February is National Pet Dental Health Month
Each year in February we highlight dental health for pets. Dental disease is the most common health problem in pets. In fact over 80% of cats and dogs have some degree of periodontal disease by the age of two years! It is a chronic, progressive disease which, left untreated, leads to tooth loss and severe oral infections which can lead to kidney, heart, and liver disease. Could you imagine what you would feel like if you didn't brush your teeth on a regular basis? Aside from bad breath and gum infections, you could be chronically ill with kidney, heart, or liver disease - all due to poor oral health! Studies have shown that pets receiving regular home care and routine professional cleanings are healthier overall.

What do we mean by regular home care? Tooth brushing, of course! One of the most important health maintenance things you can do for your pet is tooth brushing. There are many pets that really look forward to their daily tooth brushing. As puppies, you should acquaint them with handling, paying special attention to their feet, mouth, and ears just to get them used to the kind of things you may have to do with them sometime in their life. (And you can do this with the adult and even senior pets, too.) Keep your training sessions short and reward good behavior. Remember to make the experience as positive as possible. Many pet owners will do a short training session right before going for a walk or before the pet's meal, thus making the walk or the meal a reward for holding still while learning the tooth brushing process.

• Start by simply handling their muzzle, gently and for very short periods of time.

   

   

   

   

• Once the pet is comfortable with that, gently lift the lip.

   

   

   

   

• When that is OK, put a small piece of damp gauze (or a rough cloth like pantyhose or an old washcloth) over your finger. Slip your finger in between the lips and the teeth and rub the teeth and gums gently.

   

   

   

• The next step is to graduate to the toothbrush. There are a variety of toothbrushes available for pets. Buy one that is an appropriate size for your pet. A soft child's size toothbrush woks well too, for most dogs. Dampen the brush and brush in a circular motion. Start in the middle and work toward the back. In the beginning, do just a few teeth at a time. Work up to brushing the whole mouth at one sitting. (Remember to do a different section each time during the training period.) If you find your pet won't tolerate a toothbrush, try a finger toothbrush. It slips over your finger like a thimble and is soft and easy to use. Often this will be accepted by the pet that won't accept the toothbrush.

   

   

• Finally, you will start using toothpaste. DO NOT USE HUMAN TOOTHPASTE. It is not made to be swallowed, and since your pet won't "rinse and spit", the paste will be swallowed. Pet toothpaste is made in a variety of flavors and most have an enzyme that will help dissolve the plaque. Choose a flavor that you think your pet would like.

• The best schedule for tooth brushing is daily. A minimum of three times a week will definitely decrease the accumulation of plaque and tartar.

Sometimes brushing is just not an option. There are a variety of other products available that can help control plaque.

• Diets such as Hill's T/D, Science Diet's Oral Care, and Eukanuba's line of dental defense diets are an option for many pets. These diets are formulated for use as the primary daily diet. Please consult with your veterinarian before making a change in your pet's diet.

• There are various tartar control chews and biscuits available at veterinary offices and pet stores. When offered on a daily basis, these can help slow the buildup of plaque.

• For pets with established periodontal disease, home care rinses are a good option if the pet won't tolerate brushing. These should be prescribed by your veterinarian if your pet is a good candidate for their use.

Learn more about pet dental health in our February 03 and the February 02 newsletters.

Mad Cow Disease - Are our pets at risk?
It is all over the news now - mad cow disease has been found in a cow in the United States. A brief overview of the disease is difficult. We have read pages and pages of research about the disease and its transmission. Simply put, this disease is believed to be caused by proteins called prions. These prions, for an as yet unknown reason, can mutate and induce the normal proteins in brain tissue to assume abnormal shapes. This causes progressive neurological damage and finally, death. As of this writing, there have been no dogs affected; however there is a form of the disease that affects cats, called mad feline disease. It has been seen in the large cats such as lions and tigers as well as domestic cats. At this time there have been no reported cases in the United States. Ongoing research into the cause and transmission of the disease may change our recommendations, but at this time we believe mad feline disease is not a problem. We do recommend not feeding your cat raw beef, lamb, elk, or venison however since a form of the disease has been seen in all these species.

What you need to know about online pharmacies
Requests for prescriptions for the purchase of medication from online pharmacies are on the increase. We do honor those requests if we have a current "veterinarian-client-patient" relationship with the pet owner requesting the prescription, and the drug is medically indicated. There are some potential problems with online medication purchases, however, which we would like you to know about.

• Veterinary clinics are covered by very strict regulations set forth by regulatory agencies such as the State Pharmacy Board, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Drug Enforcement Agency. Many online pharmacies are not monitored by any federal or state agencies.

• The products they sell may have been stored in unregulated warehouses instead of being stored under the proper climatic conditions necessary for them to continue to be effective.

• Most product manufacturers will only support their product if it was purchased from a veterinary clinic or a licensed pharmacy.

• Products purchased online will not be covered by any reimbursement guarantee.

Regulatory agencies are now taking action against some online pharmacies. One popular online pharmacy faces charges or has settled with pharmacy boards in several states including Ohio. The Pharmacy Boards in these states took issue with the company's "alternate veterinarian program". This program hires veterinarians to write prescriptions for animals they have not examined which violates laws requiring the authorizing veterinarian to have a valid doctor-client-patient relationship. In another case, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fined an online pharmacy $100,000 for selling Australian products with metric system dosages to U.S. consumers.

While there are legitimate online pharmacies, it is difficult for us as consumers to know whether or not the online pharmacy we are dealing with is legitimate. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy has a list of Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites, or VIPPS. To be VIPPS certified, a pharmacy must comply with the licensing and inspection requirements of the state in which it is located and in each state where it dispenses pharmaceuticals. The VIPPS seal is displayed on the home page of these sites.

Our goal is simply to provide the best patient care we can. It is important to us that you are aware of and instructed in the proper use of the pharmaceuticals you are purchasing. Should you decide to purchase products from an online pharmacy, we will request that you come to our office to pick up a written prescription and sign a letter stating that you understand the potential hazards of buying from an unregulated online pharmacy. You can then forward the written prescription to whichever pharmacy you choose.

Career Mentorship Program
Hilliard Davidson High School's Career Mentorship Program offers students the chance to shadow a professional in their chosen career. Senior student Kira Franks spent three afternoons a week with us shadowing Dr. Chris Kabalan (and most of the technicians as well) for about nine weeks. We hope she learned a lot, and we wish her well in her pursuit of veterinary medicine.

Text on the slide: "Special Thanks. I would like to thank everyone at East Hilliard Veterinary Services. It was so great to learn from everyone and I appreciate all the time that you took to make me feel welcome and get the most out of this experience. Special Thanks to Dr. Chris Kabalan, Dr. Tom and Sue Klein"

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