Does your pet have bad breath?

This isn’t just unpleasant for you – it can be unhealthy for them. Up to 80% of dogs and 70% of cats that do not receive proper dental care, may show signs of dental disease by the age of 3.

Signs include

• Bad breath
• Red gums
• Problems eating/ picking up toys
• Excess salivation
• tooth decay/ tooth loss
• Pawing at the month

To avoid your pet having to have a dental at the vets, which involves a full general anesthetic please read out tips

• Take advantage of food, treats and toys – look for specially formulated foods and treats for dental care. Chewing is a national way to remove tartar from the teeth. 
• Check your pets mouth weekly for any of the signs of dental disease.
• Brush your pets teeth – at least once or twice weekly. This should be park of your dogs routine. Only use specific animal toothpaste and never human paste.
• Ideally start young, get your pet used to it before they are 6 months old.

Mika and Kuma

Mika and Kuma are a mother daughter pair. They have both had a tough time over the last couple of months with medical issues that needed attention. They are husky dogs crossed with wolves, among some other breeds, but they don’t have any traits of their wolf relatives. They are both very humble dogs. allowing all sorts of procedures to be carried out on them without complaint.

Kuma is the Mammy, she is nearly 9 and a half years old. She had a large growth on her face that we were concerned could be something nasty and concerning. It was advised that she should have it surgically removed and sent to the lab for a biopsy. Her procedure went well and after a short recovery,she has been back to have her sutures removed and the wound has healed very well. Luckily for Kuma, the biopsy revealed that it was not a dangerous growth, rather a benign tumour and it is expected to be curative.

Mika is the daughter of Kuma, She is nearly 8 years old. She has a very close relationship to her Mammy and hates to be parted from her. She became unwell in May this year. She went off her food and had a very high temperature. As she had been in season recently, we were worried she could have pyometria. This is an infection of the womb and can be fatal if surgery is not carried out to removed the uterus. This is the same procedure as when a female dog is neutered. However, in a case like this the surgery is much more complicated and risky due to the high levels of infection present in the body. Tests and radiographs revealed that this was the likely cause of her problem and surgery was completed the following morning. On the table under the anesthetic we could clearly see the very enlarged uterus that was filling up with all sorts of nasty stuff. The whole womb had to be immediately removed if Mika was to to have any chance of surviving.

Mika had to be hospitalised for a few days after the procedure for observations and administration of medications. She went home to her eager owners shortly after, as well as her mother who missed her very much. She was seen for regular check ups and bandage changes here at The Animal Hospital. Unfortunatley, she had some wound complications after her surgery and recovery was slow. Finally now we are glad to report that she is doing really well and her wound has healed and her form is great. She is a very lucky girl!

For Mika’s bravery and patience and Kuma’s fantastic mothering skills and complience here with us, we are proud to call them both our July Pets of the Month!! Their owners should be very proud!! Well done Mika and Kuma!!

Mother and daughter love!