How to Keep Your Pets Biting Fit!

With our practice cat 832 (aka Kitty) having undergone a dental last week we felt now was a good time to give everyone some more information on tooth hygiene, signs of dental disease and how to help prevent the need for extractions later on in life. This will be the first in a 2 part piece, with part 2 going through the steps of a dental itself from your pet being admitted to going home later that day.

The first step in good teeth hygiene is looking at your pet’s teeth. As with anything, it is better to start young. All new puppy and kitten owners should be getting their new additions used to having their lips lifted and mouths opened, enabling good visualisation of all the teeth. Those with older pets can still accomplish this, it just takes a bit more time and patience. With any animal you want to be starting off slowly and ensuring your pet is calm and relaxed at all times and not struggling. It is good to reward any sort of progress and remember, praise works just as well as treats!

Next is being able to recognise signs of dental and gum disease. As with our own teeth there are a range of things to look out for, some subtler than others. Most pets with some form of dental or gum disease will have smelly breath and this is the easiest thing to look (or smell) out for. Inflammation of the gums (gingivitis) can vary from a slight reddening of the gums at the point where gum meets tooth to a more severe angry reddening and also swelling of the gums (this is obviously harder to spot in pets with black gums!). It is also important to look out for plaque and tartar. This can range from a mild brown/grey discoloration of the tooth (usually starting at the gum line) to a more severe tartar build up with thick deposits forming. Back teeth can often have tartar building up and this can be missed when looking at your pets teeth if the lips are not pulled back far enough. Unfortunately our pets will keep eating despite having severe dental and gum disease, so this is an unreliable sign to watch out for!

There are a couple of things that you can do to delay the need for a dental. A simple thing that can be done is feeding your pet at least some dry food in its diet. As your pet eats the dry food the teeth have to work hard to crack into the food and this can help prevent large deposits of tartar forming. Just as we brush our own teeth to keep them clean, the same can be done to our pets. There are special toothbrushes and toothpastes designed to work on pets’ teeth to help keep them clean. Lots of cats don’t tolerate toothbrushing very well but there are a couple of toothpaste like products which can either be rubbed directly on their teeth and gums or put on their paws for them to lick off, helping to maintain tooth health. All these products are sold at the practice and we are happy to discuss the various options with you and work out what is best for you and your pet.

If you are concerned about your pet’s teeth one of our veterinary surgeons can examine your pet’s mouth in a consultation during open surgery (Mon-Fri: 9am-10am, 5pm-6.45pm. Sat: 9-10am) or by  appointment (Mon-Fri: 2pm-4pm).

Keep a look out for part 2: The Dental – Admit to Home Time.

Lost... AND FOUND!

Microchips are essential in re-uniting you with your pet should they get lost or stolen. A microchip is a small implant (the size of a grain of rice) which is used to identify your pet by giving it a unique number for the rest of its life. The microchip is inserted under skin at the back of the neck and can be scanned to reveal your pet’s unique number. Microchips are used to help identify a wide range of animals from cats and dogs to horses and even some birds and reptiles!

Microchips are a fast way to allow the return of lost pets to their owners as when handed in to any vet practice, rescue centre or pound the first thing to be done will be to scan the pet looking for a chip. When a microchip is found the unique number enables them to find an owners address and contact details (on a national database) so that owners can be informed their pet has been found. Having accurate contact details on a microchip is the only way that an owner can be found, so when you have your pet chipped make sure you fill out the form in as much detail as possible with as many contact numbers as possible. Should you move or any details change, the microchip company should be contacted as soon as possible so that the database can be updated.

Microchips can be inserted from a young age and are commonly done at the time of initial vaccinations as a puppy or kitten. Here at Gibson and Jones we offer a free microchip as part of our puppy and kitten packs. The packs also include 1^st and 2^nd vaccinations, free wormer, free flea treatment and health checks at both vaccinations. They can also be placed when your pet is under anaesthetic for another procedure such as a spay, castrate or dental.

We are happy to microchip pets here at Gibson and Jones so either pop down during our open surgery (9am-10am and 5pm-6.45pm) or book an appointment between 2pm and 4pm on weekdays.

With over 126,000 dogs being handled by local authorities last year and 7,500 having to be euthanased as owners could not be located microchipping really could save your pets life!

The Unwelcome Guests...FLEAS!

Many people think that with Winter fast approaching flea prevention and treatment is no longer necessary. Unfortunately this is not true and in fact with the heating starting to go on, as the weather gets progressively colder and wetter, fleas are more likely to take up residence in the house. 

It is not only our pets that can bring these unwelcome guests home, but ourselves as the flea eggs and larvae are easily transported on our clothing and footwear. 

Flea prevention is necessary all year round and should be applied monthly, rather than treating animals once they become infested. Should signs of fleas arise then it is not just the pet/s that need treating but also the house itself. 

95% of the flea population (including eggs and larvae) live in the house/environment, with only 5% living on the pet. 

Treatment of the environment should include EVERY room (despite pet access), cars and any bedding. Although it seems unlikely, laminate/tiled/wooden floors can easily house hundreds to thousands of flea eggs and larvae, so these areas should not be missed during treatment! 

House treatment can be brought from us at the Gowerton branch and should be used to treat the house after hoovering ALL flooring thoroughly first. We have a variety of flea prevention products available and it can be discussed with you which product would be most appropriate for your pet. 

Despite a wide variety of products being available in supermarkets, pharmacies and pet shops (some of which seem like a good bargain), these products will not be as effective against the flea population as the ones bought from a veterinary practice and you are likely to still need to purchase a product from a vet.

Should you have any questions or queries regarding a current flea problem or prevention measures, please do not hesitate to contact us at the practice.