Warm greetings to everyone! We sincerely hope everyone is settling in to the new year well. Seems like winter has finally caught up with us, fortunately, spring is right around the corner. This month for our newsletter we are going to be explaining the importance of dentals and your pets.

  February is Pet Dental Health Month. It is important to provide regular dental care for your pet. More than 80 % of dogs, and 70 % of cats have signs of dental disease by the time they are 3 years old. This not only can cause your pet to have bad breath, tooth loss and discomfort when eating, it can contribute to other health problems such as heart, liver, and kidney disease. The condition of your pets teeth can be determined by the veterinarian during your pets regular visits.

"Practice the 3 D's"

1. Daily Brushing

2. Diet

3. Dentistry

  Daily Brushing: The best way to reduce dental disease is by regular brushing. If you start this when your pet is young, they will adapt to this more easily, but even older pets can often become accustomed to having their teeth brushed if you are patient and proceed slowly . It is important to use a toothpaste designed for pets, as human toothpaste contains ingredients that are not safe for pets. Everyday brushing is best, but 3-5 times per week is still beneficial.

  Diet: While not as effective as brushing, there are dental rinses and chews which provide benefits also, as well as dental foods which reduce the build up of plaque. Ask any of our staff for information on the products that are available.

  Dentistry: With or without home dental care, your pet may eventually need a professional cleaning. This is done at the clinic under general anesthesia so the teeth can be thoroughly cleaned and examined. Your pet is brought to the clinic in the morning, and can go home in the afternoon.

Possible signs of Periodontal Disease Include:

- Persistent Bad Breath

- Tartar (hard, yellow-brown deposits)

- Bleeding Gums

- Discolored Teeth

- Loose/Missing Teeth

- Difficulty Eating/Chewing

- Excessive Drooling

- Pawing At Mouth

- Favoring One Side Of The Mouth

- Facial Swelling

- Irritability

- Reluctance To Chew Toys

- Depression

How many teeth does your pet have?

Dogs start out with 28 deciduous (baby) teeth. By 6 months of age these baby teeth fall out and are replaced by permanent teeth with the total being 42.

Cats start out with 26 deciduous teeth. Like dogs, cats baby teeth fall out by 6 months of age are are replaced by permanent teeth with the total being 30.

Rabbits have four incisors, two on the top, and two on the bottom. Right behind the top incisor teeth are two small peg-like teeth called auxiliary incisors or "peg teeth". In addition, rabbits have cheek teeth that they use to grind their food. These are the 6 upper premolars, the 4 lower premolars, 6 upper molars and 6 lower molars.

Rabbits are hypsodonts, meaning that their teeth grow continually, throughout life. In a normal rabbit, the teeth are aligned so that they wear against each other as the rabbit chews. If the molars do not line up correctly, incisors quickly overgrow and can become unmanageable "tusks" making eating nearly impossible. If this is the case the rabbit may need to come in to have incisors cut down and the molars filed to allow proper chewing motion.

If your bunny is showing any signs such as:

Drooling
Runny eyes
Eargerly going to food, but then acting unwilling to actually eat
Gradual(or sudden) change in dietary habits
Unusual eating habits
Make an appointment with one of our doctors for an exam to see if your rabbit needs to come in for a dental to file his/her teeth down.

This month for our monthly drawing we are going to be giving away a dental gift basket. Just email us at pets@saukvillevet.com, call at 262-284-7000, or stop by and give us your name and phone number for a chance to win.

Drawing will be March 1st, 2012.

  "February" is dental health month.

If you schedule a dental in February, you will receive $10.00 off your pet's dental and you will receive a tote with a finger toothbrush.

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Warm Wishes!

Saukville Vetrinary Clinic Staff