This month we celebrate both National Pet Dental Health Month and National Canine Weight Check Month.  These topics probably represent the two biggest problems we see in veterinary practice today, dental disease and obesity.  To make pet owners more aware of these problems these national observances have been created. 

National Pet Dental Health Month has been observed for several years.  Veterinary dentistry has been one of the fastest growing areas in veterinary medicine in recent times.  Good dental health is one of the most important things we can do for our pets.  Many pet owners think that giving their pet dry food will keep their pet’s teeth clean and healthy.  While dry food does help in reducing tarter, it is just not enough for most pets.  It is recommended that people brush their own teeth after each meal,  floss daily and still visit our dentist twice a year for a cleaning. Why should we expect our pets to maintain healthy clean teeth on eating dry food and eating hard treats?  The fact is that tarter and plaque still accumulate on your pet’s teeth and need routine attention at home and sometimes by your veterinarian.  If this tarter and plaque is allowed to accumulate, it can lead to gingivitis, periodontal disease, tooth loss and infection that can be spread to your pet’s internal organs leading to other serious medical conditions and even death.  So you see how important dental health is for your pet. 

            There are many things you can do for your pet’s dental health.  Yes feeding a food consisting of mostly dry food can help in decreasing tarter.  There are some foods available that are textured to help in cleaning teeth or additives to food to reduce tarter from adhering to teeth.  There are some prescription diets available at veterinarians that also help with tarter control that may be fed exclusively or as part of your pet’s diet.  Feeding hard treats and dental chews are also beneficial.  Having your pet chew on rawhide is one of the best ways to clean their teeth.  Rawhide has been controversial because people think they’re pet will choke on it or get it caught inside there intestines, but in all the years of practice we have not seen any serious problems with use of rawhide and furthermore the benefits of cleaning your pets teeth and satisfying their need for chewing outweigh the risks.  There are also many dental toys available.

            Another way to help keep your pets teeth healthy is brushing.  Unfortunately this is not an easy thing to do for most pets or their owners.  If you start when your pet is very young and adapt them to having their teeth  brushed, you probably will be able to do this with ease.  If you start later in your pet’s life your pet may resist brushing, but if you gradually introduce brushing to your pet and be patient, you can be successful in time.  Brushing should be done daily as with out teeth, but if you can brush your pet’s teeth a few times a week it is better than not at all.

Finally you should bring your pet to your veterinarian at least once a year for a dental exam to see if there are any problem teeth, tarter, gingivitis, or periodontal disease.

It is imperative that the earlier that we catch and correct problems we can avoid severe dental disease, pain and costly treatment and or tooth loss.  We also have a variety of dental diets, chews, rinses, toothpastes, ect available.  If you have any concerns about your pet’s dental health, please make an appointment today for a dental exam.  For more information go to www.petdental.com .  Another good web site for dental information is

www.ohioveterinarydentalservice.com .

            The other topic this month we are observing is Canine Pet Weight Check Month.  This is being sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health and the the American Kennel Club Humane Fund.  You can bring your dog in our hospital or other participating veterinarian and have your dog weighed for free.  No appointment is necessary, just come in during our regular office ours and one of our staff will weigh your dog, give you a weight check card, score your dog’s body condition (BCS), and give you information on canine obesity, and a postcard you can send in for a free gift.  Obesity is also one of the most common problems we see in our pets in as much as 47% or more.  Obesity can lead to many other health problems such as heart disease, breathing problems, diabetes and other metabolic diseases, and bone and joint problems not to mention shortening the life expectancy of your pet.  If you have a pet that is obese please make an appointment so we can do a physical exam, lab tests to check for any health problems and discuss ways to help you reduce your pet’s weight.  We have some prescription foods available and recently a new weight loss drug for dogs called Slentrol.  Slentrol is a drug for dogs only designed to help suppress your dog’s appetite and decrease fat absorption.  It is part of a program of healthy eating and exercise to help your pet lose weight at the rate of 3% per month.  To learn more about Slentrol go to the web site www.Slentrol.com .  To learn more about canine obesity and what you can do, go to www.StopCanineObesity.com and visit us this month for your free canine weight check.