Summertime, Summertime

I have to say that the weather has been particularly good the last couple of days.  Prime frisbee playing times!  With the long evenings, mom has more time to play frisbee with me - this is the best time of year.

Just throw it already, sheesh!

SMILE - Checking In for the Day

Your dog (or pet of choice) needs to get their teeth cleaned.  You've made your appointment.  Now what?

Because a dental cleaning requires anesthesia, you will likely get a phone call from your veterinarian's office about fasting your dog.  This usually means something like no food after 8pm the night before the dental and no water after midnight.  The purpose of this is to reduce the risk of vomiting during the anesthesia.  When an animal is anesthetized the swallowing reflex is gone.  If vomit makes its way into the mouth it can be inhaled and cause infection in the lungs.  Fasting will help keep this from happening (as well as endotracheal intubation, but we'll talk about that later).

You've managed to be strong against the dirty looks your dog is soaring at you from across the room because they have not received any food or water.  They sense a visit to the vet is forthcoming - that special sixth sense animals have - but you have managed to get them to the vet's office.  Now, you check-in at the front desk.

Every hospital is different regarding their check-in procedures.  At our veterinarian's office, there are a couple of forms to sign and Heidi and the dogs are whisked back to the treatment area.  The forms that most hospitals will want you to sign are general consent forms allowing them to anesthetize your dog, perform the dental cleaning, perform anything that may arise from the examination (pulling a tooth, radiographs, etc.), and perform pre-anesthetic bloodwork.

At our hospital, the pre-anesthetic bloodwork is offered as a choice.  It is always a good idea to have this done.  A lot of people say, "well, she seems healthy" when there could be subclinical problems that might be found with bloodwork.

Once the forms are signed, Heidi and the dogs get plastic collars with their names written on them.  All other collars and harnesses are removed - this is very important.  Collars and harnesses can catch on a part of the cage and cause injury or death.  The plastic collars that they acquire at the hospital can be ripped off easily if they should snag on something.

An assistant or vet tech comes out, takes a cage card with their name on it and they disappear to the "back".

Heidi's a bit apprehensive.  Heidi, it's not that bad, I promise!

Next up: Pre-anesthesia 

SMILE - Let's see those pretty teeth!

Heidi's mom here!


What Heidi said is true - having a good, thorough dental cleaning is a must.


I will go through everything, from start to finish, about what happens when a pet gets their teeth cleaned.  


And to start: Why does my dog (or pet of choice) even need this?


There are cosmetic reasons for having the teeth cleaned; the teeth look nicer and the breath is less eye-wateringly stinky.  More importantly, there are health reasons for having the teeth cleaned.  Pets, unlike humans, do not sit still or tolerate having their gums poked or their teeth scraped.  Animals must be anesthetized to fully examine their mouths.  A full examination uses specialized dental instruments to evaluate the health of the gums - are there gingival pockets?  Is anything infected?  Do the gums bleed easily?  Are there any teeth loose or broken?  Is the pulp exposed on any of the teeth?  Answering "yes" to any of these questions means your pet could be in pain or at risk of developing more severe dental problems.  


One big concern of having the teeth cleaned well and a full mouth evaluation being performed is that gum disease can lead to heart problems.  Congestive heart failure can be a direct consequence of bacteria making their way into the blood stream through diseased gums, or gingiva, and destroying the heart valves.  


Why is anesthesia needed?
A good article to explain why "No-anesthesia-needed dental cleanings" are not effective and end up being a waste of money.

Next time: Check-in for the dental cleaning.

Do You Have a Dirty Mouth?

Once a year, or every other year, the three dogs and I have to go to the dentist.  Well, the dentist is our regular veterinarian and the hygienist is a licensed veterinary technician.  Mom says it is very important, not just for looks or to make our breath smell better, but because it can save our lives.

Having your teeth cleaned professionally can save your life!  Did you know that?

A lot of people complain that veterinarians just do it to make money.  Having first hand experience with this -   I am here to tell you that is just plain stupid.  Umm, obviously, they need to make money so they can stay in business, but they are not going to risk your life over it.

A professional dental cleaning is a must.
Period.

Smile!
~Heidi

May 13-15 Beach Time!

Mom's friend made us go to the beach again.  Squeezed into a little station wagon, Mom, her friend, her friend's two kids, the three dogs and I took off for sandy pleasures.  I sat on mom's lap most of the ride down there.  It was a bit uncomfortable, but I really like to help navigate and keep an eye on traffic.

We made it in one piece.  Since we arrived at night, we had to wait until the morning to go to the beach.  The first day was cold, windy, and cloudy which makes for a not-so-good beach experience.  But that's my opinion.  The kids still had a great time and even got wet in the freezing water.  I could tell from touching the wet sand that it was too cold for my taste.

Here's a couple of picture of mom's friend and her two kids.

They are soaking wet - how can they stand it??

I did get a little, decent frisbee action on Sunday.  There was only one good picture because mom forgot to empty her sd card before we left for the beach.

Edgar also got to go over for a little bit to enjoy the weather and ocean.  He prefers to sniff around instead of play, but I guess he can do what he wants.  We are very different in that respect - he just doesn't get the lure of the frisbee.

We had a great time.  Mom has spoiled us this spring with a couple of trips to the beach.  We usually only get one good one in August, but we got lucky this year.  Hope she keeps it up!

~Heidi