Centreville Animal Hospital Newsletter
www.centrevilleanimalhosp.com

Vol. 7 Number 4

News and Views as Spring Approaches

Construction on our addition and additional parking spaces began April 3, 2007. We hope that inconvenience to you during the next four months will be minimal. If that is not the case, please contact us so we can provide a remedy to any situation that you feel causes danger and/or inconvenience to you and your pet visiting us.

April 12, 2007 US - PET FOOD ILLNESS   Over the last several weeks, Banfield, The Pet Hospital, has provided the FDA with medical information collected from its centralized medical records database of pets that may have been affected by the Menu Foods recall.  According to Banfield, the database shows that out of 237,844 dogs and cats examined at Banfield during the last three weeks, six pets
(five cats and one dog) or 0.003% have died as a result of eating a recalled food. These numbers don't include the 16 pet deaths FDA had already confirmed.  In the last three weeks, Banfield doctors have examined 1,605 pets with a history of eating a recalled food, which is less than 1% of the pets examined in all of its hospitals. Very few of these pets are ill. (Feedstuffs online)

Coming soon to our web site will be the ability to purchase from on line pharmacies and pet stores over 4000 items for your pet's well being and comfort. Look for details at www.CentrevilleAnimalHosp.com . Vets First Choice is our associated distribution company in Omaha that will send to you directly both prescription products and pet supplies that you find and shop for on line starting at our web site. We can provide information about each product to you. We will be able to directly contact both the manufacturer and distributor on your behalf if questions arise.

Dental disease is now found in 50 to 85% of all dogs and cats over three years of age. Compared with other preventable diseases we see, this is unbelievable. For example, heartworms in all dogs not on monthly heartworm prevention the incidence is between 5-12% in Centreville. Internal gastrointestinal parasites are present in 5-7% of all dogs and cats (inside and outside cats!); ticks are 1-2% in dogs and cats not on monthly topically applied preventives, and fleas are 1-5% in all dogs and cats not on preventives. Studies from Canada confirm these results from Internet surveys which can be suspect. However, the incidence is not far from our observations and those of other veterinarians.

Dental disease is multifaceted; it is mostly hidden from easily viewed areas of the mouth, gums, and teeth; it is painful to our pets; it is frequently associated with disease conditions in the heart, kidney, and liver; it is naturally occurring; and periodontal disease is reoccurring and can only be managed. We cannot stop it or cure it once and for all at this time.

In each of the adult dog's 42 teeth and the adult cat's 30 teeth, each tooth can be a separate individual treatment area. Unlike the lungs or heart which are treated as a whole, the teeth can each have separate problems and be treated differently. If half of these teeth at any given time need treatment, then we are not doing your pet the greatest service we could be. We need to accomplish together more than we have been by looking more closely at each and every one of these teeth and their many facets. The crown is the part of a tooth we can see. The roots are hidden. The periodontal ligament that holds the tooth in the pocket of bone is hidden from our view without radiographs. The blood and nervous supply to each tooth is hidden but extremely important to the health of each tooth. The gums and adhesive of them to the tooth supplies a seal to protect the tooth and its health is often below par.

Regularly looking at your dog's and cat's teeth cannot be over emphasized. Looking for red gums, tartar on the teeth, swollen gums, sensitive teeth when they are touched, and blood around the gum line can all be considered abnormal and in need of assistance to save the teeth.

We welcome your comments and concerns because, in the end, we share a common goal: Happy and contented pets that are members of your family for a very long time.