Veterinary Clinic offers free dental check for pets
Press release
28July 2008
Pets are being offered a free dental check in the general practice at the Veterinary Clinic and Hospital based in Werribee, to celebrate the Australian Veterinary Association’s animal dental health month in August.
It is an ideal opportunity for owners to find out if their animals have existing problems that have gone unnoticed – and how to ensure they stay healthy in the future.
Infections such as gingivitis (inflamed gums) and periodontitis (loosening of teeth) can prove very painful, but are easily missed by owners due to the ability of animals to mask pain.
Bacteria and poisons from these infections can also spread to the heart, liver and kidneys through the blood stream and conditions such as diabetes cannot be controlled if an animal has dental disease.
Dr Wayne Fitzgerald, a dental consultant at the Veterinary Clinic and Hospital, said: “Around 80% of adult animals are going to have some degree of dental disease and this becomes more severe with age.
“Smaller animals also tend to be more severely affected. Because animals can mask pain very well, these problems are often not picked up until they are taken for a check up.”
The importance of regular checks was highlighted by Marli, a red Heeler treated at the clinic recently.
During a short kennel stay in Queensland last year when she was eight months old, Marli became anxious at being separated from her owners and severely damaged her teeth chewing on her cage.
A local vet referred her for treatment, but she was only brought to the clinic a year later, by which stage she had multiple dental fractures and all of her teeth had decayed to a brown-grey colour.
She is now undergoing regular treatment under anaesthetic and has had to have several teeth removed.
The Clinic and Hospital also treats larger animals, such as horses, where gum disease can make them unable to chew their feed into small particles leading to colic. Bacteria associated with gum disease have also been linked to spontaneous abortion, low birth weights and heart disease.
Dr Tony Caiafa, President of the Australian Veterinary Dental Society, which recommends annual check ups for animals, said: “Routine dental check ups will identify problems early and decrease the chance of bad teeth and gums leading to other serious health complications.”
As well as ensuring their animal has regular check-ups, owners are advised to prevent future problems through good oral home-care: daily tooth brushing with flavoured pet toothpaste, a dentally-friendly diet and appropriate chew objects.
Dr Fitzgerald said: “There are diets out there that aren’t dentally friendly because they’re soft and sticky – dry foods are much better but there are several specialised dental foods available from your vet too.
“Diets should be balanced and appropriate for the animal. We try to get owners to realise this at an early stage and get their pets eating properly when they are puppies and kittens.”
To receive a free pet dental check in the general practice of the clinic please contact the Veterinary Clinic and Hospital in Werribee on 9731 2000 or visit them at 250 Princes Highway, Werribee.
For further information please contact Andrea Jones, Marketing Manager, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Melbourne, Tel: 8344 7844 or email: ajone@unimelb.edu.au