Senior Pet Month: Dental Care

Dental Care is important for every pet, but it's especially important for your Senior pet.

Venus (7rs), getting her teeth cleaned

THE RUN DOWN:
Over time, plaque on the teeth becomes tartar, which causes gingivitis (inflammation of the gums). If left untreated, gingivitis can lead to bone disease and bone loss at the gum line and may result in infections. In serious cases, these infections and bone loss can lead to organ dysfunction and disease.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR YOU - THE OWNER?
We recommend that if you have any concerns about your pet's mouth (bad breath, struggling to chew, etc.) that you schedule an exam with us. We'll be able to give you a treatment plan for whatever the issue is. Please brush your pet's teeth regularly. If you have a pet that won't tolerate it, or you would like to learn how to brush, we can help you with that, too.

Lobo (13y), has some bone-loss on this molar.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THEM - THE PET?
Simply due to age, senior pets are more likely to have issues with dental disease. If we help them with cleanings and regular brushing, they will be more comfortable, and less likely to have problems. Before we anesthetize your senior pet for a cleaning, we require lab testing to determine how your pet's organs are functioning and rule out any underlying disease.

After the infected tooth is removed, we place sutures

WHAT DOES A PET'S DENTAL CLEANING INCLUDE?

The same as a human dental cleaning, except that your pet needs to be under full anesthesia. We scale and polish the teeth, provide a fluoride treatment, check for abnormalities, probe the gum line to check for bone loss, take x-rays, and remove teeth that are causing issues. We take note of any problem areas, and alert you to them.

IF YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT YOUR SENIOR PET'S DENTAL HEALTH, PLEASE CALL AND SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT TODAY - WE WOULD LOVE TO ASSIST YOU IN CARING FOR YOUR PET.

Lombard Animal Hospital

503-285-2337

Celebrate Senior Pets!

AT LOMBARD ANIMAL HOSPITAL WE ARE CELEBRATING SENIOR PETS THIS SEPTEMBER! 

One of the most beneficial things you can do for your senior pet is to schedule biannual wellness exams and labwork.  Labwork entails collecting a blood and urine sample from your pet.  Our team strives to complete the process smoothly and efficiently, with little stress to your pet.  The result is that we are able to gain valuable information about your pet’s health status that can lead to a longer, happier life!

Coors, (almost) 14-yrs old!

Why are wellness laboratory panels important to my pet?

Early detection of underlying imbalance or disease, means early treatment and prevention for your pet. This results in a better quality of life and longer healthspan for your pet.

At 11-yrs old, Abby is just about 65 in dog-years!

Why are wellness laboratory panels recommended every 6 months for senior pets?

Senior pets are 7 years or older. In human years, this means they are approximately 50 years old.  Because pets age 5-7 years in every human year, this would equate to running wellness laboratory tests every 2.5-3.5 years in a human.

To see a pet-aging chart click here!

What is a senior wellness laboratory panel?

The panel we submit for most senior pets includes:

Complete Blood Count (CBC) – this evaluates red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Some things the cbc can detect are anemia, infection, bone marrow abnormalities, inflammation, some types of cancer, and abnormalities in the body’s ability to stop bleeding.

Chemistry Screening – This consists of 25-27 values that help doctors to evaluate the health status of the liver, kidneys, adrenal glands, pancreas, and thyroid.  It gives us information about electrolytes, which can be imbalanced with dehydration and some organ diseases. In many cases, this part of the panel is used to monitor the progression of diseases commonly occurring in senior pets, such as renal insufficiency, diabetes, liver diseases, and hyper- or hypothyroidism.

Urinalysis – The urinalysis is useful in detecting many underlying disease processes such as urinary tract infection, inflammation, renal disease, and diabetes.  Most importantly in senior pets, the urinalysis gives us information about the kidneys’ ability to function properly.

To read on in more detail about laboratory testing, click here!

At Lombard Animal Hospital, in Portland, Oregon we strive to increase the quality of life for pets and their people through education, nutrition and wellness!

Give us a call -- We'd love to see you and your pets!

503.285.2337

www.lombardanimalhospital.com