Dental Disease
Maintaining excellent dental health in your pet can substantially increase the quality and duration of their life. Dental disease is the most common problem we see in dogs and cats (even in young adults) – 80% of dogs and cats over the age of three have dental disease requiring professional attention. Animals with periodontal disease can get bacteria entering their bloodstream each time they eat and breathe, making dental disease a major contributor to other health problems (i.e. heart, liver, kidney and joint disease). We routinely find dental problems owners are completely unaware of. Have you ever had sore gums or a broken tooth? Did you tell anyone or continue through life as normal? Most of us, as humans, have experienced oral pain but it does not stop us at all from our daily functions even though IT HURTS. Animals never complain or tell us their oral pain either……I don’t want to patronize people but we hear all the time “they aren’t showing any signs of pain” even when the animals face is literally swollen up from a tooth abscess.
These need to be addressed quickly to prevent pain and the loss of teeth.
Regular professional cleaning is important to maintaining your pet’s teeth and gums in tip-top shape. We use ultrasonic and hand-scaling instruments to clean each tooth thoroughly above and below the gum line. The teeth are then polished to create a smooth, lustrous tooth surface resistant to plaque build-up. Questionable teeth or areas where teeth are missing are radiographed and addressed as needed. Referral to a Board Certified Veterinary Dental Specialist is also available to provide advanced dental care; including root canals, caps and braces, if needed.
A HEALTHY MOUTH IS VITAL TO YOUR PET’S HEALTH.
We encourage owners to try and practice providing dental hygiene with their pets at home. This can greatly slow down, but unfortunately not stop, the development of dental disease. The changes we see in our patients’ he
alth and behaviour after dental work is amazing and we are proud of our results. We conveniently offer basic pricing models for different grades of dentals.
Heart Disease: Heart disease is common in more mature animals. Many of these aging pets are not yet showing signs of disease, leaving their owners unaware of any problems. Initiating treatment before your pet starts showing obvious signs of heart failure will help them live longer.
Intestinal Parasites
It is important to deworm your pet regularly, and to check regularly for parasites to make sure the medication is working, and to look for parasites not controlled by the medication. Parasites not only affect the overall health of your pet, but some also pose a significant health risk to humans.
Pain: Dogs and cats feel pain and discomfort just as people do. We know that recognizing and alleviating pain in animals is the essence of good patient care and vitally important to their long-term health and well-being. If your pet limps, is slow to get up or lie down, doesn’t want to jump into the car (or elsewhere), doesn’t want to be petted anymore or just seems more irritable, pain may be the problem. Our goal is to prevent/eliminate this unnecessary suffering by offering many solutions to this very serious problem for pets of all ages. We use a variety of treatments for pain, including: conventional pain medication, infrared light therapy, weight management (where appropriate), physiotherapy and massage. There are many, many solutions to manage pain safely and effectively.
External parasites
Fleas and ticks: Fleas can only be a significant source of discomfort to your pet in causing significant itching, but they can also transmit tapeworms! In addition to this, an adult female flea can lay up to 2000 eggs in their short life and these can hatch and become adults in up to 3 weeks. This does not take long for minor flea problem to become a major one!
We have a large population of ticks in the Sea to Sky corridor and it is important to control these on your pet as they can be a source of irritation and infection as well as potentially transmit diseases to pets and humans.
Diet recommendations
Healthy nutrition is a keystone to your pets health and happiness. There is no “one diet fits all” solution a different life stages require different nutrition and many animals of the same stage also require a unique diet for various health conditions. Our veterinarians and staff are always available to speak to you about dietary options for your pets best health.