Do you know your pet also need to undergo dental checkup in repeated intervals? This is a health-related requirement for the well being of your pet which is equally important like the vaccinations and nutrition that are given to your pet. You should be aware of this fact that dental health is an essential indicator of the overall health of your pet as it signals the presence of many other health problems. So your pet should undergo a dental checkup once in a year which includes the check-up of his teeth and gums and the overall mouth to ward off any illness.
Though brushing is recommended for the pets, only some dedicated pet owners and peaceful pets will do daily brushing. A majority of the pet owners have never attempted to clean the teeth of their pets. This signifies the importance of dental check-up for your pet.
Factors preventing the process of pet dental care
What prevents the pet owners from taking their pets for a routine dental clean up is the general fear for anesthesia. It is essential to put your dog under anesthesia when the pet dental specialist performs the checking as you cannot expect your dog to behave like a human being during the examination.
The pet owners hesitate to let their pets to go for a dental exam is because of the price associated with it. So this is another barrier to pet dental care. This is because the quality of anesthesia used in the process is similar to the one used in the surgery of the animals. It requires the same care and precision, and thus it costs dearly.
What should be included in a routine dental check-up for your pet?
Exactly like humans, the dental X-rays are performed on pets for a full examination of the mouth and the teeth. You cannot expect your pet to behave well during the checkup. The use of anesthesia makes the process less stressful for a pet, and this enables the vet to assess and care for his teeth accurately.
The routine dental check-up should include all the standard measures to ensure that high-quality care is being administered to your pet. However, the procedure may vary from clinics to clinics, but typically it includes the following steps.
Pre-anesthetic Examination
This is done to see if any prior problem exists in terms of your pet’s dental health. If any irregularity is noticed, then it has to be managed and corrected before the dental examination. These problems may range from respiratory to neurological abnormalities. A minor back problem may also be taken under consideration as it will also influence the bearing capacity of the pet when he is under the anesthesia. At this stage, your vet will tell you if there any extraction needed. A complete examination is done when your pet is under anesthesia, and more serious problems are detected this time.
Pre-anesthetic Blood Panel
This may not look necessary for your pet, but it is essential because many of the kidney and liver-related diseases and other health conditions such as anemia could progress in the body before the symptoms are shown. These conditions hugely affect how a pet responds and recovers from the effects of anesthesia. Knowing about these in advance will help the vet to manage the medications accordingly.
Administering Intravenous fluid and Catheter
Intravenous methods done through the catheter are necessary to safely inject the medicines directly to the bloodstream of the pet for the proper maintenance of the anesthesia. It also enables the IV fluids to go inside the body to manage the blood pressure and hydration of your pet.
Pre-anesthetic Medications
This is important for animals to minimize the pain and discomfort once the effect of anesthesia goes away. By medications, you can help your pet to overcome any trouble even before it starts. This is crucial for pets that undergo tooth extraction or any other surgery.
Antibiotic Injection
During the process of cleaning of the gums and teeth, some bleeding is spotted because of the gingivitis and other dental illnesses. This facilitates the entering of the bacteria through the mouth to the bloodstream. So injecting an antibiotic before the examination will spread the medicine throughout the mouth and will destroy the bacteria.
Induction Injection
This injection helps your pet to be comfortably put under a breathing tube. He will not feel this injection as it is injected via the intravenous catheter. Gas Anesthetic is applied after this which is viewed as safe. Under this process, your pet will breathe through combined oxygen and anesthetic and will sleep throughout the checkup.
Dental Prophylaxis or Dental Cleaning
The vets use up to date devices for the cleaning of the pet’s teeth and gums. In the process, tartars or the mineral build-ups are removed. Deep cleaning is conducted to eliminate the presence of bacteria in the pockets of the gum line. Post cleaning follows the polishing of the teeth. It gives a smooth surface, and it acts as a preventive wall against the formation of tartar and plaque over time.
Extractions
To extraction for a pet is difficult because of the uneven teeth structure. The size and shape of the teeth are also different, and so it takes time in mining. Apart from this, the bone health also complicates the process. Quality surgical tools and equipment are used in the process.
You should take your pet back home with all the necessary pain medication and antibiotics. Antibiotics are required if any extraction happens or any gingival disease present in your pet’s mouth.
Contact a mobile vet to make the process less stressful
All the procedures described above involve significant cost. Moreover, a lot of stress is associated with all these. The coming of the mobile vet or mobile dentistry is a great blessing for the pets.
You aim to give your pet the best care both before and after the procedure. Under a traditional veterinary process, the pets need to spend a whole day in the clinic to complete these processes. Under these circumstances your pet does not get the care he deserves both and after the treatment.
But with the coming of the mobile vet, this trend is changing. A mobile vet will come to your place with all the necessary arrangement, and perform these processes under the direct supervision of a pet dental specialist. Moreover, the pets recover fast from the effects of anesthesia while at home compared to while they are in clinics.
