LINCOLNTON ANIMAL HOSPITAL, P.A.

2109 EAST MAIN STREET

LINCOLNTON, NORTH CAROLINA 28092

Karen Miller DVM, Katy Boger. DVM, Amy Jones, DVM

(704) 732-0728

October 21, 2011

DOG AND CAT DENTAL HEALTH

 Most of us understand that without daily attention to our teeth and regular visits to the dentist, painful dental conditions and tooth loss would result. Your dog and cat need dental care too. Have you ever lifted up your dog’s or cat’s lip and took a peek? Most dogs and cats (but not all) will let you do this at home. Does your dog or cat have bad breath?? If so, this could be caused by tartar and dental disease. Without healthy teeth and gums, your pet will never be totally healthy.

 Some of what your dog and cat eats sticks to his teeth and stays there in the cracks and crevices. Bacteria in his or her mouth combine with food to form a colorless, gummy film called plaque. With time, plaque becomes mineralized, forming a hardened material called tartar. It builds up along the gums, loosening their attachment to the teeth and allowing bacteria to sneak in and hide.

 The infection/inflammation these bacteria cause is gingivitis (gum disease). Left untreated, it weakens the surrounding tissue and bone. This process is called periodontal disease.  70% of cats and 80% of dogs over three years old suffer from periodontal disease. Eventually, the teeth can fall out. Bad breath may be the first sign of gingivitis.  Gingivitis and periodontal disease are bad enough but did you know on top of causing discomfort, pain, and reluctance to eat, the bacteria can get into your pet’s bloodstream and affect other organs? The result can be disease and even failure of the heart, liver, and/ or kidneys.

Most dogs and cats need a dental cleaning at least once if not twice yearly. The procedure is performed under general anesthesia so that all the teeth can be cleaned and treated properly and your pet’s airway is protected.  Did you know that dogs have more teeth than we do? No matter the dog’s size, they should have 42 teeth and cats should have 30 teeth. Hand instruments and an ultrasonic scaler are used to clean tartar and plaque from the teeth. They are polished and a fluoride treatment applied. The mouth is examined for any periodontal pockets around the teeth, any loose or fractured teeth, or any masses. Your pet usually can go home the same day of the dental cleaning.

 Now, if you had your teeth cleaned at the dentist and then didn’t brush your teeth at home, what kind of shape do you think your teeth and breath would be in? Yuck.  Think about that same scenario for your pet. We have to do some homecare to ensure a healthy mouth in our pets. Most pets will let us brush their teeth if we use a gradual, gentle approach. Do not use human toothpaste. Our pets can’t rinse and spit like we can. We wouldn’t want to brush with chicken or salmon flavored toothpaste but that is what they like. Dog and cat toothpaste won’t hurt them when they swallow it. For those pets that won’t allow brushing, mouth rinses and additives for their drinking water are available.  There are also effective chews that have an enzymatic coating to decrease the bacterial waste products in their mouths. And there are foods that are specifically dental diets.

Dental care is so important for our pets’ health. Let’s lift those lips and have a peek. A professional dental cleaning and your homecare can definitely make your pet healthier and you happier when your pet greets you with a happy lick from a clean mouth.

 Let the Lincoln Times News editor know of any subjects that you want covered in the pet column. Would you rather learn about heartworm disease, obesity, or diabetes next?

July 10, 2010

LEPTOSPIROSIS

 Lepto is a deadly bacterial disease that is spread by wildlife and domestic animals. It is a zoonotic disease which means that it can be passed from animals to people. Lepto bacteria are shed in urine and dogs become infected when they come into contact with fresh urine from infected animals. Today, lepto is the number 1 cause of acute kidney failure in dogs. Lepto should be considered if your dog has a fever, vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, and/or lethargy. Your dog may be at risk if it goes outdoors, drinks from or wades in standing water, is exposed to areas where wildlife has been, goes to dog parks or day care, is living in a newly developed area or near farmland or woods. There is a vaccine that your dog can receive to protect it from this disease. Our staff will be glad to answer your questions about lepto and to vaccinate your dog.

July 19, 2009

WELLNESS PROFILES 

 Wellness profiles are an important part of your pet’s yearly examination. Our outside lab offers this bloodwork in a customized profile at a discounted price for our patients that are receiving their yearly examinations and /or vaccinations. This bloodwork can detect problems that may not be evident on physical exam and it is a good benchmark to compare to future labwork. It can also be used as preanesthetic bloodwork for patients scheduled for surgery within the next week. The profile can also be used to ensure that a pet is tolerating its chronic medications. 

 All the wellness profiles perform a heartworm test, complete blood count, liver and kidney enzymes, blood glucose and electrolytes. The senior profiles (for pets over 7 years old) also perform pancreatic enzymes, baseline thyroid levels, and a urinalysis. The feline senior wellness also does  feline leukemia and feline aids tests.

 We recommend that our geriatric patients have a senior wellness profile done every year. The results of these profiles are usually available within 24 hours and the doctor will call you with the results.

August 10, 2008

Dear Clients:

        This letter is to let you know that Proheart6 injectable heartworm preventative is back. During this first year back on the market, certain guidelines will have to be followed in order for us to administer it to our canine patients. All dogs have to be between 6 months and 7 years of age. Proheart cannot be given within one month of a vaccine. Also, the dog must have a negative heartworm check and at least a liver enzyme panel and a complete blood count. The outside lab that we use is now offering a Proheart panel which would include the necessary CBC, liver enzymes, and heartworm test. The cost would be $44.00 for the panel.

        We know that many of our clients liked  Proheart6 when it was previously on the market. It is a very effective heartworm preventative and lasts for 6 months. With everyone’s busy lifestyles, it is nice to not have to remember to administer oral heartworm preventative to our dogs every month. We would like to hear from you.  If you are interested in your dog receiving Proheart6, please call us or drop us a note. We will be happy to answer any of your questions. Thank you for your time and interest and especially for entrusting us with your pet’s veterinary care.

Sincerely,

Karen Miller, DVM

LINCOLNTON ANIMAL HOSPITAL

NEW FLEA AND TICK

MEDICATIONS

This season we are recommending 2 new medications for fleas and ticks.

VECTRA 3D

 We are recommending Vectra 3D as our topical flea and tick control medication. It also repels and kills mosquitoes, lice, mites, and sand flies. Vectra kills the parasites on contact; they don’t have to bite to die. It starts killing fleas within 2 hours and lasts for one month. It also remains effective after swimming or bathing and dries within 4 hours of application. Vectra can be applied to pups as young as 7 weeks old and has an easy to use applicator. This product should not be used on cats.

The second product that is for dogs only is a flea medication made by Eli Lilly called Comfortis. It is a beef flavored chewable tablet that is given monthly. It can be given to dogs 14 weeks of age and older. It starts working within 30 minutes to kill fleas.

We still prefer and recommend the topical medication called Revolution for cats. It is applied to the skin on the back of the head/neck once monthly and is a great multi purpose medication. It kills fleas, ear mites, controls hookworms and roundworms, and is a heartworm preventative. Yes, cats need heartworm prevention too. We are seeing more and more cases of feline heartworms and they are a rising cause of sudden death in cats. We cannot treat cats for adult heartworms like we can dogs so prevention is the key.