Start your pet’s New Year with a healthy, clean mouth. If your pet has bad breath, drooling, pawing at the mouth, difficulty chewing, and/or has loose or missing teeth, it could be a sign of a much more serious condition. Preventative dental care can save your pet from suffering and save you money in the long run. Dental disease is the most common, most diagnosed, most often- recognized health problem in pets. Seventy to eighty percent of all dogs and cats three years and older have some degree of dental disease, which requires treatment and/or preventative care. Dental prophylaxis or dental cleaning should not be an elective procedure but a necessary component of routine preventative care like annual vaccinations, intestinal parasite and heartworm testing and nutritional and behavioral counseling.

If left untreated, periodontal disease (the progressive inflammation of the supporting structures surrounding the teeth) can lead to infection and tooth loss and severe problems like kidney, liver and heart disease. Clinical signs of periodontal disease may include mouth odor, red swollen brownish gums and brownish teeth, bleeding from the mouth, drooling, reluctance to and difficulty with eating hard food and loss of weight. Consequences of periodontal disease can be devastating. If you notice any of the symptoms below, please call us immediately.

Johnstown Veterinary Associates’ goal is to make you aware of the benefits of regular dental care for your pet. As an incentive for you to get your pet scheduled, we will offer a FREE wellness exam to all patients who receive a dental cleaning during the month of February 2017.The free exam is for the same patient and will be honored within 1 year from the date of the dental cleaning. To participate, schedule your pet for a dental cleaning during February and receive a voucher for a FREE exam. While it is important that you brush your pet’s teeth daily, professional cleaning, scaling and polishing of teeth is recommended at least once per year as the minimum baseline prevention of periodontal disease. Dental appointments due fill up quickly, so don’t let your pet miss out on this opportunity.