March is Dental And Oral Health Care Month   During March, come on by for a dental assessment by our technicians and doctors, at no charge. We will review your pet's oral exam with you and prepare a dental care plan. This includes directions for preventive cleaning and maintenance that you can do yourself, as well as recommendations for medical and surgical care where warranted.   DENTAL AND ORAL HEALTH CARE   Oral and dental care is an important part of your pet's health. Dental disease is the most common disease in dogs and cats. Over 68% of all pets over the age of three have some form of periodontal or dental disease, but most pets will show few signs of dental disease.   Preventive care involves brushing and daily examination of your pet's mouth. Brushing needs to be done at least 3 to 4 times a week, if you want to make a difference in your pet's oral health.  Plus, by looking in your pet's mouth while you are brushing, you will be more aware of any oral abnormalities (oral tumours, bad breath, missing teeth) or the increased redness of the gums that indicates periodontal disease.   What should you look for when examining your pet's mouth? Bad breath (halitosis) Broken tooth/teeth Excessive drooling Reluctance to eat, especially dry food, or to play with chew toys Chewing with or favoring one side of the mouth Pawing at or rubbing the muzzle/mouth Bleeding from the mouth Loss of symmetry of the muzzle and/or lower jaw Swollen/draining tracts under (or in front of) the eye Sudden change in behavior (aggressive or withdrawn) Chronic eye infections or drainage with no exact cause or cure Inability to open or close the mouth Chronic sneezing Discoloured tooth/teeth Abnormal discharge from nose A mass/growth in the mouth Taken from "Clinical Signs of Oral/Dental Disease in Pets" VIN Community Education   NEED HELP? ASK US! Painless Laser Surgery . VETS Emergency . Ultrasound Endoscopy . Cardiology . Ophthalmology      Thank you for all the great feedback from our previous newsletter on Painless Laser Surgery. Keep those great questions coming!   Want to ask a question? Send your questions to drm@beachvet.com Let us know if we can share your question (and the reply) with all our clients.

Veterinary Emergency Service On-Call (416) 690-0625 Fact about Brushing! What would happen if you stopped brushing your own teeth? Even if you only ate hard food as most dogs do, there still would be problems. You should be brushing your dog's teeth at least twice weekly, daily if you can manage it. It's not as difficult as you might imagine! What are the benefits? Brushing removes the daily accumulation of plaque from the teeth. Even though dogs do not commonly get cavities, they do suffer from periodontal disease. If untreated, the gum disease can lead to pain and loss of teeth.    Oral Abnormality This oral tumour was identified using our Dental X-Ray unit. It is in fact a bony tumour of the jaw.