteria (calculus) builds up to
a high level, it touches the gum and
creates an infection. The body reacts to
the infection and soon the gums become
swollen (Gingivitis). Structures that hold
the tooth in place start to weaken and as
a result the tooth become wobbly. If left
to progress, the oral infection can spread
to the kidneys, liver, heart and joints.
If dental disease is so common, why
doesn’t fluffy or pooch show any sign
of pain?
Unlike us, our pets do not have the ability
to tell us that they are suffering from oral
pain. Dogs and cats, being predator
species are really good at hiding
discomfort. By the time, they start
showing signs of oral discomfort, the
extent of dental disease is well into the
advanced stages. Besides they don’t
smile which reduces visibility of their
teeth.
What are the signs we should look out
for then?
Signs of oral pain from poor dental health
can be as subtle as bad breath and
change in eating behavior. They might
selectively eat soft food as it becomes
painful to chew on the kibbles. Pooch or
kitty might also be resentful about being
touched around the face and become
aggressive. You may also noticed
unexplained blood or wet patches on
his/her bed from gum bleeding or
excessive salivation. Some pets also
appear more lethargic which is often
mistaken as part of “aging”. Pets do age ,
however they always slow down for a
reason and poor dental health is often a
common cause.
THE
ANIMAL
MEDICAL
CENTRE
It is important to understand that plaque
and calculus could be reversible if
removed by an ultrasonic scaler. This
often has to be done under a full general
anesthesia. Unlike scaling, tooth
brushing only remove tartar on the teeth
that we can see, but does not help
remove the calculus on teeth that sit,
below the gum margins.
Veterinary Surgeons
You might have wondered what it
means when your pet is given a dental
grade at a routine health check?
Dental grading is a scheme that
determines the severity of dental
disease. There are four grade to dental
disease. The higher the grade, the worse
the dental disease. Grade I-II usually
only require a scale and polish but a
grade III-IV would normally involve
extraction of teeth due to advance dental
disease and decay.
Dr Sandra Hassett
BVSc MBA MIVCA
Dr Amer Z. Ali
DVM MSc (Hons)
Dr M. R. C. Banyard
HDA BVSc (Hons) PhD
Dr Charlene S.T. Sim
BVSc
56 Colbee Court,
Phillip, ACT 2606
Phone: (02) 6285 2637
(8am-6.30pm)
Facsimile: (02) 6285 4015
email:
vets@animalmedicalcentre.com.au
Website:
www.animalmedicalcentre.com.au
Emergency: (02) 6285 2637
(All hours)
Areas of Interest
ULTRASONOGRAPHY
STEM CELL THERAPY
CHIROPRACTIC
ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR
What are some of the things that
can predispose my pet to dental
disease?
Pets with concurrent illness (i.e
diabetes, kidney disease in cats) have
a decreased immune system. This
limits the body ability to fight bacterial
infection in the mouth leading to
higher incidence of dental disease.
Genetics also play a role in the build
up of plaque. Boxers, Maltese,
Poodles and Greyhounds are a few of
the breeds that are more prone to bad
dental health. Feeding wet, sticky food
encourage moisture and retention of
food particles which encourages
plaque build up. Certain dogs and cats
have abnormal alignment of their teeth
and this provides pockets for food.
Subsequently the food decay and
leads to dental disease.
What can I do to delay the onset of
dental disease?
Although accumulation of plaque
cannot be prevented, there are a
couple of things we can do at home to
delay the onset of dental disease.
Toothbrushing is proven to be the
most effective way of reducing the
amount of tartar on our pets’ teeth
only if done daily. The circular motion
applied to the teeth from the bristles of
a toothbrush abrades the plaque on
the teeth and subsequently remove
them. A suitable tooth brush would be
a baby size with soft bristles or a
finger brush. Because there are a
cheek tooth that sits beyond the lips
folds in the cheek pouches, you need
to make sure you advance your tooth
brush under the cheek on both sides.
Pet specific tooth paste have to be
used since human toothpaste contains
components which are toxic to our
pets’ kidneys and gastrointestinal
tract.
Encouraging chewing will also help to
reduce the build up of plaque. This
can be by offering a variety of chew
toys or even raw bones two to three
times a week. An appropriate bone
takes about 15 minute to finish.
Bones should only be given under
supervision as swallowing them whole
can lead to gastrointestinal obstruction.
In bigger dogs, their larger carnassials
(biggest cheek teeth ) could fractured by
chewing these large bones. Be sure to
ask your butcher to strip the marrow off
the bones since they are high in fat and
in some dogs can lead to stomach upset
and pancreatitis. Encouraging a diet
consisting predominantly dry food diet
also helps. There are also specialized
dental diet such as Hill science T/D
which are low in protein and calcium.
This help to reduces the build up of tar
tar but only when feed more than 50 % of
the diet. The kibbles are also
mechanically formulated to ensure
maximum brushing against their teeth
when the kibbles are chewed on.
There are other chemical product in the
market that can be used to slow down
the build up of plaque. However, they are
not as effective as tooth brushing and
chewing. Water additives such as
Aquadent contain xylitol which is a breath
freshener. Dental gels such as
Maxiguard contains Zinc gluconate which
bind to certain component of the saliva to
slow down plaque formation. Due to the
constant production of saliva in the
mouth which dilutes the gels, dental gels
have to be applied multiple times in a day
to be effective.
Finally, annual dental check with a
veterinarian is crucial, as it will allow you
to asses and monitor the degree of
dental disease. Your veterinarian will be
able to advise you when veterinary
intervention such as scaling and
polishing under general anesthesia is
required.
THE
ANIMAL
MEDICAL
CENTRE
Inion Pty Ltd
ABN: 98 078 787 372
Veterinary Surgeons
Dr Sandra Hassett
BVSc MBA MIVCA
Dr Amer Z. Ali
DVM MSc (Hons)
Dr M. R. C. Banyard
HDA BVSc (Hons) PhD
Dr Charlene S.T. Sim
BVSc
56 Colbee Court,
Phillip, ACT 2606
2. Clinic news
We would like to warmly welcome
Bethany Rodger. She will be doing an
apprenticeship with us as a trainee
veterinary assistant. We are also trialing
our new hand held dental machine to
serve you better. We are very proud to
announce a new website upgrade.
Please follow us to twitter and facebook
on our new website.
Phone: (02) 6285 2637
(8am-6.30pm)
Facsimile: (02) 6285 4015
email:
vets@animalmedicalcentre.com.au
Website:
www.animalmedicalcentre.com.au
Emergency: (02) 6285 2637
(All hours)
Areas of Interest
ULTRASONOGRAPHY
STEM CELL THERAPY
CHIROPRACTIC
ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR