Pet Health : Dental Disease Is Overlooked

Dental disease in pets is actually one of the most common and most overlooked pet diseases. Proper tooth and gum exams are now part of a regular veterinary visit because dental health is an essential aspect of your pet’s long-term health.

What are the symptoms of pet dental disease?

Bad breath is the most common symptom of poor pet dental health. Some other symptoms include swollen gums, difficulty or pain when chewing, excess tartar, poor appetite, and weight loss. If your pet has gingivitis, you want to make sure that it does not escalate to periodontal disease, which could cause the infection to spread to other organs.

How is it diagnosed?

Dental disease can only be diagnosed after a complete oral examination which is performed by a veterinarian. Following the oral exam most veterinarians will also look for other common signs of dental disease. Once the disease is diagnosed the veterinarian can then set up a treatment plan.

How is dental disease treated?

If your pet has a mild form of dental disease, such as tartar or gingivitis, the treatment is a simple cleaning plan, but if tartar or gingivitis is more serious, a veterinarian should perform a professional tooth cleaning. In such cleanings, your pet will be anesthetized to allow for the tartar to be removed from the teeth as well as from under the gum line. Once the tartar is removed, the teeth are cleaned with an antibacterial rinse and are polished to make it more difficult for tartar build up to start again.

How is it prevented?

Pet dental disease is easily preventable. In order to slow down the build-up of tartar and gingivitis, you should feed your pet a prescription diet and brush its teeth regularly. If you cannot brush your pet’s teeth, you can feed them enzyme chews as a substitute. Whatever you choose to do, just remember that dental disease prevention is an important step to ensuring your pet's overall health.

------------------------------------------------------------

Here is our Pet Dental product that is available in our online pet pharmacy : http://shop.corneranimal.com/category_s/49.htm

C.E.T.’s exclusive antibacterial system and time-tested Dual-Enzyme System to control plaque and eliminate bacteria buildup. They can be fed as a treat once a day (on non-brushing days) or as directed by your veterinarian. Chews are the easiest method of care for pet owners but should be used with brushing for best results. Contraindications/precautions : Pets with food allergies to beef should avoid these treats since they are made from beef hide.

Feline Leukemia : What Every Cat Owner Should Know

Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is a serious cat disease that all cat lovers should be aware of. The virus is known to cause many serious health problems such as cancer, blood disorders, and immune deficiencies. FeLV can affect any cat and comes in two stages : Primary Viremia, which is the early stage, and Secondary Viremia, which is the stage that is usually irreversible. Some cats have an immune system that is able to prevent the escalation of the virus to the Secondary Viremia stage though.

How is feline leukemia virus spread?

FeLV is most commonly spread by extensive contact between two cats or kittens. The virus lives in a cat’s bodily fluids and can be transmitted from one cat to another during mutual grooming, from a bite, and through shared litter boxes and food dishes. An infected mother can also pass the virus to her kittens before they are born. However, once outside of the cat’s body, FeLV can only survive for a couple of hours.

Are certain cats at a higher risk for contracting the virus?

All cats are at risk for feline leukemia virus. Currently in the United States, approximately 2 to 3 percent are infected with the virus, but that statistic rises to 13 percent when dealing with young or sick cats. Kittens are at the greatest risk for contracting the virus since their immune systems tend to be weaker than those of adult cats. However, all cats that are exposed to a cat with the virus, either through a bite or extended contact, are at risk for the disease. This includes cats that live with another cat that has the disease, cats that are allowed outside, and kittens that are born to an infected mother.

What are the symptoms of FeLV?

When a cat first becomes infected with the virus, it is common for them not to show any symptoms at all. However as the virus develops over time, the cat’s health will begin to slowly deteriorate. Symptoms of this include :

Loss of appetite and weight loss
Lack of pink or red color in the gums
Chronic illness
Progressive weakness
Persistent diarrhea
Breathing difficulty
Yellow color in the mouth and/or the white of the eyes

How can this virus be diagnosed?

If your cat is displaying symptoms that are associated with FeLV, be sure to bring it to a veterinarian for a blood test. There are two types of blood tests that detect the virus. The first is called, ELISA, which can detect both primary and secondary stages of the disease. The second test, IFA, only detects the secondary stage.

How can I prevent my cat from contracting FeVL?

Since all cats are at risk for the virus, the only true way to protect your cat is to prevent exposure to cats with the feline leukemia virus.

Keep your cats indoors. When they are outside you don’t know what cats they are coming into contact with.

Make sure you are only bringing infection-free cats into a home with uninfected cats.

If you have a cat that is infected, be sure to keep your uninfected cats away from it. Do not allow them to use the same litter box or food bowl.

Consider getting the feline leukemia virus vaccination for your uninfected cats.

Remember that the feline leukemia virus is a serious disease for cats. Make sure that you keep your cat protected from it and bring it to the veterinarian if see any of these symptoms.

Pets Benefit Your Health

People love having pets. They are loyal friends that have comforted people for years. But did you know that having a pet can actually benefit your health? For the past 25 years, research has shown that people that live with pets tend to be healthier than those who do not. Pets have been proven to do a number of things to help improve your health - including lowering blood pressure, boosting immunity, and even improving mood.

The Calming Effect

Pets help keep people healthy and active both physically and mentally. Research has reported finding pet owners to be less stressed than non-pet owners. People with less stress tend to also be more physically healthy. For example, pet owners tend to have lower blood pressure and be at a lower risk for heart disease.

One study done at the New York State University at Buffalo studied 48 male and female stock brokers who suffered from high blood pressure and no other medical disorders. The participants all lived alone with no pet for at least five years. Half of the participants were given a pet to take home and the other half were not. After six months, researchers found that the group of stockbrokers that now had pets also had significantly lower blood pressure than the stockbrokers that did not.

Allergy Fighters

Many people worry that if they bring a pet into a home where there are allergy-prone children, the children will be more likely to develop a pet allergy. However, recent studies have proved just the opposite. Children who grow up in homes with animals tend to be less likely to develop allergies and asthma. The results of one study claimed that children growing up with a dog were 14 percent less likely to develop pet allergies. They were also less likely to develop eczema, a common skin allergy. Researchers suggest that this may prove that pets help boost childrens’ immune systems.

Alleviating Loneliness

Dogs have proved to be great companions for the elderly. Even if the dog is just a walking partner, they provide exercise and companionship for its owner. Research has also shown that Alzheimer patients that have pets tend to have fewer anxious outbursts. One insurance company even asks its clients over 75 if they have a pet as part of their screening process.

Pets have also been proven to help people with depression and diseases that commonly cause depression. For example, people with AIDS who have pets reportedly have lower levels of depression. Playing with a pet can raise the levels of serotonin and dopamine in the brain. These are neurotransmitters that are known to have a pleasurable and calming effect on the body.

While it has always been known that having a pet can be enjoyable, it is now also known that pets benefit your health. If you are debating if owning a pet is a good idea, use your health as a reason why a pet may be the best new addition to your life!