Brushing Up on Pet Dental Care

Stephanie Groves, DHI Media Staff Writer

                Bacteria and plaque-forming foods can cause build-up on a pet’s teeth, which can harden, resulting in tartar, gingivitis, receding gums and tooth loss. One solution is regular dental cleanings.

                A pet’s “bad breath” or chronic halitosis may be a sign of a serious health risk, with the potential to damage not only Fido or Fluffy’s teeth and gums, but also their internal organs.

               In recognition of National Pet Dental Health Month, veterinarians address the significance of proactive oral care for all pets all year round but especially during the month of February. Delphos Animal Hospital’s Dr. Bonnie Jones, D.V.M., said National Pet Dental Health Month is an annual event when veterinarians may do promotions or offer discounts to increase awareness for pet dental care.

               “We want to emphasize that pet dental care is most effective when done on a daily basis and that dental cleanings should be done all year round, not just in February,” Jones said. “Many pet owners think that giving their pets tartar-control food and treats alone is adequate. We find that doing multiple things, including daily toothbrushing or wiping, providing hard rubber chew toys and dental treats, or using water additives, when all done together is most helpful. In the end, the pet owner needs to discover what is easiest to do for their pet’s dental care, while being certain to do it daily. Anything that provides mild abrasive action to the teeth will be helpful but it needs to be done regularly; once weekly or once monthly will not be effective.”

              She explained with dogs, daily toothbrushing is ideal using fingerbrushes, dental wipes or a small toothbrush.

“With cats, it’s a little trickier since they have fewer, smaller teeth and it’s harder to get brushes into their mouths,” Jones explained. “Cat dental care is best accomplished using flavored dental wipes or gauze. There are flavored toothpastes for dogs and cats as well. For some pets, especially cats, using gauze dipped in chicken broth, tuna, or clam juice works really well, as the flavoring provides a positive experience for the pet.”  It all comes down to what works best for the pet owner and pet.

              “Before a client leaves the veterinary hospital with their pet after a professional dental cleaning, we educate them on the importance of and techniques for providing pet dental care to prolong the benefits of the cleaning,” Jones said.

Dr. Marisa Tong, associate veterinarian at Delphos Animal Hospital, added that the sooner pet owners get started cleaning their pet’s teeth, the better.

             “Never use human toothpaste, as it can make pets sick,” Tong said. “Even though the mint flavored/smelling pet toothpastes make a pet’s breath smell better, poultry flavored is often preferred by the pet.”

The ASPCA and Dr. Jones recommend taking these steps to make brushing easier for both the pet and pet owner:

• A veterinary exam before beginning any preventive pet dental health program will be helpful as your veterinarian can make suggestions for a dental cleaning or what will work best for your pet. If your pet already has dental disease, brushing can be painful, setting the dental health program up for failure.

• Most importantly, acclimate your dog or cat to toothbrushing at an early age by massaging the pet’s lips with your fingers in a circular motion for 30 to 60 seconds once or twice a day for a few weeks. Then move on to the teeth and gums.

• When your pet seems comfortable with mouth handling, put a little flavored pet toothpaste or a paste of baking soda and water on the lips to get it accustomed to the taste.

• Next, introduce a toothbrush designed especially for pets — it should be smaller than a human toothbrush and have soft bristles. Fingerbrushes or pet dental wipes that you can apply over your finger are also available for cats and smaller mouths.

• Finally, apply the toothpaste to the teeth using a gentle abrasive action.

                Tong said it is ideal to “flip the lip” and perform dental assessments every six months and dental cleanings annually.  “Dogs and cats that have annual cleanings live longer and carry less bacteria in their mouths,” Tong explained. “It’s recommended to anesthetize cats and dogs for ultrasonic dental cleanings. Some pets, especially smaller pets and those on soft food diets may need ultrasonic cleanings more often.”

               During a dental cleaning, the patient is given an injectable anesthetic then intubated (an endotracheal tube is placed inside the wind pipe of an anesthetized patient). The endotracheal tube is then connected to a breathing circuit used to administer oxygen and inhalant anesthetics.The patient is monitored for heart rate and oxygen levels in the blood via equipment and veterinary staff members throughout the procedure.

              Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) Angela Unverferth added ultrasonic scaling uses a rapidly vibrating metal probe and cooling water mist to remove plaque and tartar on the surface of the pet’s teeth and below the gumline.

“A routine cleaning takes about 30-45 minutes,” Unverferth said. “I start with the backside of the teeth and work forward.”

After the cleaning, the patient’s teeth are polished and a dental sealant can be applied to slow the expected recurrence of plaque.

             “There are once-weekly dental sealant (Oravet) applications available for pet owners to use at home as well,” Tong explained. “We also make the best use of time when a pet is under anesthesia by doing toenail trims, ear cleanings and anal gland expressions as courtesy services included with our dental cleanings.”  Tong said the patient is slowly awakened once the last phase of the polishing begins so as not to keep it under anesthesia any longer than necessary.

             “Once the patient is off inhalation anesthetics, they begin breathing room air and must start swallowing before we extubate (remove) the endotracheal tube,” Tong detailed. “The patient will begin breathing more deeply as they are becoming more awake.”  The patient is then transferred into a recovery area where he/she is further monitored by staff.

              Jones also wants pet owners to be aware of the dangers of allowing Fido or Fluffy to play with, gnaw on or ingest certain dangerous toys or foodstuffs.

              “Dogs sustain many tooth fractures from chewing on items sold as toys. Nylon toys, pig’s ears, deer antlers and thick soup or knuckle bones can readily cause damage to pet dental enamel, even though it is the hardest surface in the body,” Jones explained. “Soup bones may get lodged around a pet’s lower jaw behind the fangs. We’ve had to saw these bones off from around the jaw with the pet under anesthesia.”

              Also, after chewing on and breaking chew bones, pets can get pieces stuck between their teeth and/or lodged in the roof of their mouths. They also have a likelihood of becoming obstructions in the intestinal tract or causing gastrointestinal inflammation and/or constipation,” Jones said.

Keeping Man’s Best Friend Healthy

Delphos Animal Hospital, Lima Police Work Together for Canine Unit

By Kate Ellis
kellis@the419.com

LIMA – Police dogs often stand in between officers and criminals, and just like their human counterparts, injury in the line of duty is a possibility. So when Ron Conner, who has since retired, became the first sergeant of the canine unit at the Lima Police Department, he chose to ask a veterinarian he was familiar with to take care of the dogs.

Thirteen years later the Lima Police Department still works with the Delphos Animal Hospital, which provides emergency care in the event of trauma, as well as preventative care for the canine unit. Both parties agree the relationship is great.

“In the event that there would be a canine related injury, we usually contact them and advise them of the circumstances,” said Nick Hart, a sergeant with the canine unit at the Lima Police Department. “It’s been my experience that they have us rush the dogs right out, regardless of what their appointment schedule is.”

Although it is rare for the dogs to be injured, Lima Police have a direct line to the hospital, so if anything does happen care can quickly be administered.

“They seem to make us a very high priority,” Hart said. “We trust them a lot.”

Grizz, a 2-year-old male German Shepherd dog, was the most recent injury that happened in the line of duty. The injury occurred during the apprehension of a suspect police believed to be involved in a Dollar General burglary. The suspect had fled and officers gave chase, along with Grizz. When the suspect dove under a porch Grizz was sent underneath to follow him. The suspect began to punch and kick him in the face, still trying to escape.

Grizz eventually was able to get ahold of the suspect’s leg, and held him. At that point the suspect was apprehended, and placed in handcuffs.

Grizz had been struck in the muzzle, and had minor injuries from the scuffle.

“Initially there was some bleeding around (Grizz’s) teeth,” Hart said. “That’s what lead to the concern that he would need to get checked by the vet.” When an injury occurs handlers are able to communicate to the hospital, and the hospital can determine if the dog needs to be seen.

“His handler paged us through our emergency line,” Dr. Bonnie Jones, veterinarian and co-owner of the Delphos Animal Hospital, said. “I asked him a series of questions over the phone. It was apparent the dog was acting very normally, with no visible wounds, but he described that he had been kicked pretty hard, so that may not necessarily show up.”

Grizz was brought to the hospital the next morning. “The dog, by all rights, probably should have been sore,” Jones said. “He was pretty unscathed. We watched him walk, he was appropriate with his commands, didn’t show any pain when we checked him over.”

Grizz was deemed healthy, and he was eager to go back to work.

While always available in a time of injury, the hospital also provides primary care: check-ups, health screenings for potential new dogs, and recommendations for diet. In addition the hospital has provided skin care for allergies and dealt with kidney disease. Dental care and eye care is also important for the dogs. Eyesight is important for the dogs; handlers rely on their vision. Jones has trained handlers to look for signs of eye failure, as well as other medical issues.

“We help (the handlers) do the health part of their jobs for the dogs,” Jones said. “I’ve trained them how to pass stomach tubes, they all carry stomach tubes in their vehicles. That’s an emergency that German Shepherds and other deep chested dogs would experience.”

The 13-year relationship between the Delphos Animal Hospital and the Lima Police Department began as a personal one. Conner, now retired, had begun to take his own pets to the hospital for care. After getting familiar with the practice, he asked if the hospital would be willing to begin taking care of the canine unit. Jones and her husband, who is co-owner and also a veterinarian at Delphos Animal Hospital, agreed.

“The dogs change, the handlers change, but they are all very consistent in their roles, handling the dogs, and caring for the dogs,” Jones said. “It has been a very positive relationship, I don’t think there is anything I would change about it.”

The dogs mean a lot to the canine handlers, which makes the relationship between the two important. Hart has a 6-year-old male named Bailey.

“Honestly, I’d feel naked without him,” Hart said. “He is your partner every day and every night for the last four years, no matter what I’m doing he is with me. At least a couple times, if not for him we may have had to resort to a lethal force situation. They keep me out of trouble.”

Jones knows how important the dogs are to their handlers.

“When they have had, what the handler deemed an emergency, I mean these dogs are like their kids, and you have to reassure them just as you would any pet owner that their kid is okay,” Jones said.

A Car Wreck and the Miracle Cat

It all happened so quickly. It sounds cliché, but life can change in an instant. It was a dark and icy night. I was driving. And then I wasn’t. I had both hands clutching the steering wheel and traveling at a responsible speed. But that ice-covered curvy country road proved too much for my little car that wintry night. As I went careening off the road and into the ditch I couldn’t even begin to tell you what was going through my mind other than a bit of resolve that I had no control of the situation and a healthy dose of panic.

I had collided with a telephone pole and at some point my airbags had gone off. I don’t remember that happening — again, it all happened so quickly. After a few moments as the landscape was suddenly at a new angle out of my front windshield I tried to collect my thoughts to devise a plan of action. My driver’s side door wouldn’t budge — the telephone pole that I had hit ensured that. I saw a few pairs of headlights go by — and as I started crawling out the passenger side someone finally stopped to help.

The Good Samaritans who stopped had called the sheriff’s department for me and stayed with me until they showed up. Long story short — living in this part of the country, you’re always sure to come across someone you know. It turns out that these two do-gooders were clients of mine and they actually had an appointment for me to spay their cat in two days’ time.

As a veterinarian, I am blessed to get to see a lot of people and pets during my day. And as much as I would love to say that I have a photographic memory for every single one of the pets and people that touch my life — I am only human. I don’t always connect people with their pets especially outside of the office. But the Good Samaritans’ cat was a memorable one.

I first met Barney, the girl kitten, when she was a tiny mite of a thing. She was a few ounces short of a pound and had been rejected by her mother. She had every type of parasite you could think of, an upper respiratory infection, conjunctivitis and an awfully long road ahead of her if she was going make it to adulthood. Her owners took this information with aplomb and set about following my instructions to the letter.

It’s generally a well-known fact that God makes a lot of kittens for a reason. Many of them do not make it to adulthood — especially if they are facing the infections and parasites that Barney had to battle. Their tiny bodies and developing immune systems often can not handle these afflictions. When kittens are as young and sick as Barney was when I first met her, it often doesn’t end well no matter the best of our intentions.

I can safely say Barney would likely never have made it if it weren’t for Damien. Damien is the young man who had taken it upon himself to care for the tiny little creature. He hand fed her and gave her all of the medicine and treatments as directed. With every successive office visit I remember being completely impressed with her medical progress and Damien’s ability to care for her.

Barney is happy and healthy now and a feisty little thing. Damien is also the young man who had helped me out in my hour of need. He gave up his seat in the warm van on the side of the icy road while we waited for the sheriff. The same young man had also worked diligently to save a tiny kitten.

I walked away from that accident, and I know that I am incredibly blessed. It could have ended a lot worse. For someone whose daily job is to help those creatures who can’t always help themselves, it is extremely humbling and uplifting to meet so many truly good people like Damien who are willing to put forth incredible effort for one so helpless — and to know that I have guardian angels like him looking out for me as well. 

Author:  Dr. Marisa Tong