As spring arrives, bringing with it an influx of allergens, many pet owners are likely to notice a rise in skin issues among their furry companions.
Managing Pet Allergies: A Comprehensive Guide to Comfort and Care
Pet allergies can be a significant hurdle for many animal lovers. Managing these allergies while maintaining a happy and healthy environment for both you and your furry friend requires a multifaceted approach. From adjusting their diet to implementing effective skincare routines and environmental changes, here’s a comprehensive guide to help you navigate the complexities of pet allergies.
1. Understanding Pet Allergies
Pet allergies are usually triggered by proteins found in a pet’s skin cells. These allergens can become airborne and settle on surfaces, causing reactions in sensitive individuals. Common symptoms include sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, itchy eyes, skin rashes and ear infection.
2. Adjusting Your Pet’s Diet
Diet plays a crucial role in managing allergies. While changing your pet’s food won’t eliminate allergens, it can reduce their severity and improve overall health. Consider the following:
Hypoallergenic Diets: These are formulated to minimize allergen exposure and include novel proteins and limited ingredients to reduce the risk of allergic reactions.
Novel Protein Diet: This refers to a diet that includes proteins your pet has not previously been exposed to, which can help identify and avoid potential allergens.
Single Protein Diet: This type of diet contains only one source of protein. Be cautious with some foods that may contain chicken or chicken byproducts, as these can sometimes cause allergic reactions
Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Incorporating omega-3s pet supplement into your pet’s diet can help reduce inflammation and improve skin health.
3. Implementing Environmental Changes
Your home environment can significantly impact allergy management. Here’s how to make it more allergen-friendly:
Regular Cleaning: Vacuum and wash pet bedding frequently. Use allergen-reducing sprays on carpets and upholstery.
Garden Safety: Avoid mowing the lawn while your pet is outside to prevent them from inhaling dust and allergens. Additionally, remove any weeds or plants that could cause skin irritation, such as Wonder Dew.
Environmental changes: can trigger allergies in pets, especially if they are exposed to new types of grass or plants that they haven’t encountered before.
4. Skin Supplements for Pets
Skin supplements can help improve your pet’s skin health and reduce shedding, which in turn can lessen the amount of allergens in your environment:
Fish Oil: Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, fish oil pet supplements can enhance your pet’s skin and coat health.
Probiotics: These can support a healthy gut, which is linked to improved skin health and immune function.
Vitamin E: Known for its antioxidant properties, vitamin E can also benefit skin health and reduce inflammation.
5. Choosing the Right Skin Care Products
When it comes to managing skin allergies, the right skincare products can make a big difference:
Hypoallergenic Shampoos: Use shampoos formulated for sensitive skin to avoid irritation and reduce allergens.
Medicated Shampoo: Use this during flare-ups to help manage secondary infections and soothe your pet’s skin until you can consult with your vet.
Moisturizing Products: Consider conditioners or leave-in treatments that can soothe and hydrate your pet’s skin.
Regular Grooming: Brushing your pet regularly can help reduce shedding and minimize the spread of allergens.
6. Ongoing Prevention Medication
In some cases, medication may be necessary to manage allergies effectively. Options include:
Antihistamines: These can help alleviate symptoms like sneezing and itching.
Monoclonal medication: to help stop dermatitis and itch, (injection or oral tablets )
Conclusion
Managing pet allergies involves a combination of dietary adjustments, environmental changes, skin care, and, in some cases, medication.
Take a proactive step by booking an appointment with us today. Together, we can create a comfortable and healthy environment for your pet.
Dr. Irene Mitry is the owner and founder of Clyde Veterinary Hospital, and a vet with a difference. She has not one, but two veterinary degrees, and an abiding passion for preventative pet care. Her life-long love for our animal friends shines through in everything she does, as her client testimonials show. Dr Mitry’s long-standing desire to bring this philosophy of care to life in her own purpose-built veterinary clinic led her to found Clyde Veterinary Hospital in 2018.
When it comes to keeping our furry friends healthy, we often focus on their diet, exercise, and routine check-ups. However, one crucial aspect of pet health that often gets overlooked is dental care. Just like humans, pets can suffer from dental issues that can lead to serious health problems if left untreated. In this blog, we’ll explore the importance of dental health in pets and explain why dental X-rays are an essential tool in maintaining your pet’s oral well-being.
The Importance of Dental Health in Pets
Dental health is not just about keeping your pet’s teeth clean and their breath fresh; it’s a crucial component of their overall health. Poor dental hygiene can lead to a range of issues, including:
Periodontal Disease: This is one of the most common dental problems in pets. It begins with plaque build-up, which can harden into tartar and eventually lead to gum inflammation (gingivitis) and deeper infections. If untreated, periodontal disease can cause tooth loss and painful abscesses.
Tooth Decay and Loss: Pets can suffer from cavities, though they’re less common than in humans. More frequently, pets experience tooth damage and loss due to trauma or severe periodontal disease.
Oral Pain: Dental issues can be extremely painful for pets. They might not show obvious signs of discomfort, but you might notice changes in their eating habits, chewing difficulties, or unusual behaviour.
Systemic Health Problems: Bacteria from dental infections can enter the bloodstream and affect other organs, potentially leading to heart, liver, or kidney disease.
The Role of Dental X-Rays in Pet Care
Dental X-rays are a vital tool in diagnosing and treating dental issues in pets. While a visual examination of your pet’s mouth is a good starting point, many dental problems are not visible to the naked eye. Here’s why dental X-rays are so important:
Detecting Hidden Problems: Many dental issues, such as root abscesses, bone loss, or infections, are not visible without X-rays. These hidden problems can cause significant pain and health issues if not identified and treated promptly.
Evaluating Tooth Health: X-rays allow veterinarians to assess the health of the tooth roots and the surrounding bone structure. This is crucial for diagnosing conditions like tooth resorption, which is common in cats and can be quite severe.
Guiding Treatment: Accurate diagnosis through X-rays helps veterinarians create an effective treatment plan. For instance, if a tooth is fractured or has severe damage, the X-ray results will help in deciding whether extraction or other treatments are necessary.
Monitoring Progress: For pets undergoing dental treatments or surgeries, X-rays are useful for monitoring the healing process and ensuring that the treatment has been successful.
How to Keep Your Pet’s Teeth Healthy
Regular Brushing: Just like with humans, regular brushing is one of the best ways to prevent plaque build-up and periodontal disease. Use pet-specific toothpaste and brushes for the best results.
Dental Chews and Toys: These can help reduce plaque and tartar build-up. However, they should not replace regular brushing or dental check-ups.
Routine Vet Check-ups: Schedule regular veterinary visits, including dental check-ups. Your vet will be able to assess your pet’s oral health and recommend professional cleanings if needed.
Watch for Signs of Dental Problems: Be vigilant for signs like bad breath, difficulty eating, or pawing at the mouth. Early detection can make a big difference in treatment outcomes.
Conclusion
Maintaining your pet’s dental health is crucial for their overall well-being. Dental X-rays play a significant role in diagnosing and treating dental issues that are not visible during a routine examination. By incorporating regular dental care into your pet’s routine and utilising advanced diagnostic tools like X-rays, you can help ensure that your furry friend enjoys a happy, healthy life with a bright, pain-free smile.
Remember, prevention and early detection are key. So, don’t overlook your pet’s dental health—schedule those regular check-ups and keep a close eye on their oral hygiene. Your pet will thank you with plenty of wagging tails and purrs!
Book an Appointment Today
If you’re concerned about your fur baby, give our friendly team at Clyde Vet Hospital a call on (03) 9052 3200
Dr. Irene Mitry is the owner and founder of Clyde Veterinary Hospital, and a vet with a difference. She has not one, but two veterinary degrees, and an abiding passion for preventative pet care. Her life-long love for our animal friends shines through in everything she does, as her client testimonials show. Dr Mitry’s long-standing desire to bring this philosophy of care to life in her own purpose-built veterinary clinic led her to found Clyde Veterinary Hospital in 2018.
Giving your best friend the best chance at living a longer, healthier life is the goal of every loving pet owner. Doing what’s best for your pet goes beyond keeping it well fed and hydrated, and extends to ensuring that your fur baby receives regular pet dental care at home and at the vet.
Proper dental care for pets helps to prevent and protect animals from a number of health issues that arise when their teeth aren’t properly looked after. Additionally, when an owner takes the time to maintain their pet’s dental health, they help to improve their pet’s well-being and minimise the likelihood of harmful bacteria from the gums passing onto the major organs in your pet’s body.
National pet dental health month is the perfect reminder of why it’s important to look after your pet’s teeth and gums. By recognising the signs of dental disease and taking steps to prevent it, you can help improve the quality of life for your pet for the years to come.
Recognising dental disease in pets
Poor pet dental health in your dog, cat or bunny often first presents itself in the teeth, gums and surrounding areas of your pet’s mouth.
The slow buildup of plaque can cause issues over time, eventually spreading bacteria throughout the body. If not removed correctly, the plaque can also harden and become tartar, which will need to be removed by aveterinary clinic offering pet dental health services. Fortunately, tartar above the gums can be removed and cleaned by a professional. By getting to it early, you minimise the likelihood of tartar moving below the gum line and causing your pet serious pain and discomfort as a result of inflammation and infection.
While plaque and tartar can often be seen by looking in your pet’s mouth, sometimes it can be hard to notice when you’re unsure what to look out for. As a general rule, don’t assume that your pet’s teeth are healthy without getting a pet dental health check and maintaining pet dental care.
If your pet has a buildup of plaque and/or tartar that has caused its’ dental health to deteriorate, you’ll likely recognise one or more of the following signs:
Bad breath
Irregular/abnormal eating or drinking
Broken/loose teeth
Excessive drooling
Bleeding from the mouth
Once you notice any of these signs, it’s a good idea to go to the vet to get your furry friend checked out.
Benefits of maintaining pet dental health
Ensuring your pet receives proper dental care both at home and at the vet is vital. By practising proper dental care, pets are more likely to experience improved overall health that will help them in the years to come. Having a good level of dental care for dogs, cats, bunnies and more helps them in five key areas.
The most important reason to maintain a thorough level of dental care for pets is to help prevent the likelihood of organ damage caused by dental diseases or infections. You also minimise the potential for the gum disease to get worse. Any bacteria that makes its way into the bloodstream has the chance to spread to the heart, liver and kidneys of your pet, potentially making them extremely sick.
Additionally, proper dental care for cats and other animals can help prevent them from losing teeth, feeling pain in their mouth region or having bad breath. This helps them live freer and helps to ensure they can eat, drink and behave as normal.
Quality and affordable pet dental care
Pet dental health awareness month is the perfect time to book your best friend into your local veterinary clinic for a checkup.
At Clyde Veterinary Hospital, we provide dental health services for dogs, cats, rabbits, rodents and ferrets. We pride ourselves on treating animals in our state-of-the-art clinic and using gold standard service and dental equipment.
With dedicated dog and cat treatment areas, you can trust that your beloved pet will receive the highest quality, tailored care. We use the best pet dental care products and perform rigorous pre-anesthetic testing to help ensure your pet receives the best treatment possible.
Book an Appointment Today
If you’re concerned about your fur baby, give our friendly team at Clyde Vet Hospital a call on (03) 9052 3200
The key to managing gum or tooth disease, whether in dogs, cats or humans is prevention.
And with research showing up to 85% of dogs or cats experience some form of dental health issue by just 3 years of age, it’s vital for their wellbeing that you do your utmost to prevent it developing.
And dental disease doesn’t just present tooth, gum and feeding/diet issues. It can also cause harmful bacteria to pass to your pet’s major organs and cause serious or even life threatening health complications.
There are a few simple steps you can take to ensure maximum dental hygeine in your pet, and what better time than August “Dental Month” 2021 to run you through some of the basics?
1. Watch for Signs and Symptoms of Disease
As a secondary benefit of regularly brushing your dog or cat’s teeth, you will be routinely getting up close and personal enough with them to notice most emerging tooth or gum issues before they become serious.
Periodontitis has four main stages – progressing from minor plaque build up or mildly inflamed gums through to full blown gingivitis to mild or severe periodontitis – which can result in the loss of teeth or even bone tissue disease.
Dogs and cats both display similar symptoms when they are facing problems with their dental health. The most common early symptoms are bad breath or you may notice a yellowish-brown tartar forming on their teeth. These handy graphics will give you a good idea what to look out for and to judge how serious the dental problem might be.
A healthy pet’s mouth should show gums of a uniform light pink colour, with clear white teeth showing no discolouration or build up of plaque around the gums.
Gingivitis – the earliest stage of dental disease will usually present as a red discolouration of the gums – particularly around the base of or between the teeth.
If the disease advances to actual periodonitis, you will notice a more severe discolouration through larger areas of the mouth, and a yellowing of the base of your dog or cat’s teeth, and some bleeding from the gums may also be present, depending how advanced the disease has become.
You may also begin to notice a yellowing or darkening of the enamel on your pet’s teeth, which can lead to a serious and painful abscess, or even bone loss, if not treated promptly.
More severe symptoms include loss of appetite, excessive drooling, and your dog or cat licking up their food and avoiding chewing it, favouring one side of their mouth in eating, or using their front paws to regularly rub at their mouth.
See your vet urgently if your pet is displaying any one or more of these symptoms.
2. Clean Their Teeth Regularly
Few pet owners take the time to give their animal’s teeth a regular or dedicated clean, but this is without question the gold standard in preventative care.
Just imagine if you brushed your own teeth as infrequently as you do your pets’, the number of dental issues that you would be facing. Yet the processes of developing dental disease is exactly the name, no matter what the species.
We strongly encourage the use of a dedicated species-specific toothbrush or “finger brush” – which is a specially designed plastic overlay that you place over your finger and use to brush their teeth directly, and which gives much better tactile feedback and a better experience for your pet.
Clean teeth and gums are key to fighting “doggy breath” – even in cats!
While using a dedicated dental paste is not essential, again this is really the gold standard. Dedicated pet-specific formulations are available which have a palatable taste for pets, and which provide additional benefits such as mouth freshening and prevent plaque buld up.
We DO NOT recommend using human toothpaste to clean your dog or cat’s teeth, as these can contain ingredients that can be harmful to dogs or cats if used over an extended period.
We do recommend products such as Oxyfresh Pet Dental Gel, which is completely odourless and tasteless and made from natural ingredients.
It’s important that you remain committed to a daily process of brushing in order to maintain the benefits of a regular dental regime, and it’s important to quickly get your pet used to the somewhat unnatural process of having their teeth brushed.
Start out by giving your dog or cat a small sample of the toothpaste to introduce them to the taste. And reward them afterwards with play, petting or a favorite activity, to positively reinforce the brushing process.
We recommend starting your pet out as young as possible while they are still puppies or kittens, as they will be far more receptive to brushing if you begin at an early age.
Start by gently lifting up your dog or cat’s top and bottom lip one side at a time and lightly rubbing their teeth with your finger once a day. Once they become used to this, you should begin use of the finger or tooth brush.
We recommend the following handy tips for the process of cleaning your dog or cat’s teeth at home
Lift their upper lip to expose the outside surfaces of your pet’s gums and teeth.
Brush with gentle circular motions to clean both the teeth and gums, exactly as you would your own.
Concentrate on cleaning the outside (cheek-facing) surfaces, as most pets will not allow you to brush the inside surface of the teeth.
Be sure to clean the back upper molars and canines, as these teeth tend to quickly build up tartar.
Here’s a great little video that walks you through the process …
3. Use Specially Formulated Dental Dry Food
A number of dog and cat food manufacturers now make several varieties of dry food formula which has been specially designed to abrasively prevent the build-up of plaque or tartar on your pet’s teeth and gums.
At Clyde Veterinary Hospital, we strongly recommendHills Prescription Diet t/d Dental Care for Dogs andCats – it features a specially formulated, species-specific kibble shape and size, with “fibre matrix technology” for maximum plaque reduction.
And during “Dental Month” at Clyde Vet, we’re offering a huge 15% off RRP on all Hills Dental Care Dry Food until August 31 – email info@clydevet.com.au or phone 9052 3200 to speak to our friendly staff about your needs.
4. Use Dedicated Dental Chews
Similarly, several manufacturers make dedicated dental chew treats for dogs, which are a great-tasting way to supplement a daily brushing regime, and provide a little reward for putting up with the hassle of brushing.
We’re such huge fans ofOravet Dental Chews for Dogs, that we’re also offering $10 off per bag of Oravet if purchased before August 31 – strictly limited to the first 20 purchasers.
That’s up to 25% off the recommended retail price until August 31 – email info@clydevet.com.au or phone 9052 3200 to speak to our friendly staff about your needs.
5. Add a Specialised Dental Formula to Their Drinking Water
Oxyfresh have also come up with this extremely clever way of destroying bacteria and removing plaque – a dental additive solution you can mix in with their regular water – it’s completely colourless and odourless so they’ll never even know the good they are doing themselves every time they go to the water bowl – and it’s effective for both dogs and cats, or indeed any animal species.
We don’t recommend relying primarily on this as a preventative measure, but it can certainly help imrove the effectiveness of a more hands-on dental care regime.
6. Give Dogs a Raw Bone
Although this is one preventative measure your dog will truly relish, we recommend exercising caution with this. Importantly NEVER give your dog a cooked bone, as they are liable to splinter and can seriously injure your pet, and if possible supervise them while they are gnawing at it.
Always give your dog a human-grade meat bone (some preservatives used in inferior meats contain substances that can harm your dog), with enough meat still on to retain a degree of softness, and make sure the bone is large enough that they won’t attempt to swallow it.
Chewing on the bone’s rubbery surface can help remove plaque and tartar build-up and strengthen your dog’s gums, providing improved resistance to dental decay.
We recommend a maximum of 1-2 bones per week, and try to leave a minimum 3 day gap between treats.
7. See Your Vet Regularly
This one may seem obvious, but it’s important that your pet has regular dental checkups from an early age – you don’t want them having to live with a lifetime of tooth or other dental issues, which can lead to a loss of appetite, and restrict their enjoyment of life.
Only a professional dental check can properly diagnose and treat the often deeply hidden teeth or gum issues that can lurk deep within your dog or cat’s mouth.
Older animals will also benefit from occasional dental scaling, and your vet can advise if this would be appropriate and beneficial for your pet. Depending on the age of the animal and the level of build-up, they should only need professional dental scaling at 2-3 year intervals.
State of the Art IM3 Ultrasonic Scaler, as used by Clyde Veterinary Hospital
Ultrasonic scalers are handheld devices which use ultrasonic vibrations to remove hard, calcified deposits from your pet’s teeth. They also create shockwaves that disrupt bacterial growth, while also washing flushing the pockets between teeth and any exposed root surfaces with water.
The procedure is usually followed by a professional tooth polish, which smooths the surface of the tooth to minimise bacteria and plaque build up.
We do strongly caution against any lay dental practitioners who claim to perform dental scaling free of anaesthesia. For starters, the procedure can be painful and distressing for your pet, but just as importantly – it’s been shown to be ineffective as a preventative measure – in most cases, your pet is simply not going to allow anyone to insert anything deep enough into their mouths to provide for an effective clean.
Book an Appointment Today
If you’re concerned about your fur baby, give our friendly team at Clyde Vet Hospital a call on (03) 9052 3200
