November 2009 Newsletter

Lone Mountain Animal Hospital
November 2009 Newsletter

The Dangers of Dentals Without Anesthesia
Have your pet’s teeth cleaned without anesthesia and save the extra costs and avoid anesthesia concerns. Does it sound too good to be true? It should, but some pet owners looking to save money are shocked to find out that this practice can jeopardize their pet’s health and cost more in the long run.

Locally some grooming parlors are offering dental scaling without anesthesia. This is not to be confused with teeth brushing- which is commonly offered at groomers and which is a good home dental care step. With non-anesthetic dental scaling, dogs are restrained on their backs and held down. Unfortunately dogs do not understand what is being done, and this practice only renders them fearful and unable to get away. Dental instruments are sharp and can easily injure a wiggling pet. Dental cleanings on awake pets do not even come close to the quality of cleaning that is safely done on a pet under anesthesia. The rear teeth in dogs and cats are difficult to access in the awake pet. General anesthesia allows the veterinarian to evaluate tooth roots, take dental xrays, and provide sub gingival cleaning. None of that can be done on awake dogs. If it were only so simple to ask our dog patients to “Say AHH!”

One of the greatest concern veterinarians have regarding dentals without anesthesia is that the people doing this are not licensed DVMs. The veterinary community and veterinary dentists have taken a strong stance against this practice. Read the official statement against dental scaling without anesthesia by the American Veterinary Dental College at:

http://avdc.org/Dental_Scaling_Without_Anesthesia.pdf

Our office has witnessed one dog suffer a leg injury and near paralysis signs after an awake dental. Another pet within weeks of an awake dental had to have several teeth removed due to periodontal disease.

The best advice is to stay away from dentals done without anesthesia and keep your pet’s safety first. Consumers wishing to file a complaint regarding non-anesthesia dentals should call the Nevada State Veterinary Board at 775-688-1788.

Santa Wants A Picture With Your Pet
Bring your pet to LMAH for a free holiday photo with Santa! Santa will be available Saturday, December 5th from 11-3pm. Please call 702-645-3116 to reserve a time. And remember that Santa loves all critters!

Holiday Hours
Please note our holiday hours:
Thursday, December 24th 7am-5pm
Friday, December 25th closed
Saturday, December 26th 7am-5pm
Thursday, December 31st 7am-5pm
Friday, January 1st 8am- 1pm

Pet of the Month
The feathers are flapping here! “Snugibug” has been nominated by the LMAH staff as our December Pet of the Month. “Snugibug” is a Cockatoo that our staff loves to visit with. See her story on our website at www.lmah.net.

Toy Drive
Join the staff of LMAH as we participate in the annual 98.5 FM KLUC’s annual toy drive which benefits local children. We will be collecting new, unwrapped toys at our office from December 3rd till December 13th. Happy Holidays to all!