Taking Care of Your Pup’s Pearly Whites

Taking Care of Your Pup’s Pearly Whites

Health & Wellness, WagBreeze Life

Written by Mary S. Connor, DVM

Did you know that an estimated 85 percent of dogs and 75 percent of cats over 3 years of age display some form of oral disease? Periodontal disease is considered the most common disease in companion animals. But what is periodontal disease?

Periodontitis, or severe bacterial gum infection affects tissues that surround and support the teeth. The infection can become chronic and progressive causing periodontal disease, a destruction of the bone around the tooth roots which leads to painful, loose, abscessed teeth, osteomyelitis (bone infection), and even pathologic fractures of the jaw.

Periodontal disease can also have negative effects on the rest of the body as well. Inflammation of the gingival and periodontal tissues allows bacteria to gain access to the body. The bacteria adversely affects the kidneys and liver, leading to a decrease in the function of these vital organs over time. Bacteria can also become attached to previously damaged heart tissues and cause endocarditis, an inflammation of the heart’s valves.

How do I know that my pet needs a Comprehensive Oral Health Assessment and Treatment (COHAT), or has periodontal disease?

Signs of periodontal disease include: redness at the gum line, bleeding when chewing treats or toys, a refusal to eat hard foods and treats, a foul odor from the mouth, reluctance to play with a favorite toy, the presence of plaque and calculus or facial swelling, among others.

Periodontal disease in our pets is preventable if we consider the dental care of our pets in the same way we manage our dental health. For example, consider how your mouth would look, feel, and smell if you did not brush your teeth for several years! Daily management such as brushing, oral care treats, and dental water additives, as well as a routine Comprehensive Oral Health Assessment and Treatment (COHAT), can help to keep your pet healthy and contribute to a better quality of life.

Imagine going to the dentist with a painful mouth and not being able to tell the doctor where it hurts. You would likely be reluctant to open wide and invite your doctor to have a look. So, although your veterinarian will evaluate your pet’s mouth closely during a physical exam, it can be difficult to fully gauge the scope of pathology by visual exam alone, especially if your pet is experiencing pain. A more thorough evaluation is necessary.

What should my veterinarian do, and what should I ask for?

Proper evaluation requires general anesthesia, comprehensive full-mouth radiographs, periodontal probing, and dental charting. Without dental radiographs, disease such as bone loss, root pathology or oral trauma will be missed. Simply cleaning the crowns of the teeth without knowing what is present under the gumline via radiographs is of little benefit to your pet.

Once an evaluation is complete, a comprehensive plan should be formulated specifically for your pet in consultation with you. Your pet may require root planing, simple or surgical extractions, bone grafting, or other procedures to fully repair the damage that is present secondary to infection and bone loss. Saving teeth is the goal, but abscessed teeth and infected bone will continue to cause pain and destruction and should be managed accordingly.

What about pain management?

You wouldn’t have dental work or a tooth extraction without pain management. Neither should your pet. Pain is prevented by providing regional anesthetic blocks, analogous to the anesthetic injections that you may have received on your own visits to the dentist. The great news is that in dogs and cats, regional anesthesia lasts up to 72 hours, which means that your pet will be pain free and able to eat soft food just hours after their procedure. Typically, two weeks of a soft diet and a few days of medication to prevent inflammation are all that is indicated, following even the most extensive procedures.

So, how do I find a veterinarian who can help?

  • Look for the highest standard of care. Schedule a consultation and ask your veterinarian the following questions:
  • Can you explain the dental procedure in detail?
  • Will you take full-mouth radiographs?
  • How do you prevent pain during and after a procedure?
  • What can I expect after the procedure?
  • Have you received any extra training in veterinary dental surgery?

Consider asking for referrals from other clients and visit the Veterinary Oral Health Council for detailed information on veterinary dental protocols, standards of care, and approved veterinary products for your pet.

photograph of a dog's teeth showing marked periodontal disease. Notice that lower canine teeth deviate laterally due to excessive bone loss.

Figure 1

Marked periodontal disease. Notice that lower canine teeth deviate laterally due to excessive bone loss.

A radiograph reveals severe bone loss in the lower jaw. Incisor roots should be surrounded by bone.

Figure 2

A radiograph reveals severe bone loss in the lower jaw. The incisor roots should be surrounded by bone.

photograph of closure of surgical wound after extraction, debridement, and smoothing of sharp bone.

Figure 4

Closure of surgical wound after extraction, debridement, and smoothing of sharp bone.

photograph of an extraction of right lower incisors, canine, and premolar teeth.

Figure 3

Extraction of right lower incisors, canine, and premolar teeth.

Dr. Connor is the owner of Kindness Pet Hospital, which has locations in Santa Rosa Beach and Seacrest, Florida. She has an avid interest in veterinary dentistry and is a member of The International Veterinary Dentistry Institute. She has studied extensively with Dr. Brett Beckman, DVM, AVDC, AAPM, a board-certified veterinary dentist.

Choosing the Best Dog Food

Choosing the Best Dog Food

Health & Wellness, WagBreeze Life

Written by Dawn Guidry

One of the most important decisions you will make as a dog parent is what type of food you will feed them. Nutrition affects every aspect of your companion’s life— resistance to allergies and disease, energy levels, and neurological activity. In the 20+ years that I’ve worked in the pet industry, the question I get asked the most is ‘What is the best dog food?’

As much as I would like to give you a simple answer, the fact is, there is no simple answer. All dogs are different, and what may work for one dog may not work for another. So, the simplest answer is that the best dog food is the one that your dog thrives on. But there are some things you can do to ensure you’re getting the best for your dog.

There are several types of dog food/diets to consider, from homemade to commercial to raw. Each of these has advantages and disadvantages. For this article, we will focus on kibble. Kibble is the most popular food on the market. It’s the most convenient, most cost-effective, and most processed. Kibble, as we know it today, first hit the market in the 1950s. Much has changed in those 60+ years, with dog food becoming a billion-dollar industry with hundreds of manufacturers.

 

One of the best ways to ensure that you are getting a good quality kibble is to learn to read the labels. The ingredient list is the most important part of the label. The first five to six ingredients are crucial as this is the bulk of your food.

A good-quality dog food will have at least two quality animal protein sources listed in the first few ingredients. Look for real meat, meat meal, and whole ingredients — i.e., chicken, chicken meal, etc. If a list of ingredients begins with chicken or chicken meal followed by three or more grains and no other meat proteins, the food likely contains far more grains than meat.

Just as important to consider are ingredients that your dog’s food should not contain. Avoid foods that have ingredients such as ‘animal’ byproducts, ‘animal’ protein, ‘animal’ fat, BHA & BHT, ethoxyquin, propylene glycol, and sweeteners such as sugar, corn syrup, and sucrose. The use of the word ‘animal’ can mean it came from any kind of meat or meat-rendering. Corn, wheat, and soy are ingredients that are hard to digest and the source of many allergies and health issues.

Not all byproducts are bad. Organ meats are considered byproducts but things like liver, heart, lung, and kidneys are actually good for your dog. If the label specifically states one of these ingredients in their whole form, you will know it is the actual ingredient and not a poor-quality byproduct.

Rotating your dog’s food can have a lot of overall health benefits as well. This means changing up the protein
sources and even changing brands, just make sure that it is done properly to avoid any stomach issues. Rotation
keeps your dog from getting bored with his/her food and also helps boost the immune and digestive systems.

When feeding a highly processed food, it is a good idea to add a supplement made for dogs. There are many available on the market. Adding fresh fruits and vegetables can also be a healthy way to add real nutrients to their diet. Things like fresh apples, carrots, and green beans make an excellent snack. You can search Google for a list of fresh foods that are safe for dogs to eat.

Feeding high-quality food is not necessarily more expensive. Nutrient-dense foods are better digested in the dog’s system, meaning more nutrition is absorbed. In general, your dog will typically eat less nutritious food than a poor-quality one.

Whatever food you choose for your dog, putting some thought into your decision now can produce big rewards over his/her lifetime and may help avoid serious and costly health issues caused by poor nutrition. As always, if your pet has health issues that need to be addressed, please consult with your vet.

Poisonous Holiday Plants

Poisonous Holiday Plants

Health & Wellness, Holidays, WagBreeze Life

 Article Provided by Clay 30A | Illustrations by Sheila MacDiarmid

If you have live mistletoe plants in your house this holiday season, be sure to keep them out of reach from young children and pets. Deck the halls with boughs of holly — just don’t eat them!

Many of the plants we associate with the holiday season have a reputation for being poisonous. But which ones are dangerous? How serious is the threat? Should you forgo potentially poisonous holiday plants if you have young children or pets? Experts from the Blue Ridge Poison Center helped separate fact from fiction and offer some safety tips for your family.

Illustration of the plant, holly

Holly

Holly (Ilex species) is a small evergreen tree or shrub with stiff, prickly leaves and red berries. The berries contain toxic compounds that can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and — in rare cases — drowsiness.

Swallowing 20-30 berries is a toxic dose for adults, although there are reports of people who experience symptoms after swallowing smaller amounts.

Symptoms have been reported in children who swallowed as few as five berries. Young children and pets may be particularly attracted to the bright red berries. The leaves are not poisonous, but they could be a choking hazard.

illustrated image of mistletoe

Mistletoe

American Mistletoe (Phoradendron loranthaceae) has smooth, green oval-shaped leaves and clusters of waxy, white berries. Mistletoe is a parasitic plant.

It grows as a clump clinging to the branches and trunks of deciduous trees throughout the U.S. The entire plant contains toxins that can cause gastrointestinal problems such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea if swallowed.

Most cases reported to poison centers in the past 25 years involved young children who ate only a few leaves or berries at most. In those cases, symptoms were either mild or did not develop at all. Severe reactions are less common and associated with eating larger amounts of the plant, especially the leaves.

If young children or pets are going to be present in your home this holiday season, keep mistletoe up high, out of their reach. Stay vigilant for any leaves or berries that drop to the ground, in easy reach of pets.

illustrated image of a flower bulb

Bulbs

There are many species of spring-blooming, fragrant plants that grow from a bulb. Several, including amaryllis, paperwhites, daffodils, and hyacinth, have become popular holiday favorites.

We bring dormant bulbs indoors in autumn to encourage full bloom a few months early. These plants may be poisonous, especially the bulbs that look like onions or shallots.

Avoid mistaken identity — store loose bulbs in a safe place, far from food, where children and pets can’t reach.

If eaten, there may be symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Some bulb species also contain compounds that can cause burning and irritation of the mouth, throat, and skin.

Did You Know?

Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is a showy shrub with green leaves and “flowers” that are red, white, or pink. The flowers are not true flowers; they’re leaves that changed color. Poinsettias have a reputation for being deadly, but in fact, they’re not poisonous at all.

The plant does contain a sap that can cause minor skin irritation in some people, but your pet would have to ingest nearly an entire plant to be in any danger. This sap can be irritating to the mouth and stomach if swallowed. Also, the large, soft leaves could be a choking hazard for a young child or pets.