General Health Advice for Pets and Pet Owners

Seven Steps to Your Pets Dental Health

Many of our pets will show gum disease by the time they are four years old; some can be as young as two. If you educate yourself about providing good dental hygiene for your pets and schedule your pet’s annual visits to Village Veterinary Hospital—at which time a dental exam is part of the annual visit—this will help maintain healthy teeth and prevent any possible dental problems.

Here are seven steps that can help you in helping your pet have a healthy mouth.

The Breath Test: Sniff your pet’s breath. If their breath is especially offensive and is accompanied by a loss of appetite, vomiting, or excessive drinking or urinating, it is a good idea to schedule an appointment and have their teeth looked at.

Signs of Oral Disease: The following are signs that your pet may have a problem and should have a dental exam:

Bad Breath
Excessive Drooling
Inflamed Gums
Tumors in the Gums
Cysts under the Tongue
Loose Teeth

What Is Tooth Decay? Bacteria and plaque-forming foods can cause build-up on our pet’s teeth. This will cause tartar, possibly causing gingivitis, receding gums, and tooth loss.

Know Your Mouth Disorders: Get familiar with possible mouth problems. Know what you’re looking for and know when it is time to see the vet.

Periodontal Disease – A painful infection between the tooth and the gum. This can cause tooth loss and spread the infection to major organs in the body.
Gingivitis – An inflammation of the gums caused mainly by disease-producing bacteria around the gum line. This is reversible with regular teeth cleanings.
Halitosis or Bad Breath – This can be the first sign of a mouth problem and is caused by food particles caught between the teeth.
Swollen Gums – This develops when tartar builds up and food gets stuck in the teeth.
Proliferating Gum Disease – This occurs when the gum grows over the teeth.
Mouth Tumors – These appear as lumps in the gums. Some of these must be removed.

Four Stages of Dental Disease

Chew on This: Chew toys can help the teeth stay clean and massage the gums. If you have questions about which toys are “safe” for your pet, please call our office at 869-2627 and discuss it with one of our doctors.

Diet for Healthy Teeth: Village Veterinary Hospital sells and believes in Science Diet. Science Diet has a T/D diet that is specifically for the teeth, as well as a Healthy Advantage Diet that is for all-around food, including the teeth.

Annual Exams and Dental: It is important to schedule annual exams for your pets. Just like people, our pet’s health can change in a short time, and if your vet doesn’t have the opportunity to keep his eye on them, a very simple issue can quickly become a medical emergency. During every annual exam, our vets and technicians will always check the teeth and gums for any changes.

If you have questions or concerns, please call our office at (505) 869-2627, and we will be glad to help you.

Article

Aging in Our Pets

Allergies

Antifreeze Poisoning

Arthritis in Our Pets

Digital Radiology

Dogs vs Cats

Epilepsy in Dogs and Cats

Seven Steps to Your Pets Dental Health

Aging in Our Pets

We all want to know how aging in our pets works. The chart below lets us know how old our animals are in comparison to us in age.

Life Stages
Pediatric       0-1
Adult              1-6
Senior            7-9
Geriatric > 10

Aging in Our Pets

We all want to know how aging in our pets works. The chart below lets us know how old our animals are in comparison to us in age.

Life Stages
Pediatric       0-1
Adult              1-6
Senior            7-9
Geriatric > 10

Age Comparison Chart

Age of Cats and Dogs Equivalent Human Age

6 months 10 years

1 year 15 years

18 months 20 years

2 years 24 years

3 years 28 years

4 years 32 years

5 years 36 years

6 years 40 years

7 years 44 years

8 years 48 years

9 years 52 years

10 years 56 years

11 years 60 years

12 years 64 years

13 years 68 years

14 years 72 years

15 years 76 years

16 years 80 years

17 years 84 years

18 years 88 years

19 years 92 years

20 years 96 years

21 years 100 years

Antifreeze Poisoning

There are several household items that are toxic to our dogs or cats, one of the most problematic being antifreeze. Antifreeze has a smell and taste that our dogs are attracted to. Antifreeze poisoning can happen quite easily due to the fact that it is commonly spilled on the garage floor or dumped into the street when changed. The chemical in antifreeze is called Ethylene Glycol. It causes extensive kidney damage almost immediately after consumption. When antifreeze is consumed the body starts absorbing the toxin from the GI tract. Once the Ethylene Glycol is metabolized through the liver and kidneys, Calcium Oxalate crystals start to form and there is an increase in the urine pH. The lethal dose of antifreeze is about 3 ounces for a medium to small size dog.

Allergies

Animals just like people, can suffer allergic reactions to a wide variety of environmental substances, or allergens. Some allergens are seasonal, such as grass, tree and weed pollen. Allergens causing year-round symptoms include food, molds, dust mites, insects and other materials found in the home environment…even people.

X-Ray-Arthritis1-1024x707.jpg_1677160902

Arthritis in our pets

Arthritis in our pets can be very painful. Arthritis means inflammation of the joints. The most common arthritis in dogs, cats and horses is called osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is the breakdown of the cartilage which lines the bones that make up a joint. Cartilage can be worn down to the point that actual bone material rubs together. In some cases, cartilage fragments break off which can irritate adjacent muscles. As the joint wears and becomes distorted, pain can occur in the muscles that support and generate movement in the joint.

Most of senior animals have arthritis, due to being athletic, obese, diabetic or having trauma or an injury.

Digital Radiology

Village Veterinary Hospital is very proud to be able to offer their clients with the latest in Veterinary Technology, Digital Radiology. This service provides our customers with accurate information and instant results.

Dogs vs Cats

Cats are essentially solitary and territorial, this behavior was rooted in their wild ancestry. This is why you wouldn’t normally see a cat running up to a “strange” cat and wanting to play. Felines will lay claim to their turf, and will fight invaders fiercely. What does this mean when it comes to introducing dogs and cats? We have a few suggestions that might be helpful.

Epilepsy in Dogs and Cats

A seizure is a specific event in time, which causes abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Epilepsy refers to multiple seizures occurring over a long period of time with no underlying structural brain lesion or other neurological signs. Most dogs with epilepsy suffer their first seizure between 1 and 5 years old, but seizures can occasionally start before 6 months or as late as 10 years old. Any breed, including mixed- breed can be affected. There are two different types of epilepsy: generalized-onset seizures and focal- onset seizures.