Focus on: Soft Tissue Impactions
Sometimes teeth have trouble erupting because the overlying gingiva is very tough and fibrous. Early intervention is the key.
Educational Material
Focus On: Micro Dogs
Small dogs are subject to a wide variety of dental and oral abnormalities in need of identification and treatment.
Dentigerous Cysts
When an adult tooth fails to erupt, it will often lead to the development of a large, destructive dentigerous cyst. This should never be allowed to happen.
"Missing" Teeth
According to the textbooks, dogs should have 42 adult teeth and cats should have 30. Sometimes they are missing one or more teeth and sometimes there are teeth hiding. Hidden teeth need to be found and removed or serious problems can arise.
Lance Canines
Shelties are very prone to a developmental problem with the placement of the maxillary canine teeth.
Malocclusions
Overbite, Underbite, Wry Bite, Lance Canines, Parrot Mouth... Malocclusions can take a lot of forms. One thing that is fairly consistent, however, is that anytime there is abnormal tooth-to-tooth or tooth-to-soft tissue contact, something needs to be done to allow the pet to have a comfortable mouth.
Pro-Active Dental Care
This paper reports on the difference in oral health between two littermates living in the same home, one of whom had pro-active dental care at seven months of age and the other who did not. The results are compelling.
More on Brachycephalism
These eleven, richly illustrated pages outline many of the oral problems seen so commonly in brachycephalic animals. It is seeing the suffering resulting from these issues that inspired me to speak out on this subject. In reading this paper you will learn about the problems, how to recognize them and what can (in most cases) be done to mitigate the suffering.
Stop Brachycephalism, Now!
This paper may win me many enemies, but after 30 years in practice, I can stay silent no longer. Brachycephalic breeds suffer their entire lives because of serious craniofacial deformities that are imposed upon them in the name of esthetics and cosmetics. As advocates for animal welfare, I believe veterinarians must start informing the public about this very real animal health issue in the hope of changing attitudes and breed-choice habits.
Accepting New Referrals
Hale Veterinary Clinic is accepting new referrals! If you are a veterinarian looking to refer a patient, please fill out our referral form. If you are a client whose pet has already been referred to us, learn more about what to expect at your pet's appointment.