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F E B R U A R Y
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Dental Disease is Nothing to Smile About We will be CLOSED for Family Day on Monday February 9
Cats have 30 teeth and dogs have 42. All of which need special care and maintenance throughout their life. Just imagine how your mouth would smell, look and feel like if you were unable to brush your teeth. It would not be pretty. Poor oral hygiene doesn’t just cause bad breath, it can lead to tooth loss, painful abscesses, difficulty eating, and other serious health problems. About 80% of dogs and 70% cats will have some form of dental disease by the age of 3. For this reason, starting an oral care routine is important. Fortunately, there are many quality products and services to help you to care for your pet’s teeth: Pet friendly toothpaste and toothbrushes. Special diets formulated to maintain oral health. Oral rinses to aid in breath freshening. Enzymatic chew treats to help remove plaque buildup and freshen breath. As your pets get older, or if their teeth have a lot of tartar buildup, they may need to have their teeth professionally cleaned. The procedure for a professional dental cleaning is as follows: Your pet would arrive at our clinic first thing in the morning. We would draw a blood sample, and analyze it here in the clinic to make sure that your pets organs are healthy and the anesthetic will be safe. Next, your pet would be hooked up to an IV to keep them hydrated during the procedure. Following the IV administration, your pet would be given a sedative and then put under a gas anesthetic. While under anesthetic your pet will be hooked up to a number of high tech machines to monitor blood pressure, pulse rate, and the level of oxygen in the blood. We then take a full set of dental X-rays to look for any abnormal or diseased teeth that may need to be pulled out. The teeth are then scaled and polished. When the teeth are finished being cleaned, your pet is taken off the anesthetic and monitored by our technical staff while they wake up. Throughout the afternoon your pet will rest in a warm indoor kennel while they recover from the anesthetic. If your pet needs a lot of teeth extracted or if they are really drowsy, the veterinarian may advise your pet to stay overnight, but, generally they go home the same day. In cases where there is severe tartar buildup or a lot of extractions are done, your pet may be prescribed an antibiotic for a week to prevent infection. For the month of February, receive $50 off your pet’s dental cleaning, a complimentary bag of dental diet, a toothbrush and toothpaste sample.
Did You Know?
Up to 2/3 of a tooth is under the gum line? Much of dental disease is also under the gum line. Dental X-rays are often needed to reveal the problem. If left untreated, dental disease can be very painful for a cat or dog. Bad breath may be a sign of serious internal problems. Bad breath is often the first noticeable symptom of dental disease. Don’t assume bad breath is normal.
Hamsters as Pets
How to Brush Your Pet’s Teeth
Hamsters are cute, short-tailed rodents. There are five pet Hamster species, including the Syrian or Golden Hamster as well as four species of Dwarf Hamsters (Campbell’s Russian Hamster, Winter White Hamster, Roborovskii’s Hamster, and the Chinese Hamster). Syrian Hamsters should be kept as only pets, while Dwarf Hamsters can be only pets or housed with other Hamsters.
Select an appropriate time Find a quiet, convenient time when you and your pet are both relaxed.
Acquaint your pet with the process.
For the first few sessions don't even use a toothbrush. Hold your pet the same as when you are cuddling. Gently stroke the outside of their cheeks with your finger. After they become comfortable with that, place a dab of toothpaste on your finger and let them taste it. Make sure to use a toothpaste that is formulated especially for pets.
Introduce the Toothbrush
Place a small amount of toothpaste on the brush. In a slow circular motion, brush one or two teeth and the adjoining gum line. The purpose of this step is to get your pet accustomed to the feel of the brush.
Begin Brushing
Over the next several days, gradually increase the number of teeth brushed. It is important to eventually brush the rear teeth where plaque and tartar have a greater tendency to accumulate. Go slowly and gently. Stop brushing when you decide to stop, before your pet begins to fuss. If they learn to dislike the procedure and finds out that more fussing makes you stop quicker, then this brushing business is going to get harder, not easier. Build up to about 30 seconds per side. Be sure to brush the teeth way in back.
Make tooth brushing a pleasurable experience
Proceed slowly and gently. Stop each session while it is still fun and lavishly praise your pet afterwards. They will soon start looking forward to tooth brushing and it will become a pleasant activity for both of you.
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With proper care, your hamster can live between 1.5-2 years. Your Hamster will grow up to be between 2 to 7 inches and could have a variety of coat colours, including brown, sandy brown, golden brown, gray, white, black, often with white bellies. Hamsters also have barely visible tails and poor eyesight, but very acute hearing. Hamsters are social and playful pets, and they are nocturnal, which means they will sleep during the day and be awake at night – the opposite of you. They are very sound sleepers and can often become startled or afraid when awoken. Make sure your Hamster isn’t in one of these moods before your handle him. If you want to keep more than one Hamster in the same habitat make sure they are the same gender. Hamsters are extremely active pets; they can run up to 20 miles a day, which is why they need an exercise wheel and often enjoy an exercise ball. They are not as vocal as Guinea Pigs but they will make certain noises at night, including gnawing, cracking seeds, drinking water, and wheel running.
Roses are Red... With Valentine’s day around the corner, there will be houses filled with chocolates, flowers and other goodies. While these are nice treats for people, they can be very dangerous to pets. Chocolate is toxic to dogs and cats, even small amounts can be dangerous. Many plants are toxic as well. Lilies are the worst culprits, but a lot of other flowers and plants can cause serious gastrointestinal upset.
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