Animals, unlike people, need anesthesia in order to have their teeth professional cleaned, or to have dental procedures. Some pet parents can be apprehensive about their pet going under anesthesia. It is for this reason that “anesthesia free” dentals are becoming popular. Unfortunately, these methods aren’t effective at addressing your pet’s dental health, and in some cases may actually be more dangerous than general anesthesia.
Vaccination
Behavioral Counseling
Pets with behavioral problems can often pose a frustrating challenge for pet owners. However, through behavioral consultations we can correct unwanted behaviors and enrich both your life and your pets’ life.
Nutritional Counseling
Grain free”, “All Natural”, “Organic”, “Raw”, and “Wild” are all pet food marketing tools. It is easy for pet owners to grasp these words because they sound “healthy”. It is even easier for pet food sales people to use them to pitch the latest and greatest all natural pet food that will ensure your pet lives a long healthy life. But are these foods actually better for your pet?
Comprehensive Examination
Preventative medicine is important when our pets are young, but as our pets age, and become prone to certain disease processes, annual exams and blood work become even more critical.
So why is your pet itching? Unfortunately, as you can see, there is no quick fix. However, there is some basic information that can help. Here in Florida FLEAS are the most common cause of itching and scratching in pets. Unlike other parts of the U.S., we see fleas all year round. Pets that have allergies are usually allergic to fleas. Eliminating fleas from the equation will make your pet more comfortable. To do this, ALL YOUR PETS need to be on high quality flea prevention from your veterinarian. Even cats that are strictly indoors still need flea prevention. Sure, there are many products available OTC, but they are not as effective as prescription products. Many of them are generic versions of popular medications that veterinarians stopped carrying several years ago, because newer and more effective products have come out. Think about how far your cell phone has evolved in ten years. The other important component of flea prevention is making sure your house and yard are professionally treated for fleas on a regular basis. Your pet can be on high quality flea prevention, but if the environment isn’t treated you will lose your battle with fleas.
Pain Management
Lastly, our Practice also has a “zero tolerance for pain”. Our surgeries receive pain medication while under anesthesia so that they recover pain free. We believe pain medication should not be an optional ‘menu’ item like at some spay neuter clinics. All of our surgeries are evaluated for pain, and sent home with pain medication. While some veterinary practices may follow this standard, there are some that do not. So, be cautious of price shopping for your pet’s surgical procedures. Make sure you are aware of the exact standard of care your pet is receiving.
Skin Condition and Allergy Treatment
Food allergies in pets are not common as you might think. Food allergies only account for ten percent of all allergic skin diseases in dogs. If your pet has food allergies, it may have other allergies that aren’t addressed by changing its diet. Most importantly OTC (over the counter) diets are not hypo allergenic. No matter how all natural or grain free the diet is, it’s not hypo allergenic. The diets we use for food allergies are PRESCRIPTION. In order to get those diets for your pet they have to be prescribed by a veterinarian. The reason is that veterinary food companies have higher standards and requirements to insure they only contain the ingredients listed. Numerous studies and recalls have proven that OTC diets can be contaminated with ingredients that are not hypo allergenic. A true food trial for allergies takes medical supervision, and monitoring. This is why true hypoallergenic diets are prescription only.
Itching can be very frustrating for pets as well as their owners. Making things worse, excessive itching can lead to secondary skin infections and ear infections which are also itchy.
No scientific evidence has yet demonstrated that feeding Grain Free, All Natural, Organic, or Raw diets to healthy pets, compared to conventional diets, are better for your pets. In fact, Veterinarians are now starting to suspect grain free diets may cause heart disease; www.vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2018/06/a-broken-heart-risk-of-heart-disease-in-boutique-or-grain-free-diets-and-exotic-ingredients
Kidney Disease Treatment
In 2007, several pet foods were found to contain melamine, a toxin that caused kidney failure. This previously unknown toxin was impossible to predict. The industry took action during the recall, and the FDA has improved reporting of suspected toxic or contaminated food ingredients in response. All natural diets are not immune to recalls. One only has to do thorough searches online to see several “all natural” food companies have had recalls of their own. (type: company name in search https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/RecallsWithdrawals/default.htm )
Periodontal Disease Treatment
Cancer Treatment
One fact that has been proven about raw diets is that they are dangerous not to pets, but to their owners. Look at warnings on the packaging of raw meats that advise strict precautions when preparing them while cooking. All of the labels emphasize scrupulous hygiene like washing your hands, cooking surfaces and utensils. The reason is to avoid exposure to lethal bacteria like salmonella, E. coli and Yersinia. Not only can these bacteria cause your pet to become ill, they can also be passed to you. Furthermore, some pets may show no signs of being ill and still pass the bacteria to you. For elderly people, immunocompromised people (such as with Chemotherapy) or for young children the consequences could be life threatening. A recent study in the Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association; found 20-35 percent of raw poultry and 80 percent of raw food diets tested positive for Salmonella. In addition 30 percent of the stool samples from dogs fed these diets tested positive Salmonella. It is for these reasons that our practice is adamantly opposed to raw diets.
Your pets’ oral hygiene and care is a critical component of their health. Our practice offers dental exams, and comprehensive dental cleanings. For advanced periodontal disease, we are also able to perform simple extractions and dental surgery. Click here to learn more.
Veterinary Surgery
Our practice offers surgical services; ranging from spays, neuters, to mass removals, as well as routine emergency surgeries. If your pets require more complicated specialist surgical procedures, our practice has an close relationship with a local specialist surgical hospital, and can expedite a referral. We realize that it can be stressful to have your pet undergo surgery. Your pet is in good hands, and that we will do everything to provide the best care possible. Click here to learn more.
Spaying and Neutering
In our practice our basic philosophy is “no procedure is routine”. We understand that some procedures are less invasive than others, but this philosophy keeps us focused so that we do not get complacent. Complacency at a hospital leads to mistakes. We perform one surgery at a time. Therefore, only a few surgeries are scheduled each day to give each pet personalized medical attention. Some spay and neuter clinics take the opposite approach. They schedule a large volume of surgeries each day, making it difficult to provide personalized medical attention for your pet.
Before surgery is started our practice advises blood work for all our patients under-going anesthesia. The level of blood work is based on the patient’s age and medical history. We use the blood work to determine if it is safe to proceed, proceed with a different anesthetic protocol, or not do anesthesia at all.
X-Ray
Dental Radiology
Anesthesia free dentistry is where no sedation or anesthesia is given to your pet. A thorough oral exam, extractions, or dental x-rays can NOT be performed. With a pet awake, it is impossible to thoroughly scale the inside and back surfaces of the teeth. There is also a risk of it inhaling a piece of tartar. The teeth may look ‘cleaner’, but little has been done to professionally address your pet’s teeth. Tartar (along with bacteria) will be left behind, and your pet may still have bad breath.
We will work with you to develop a health plan that is right for the specific needs of your senior pet. Nutrition, exercise and the prevention of common problems through regular exams are all ways to help your senior pet stay healthy.