I recently attended an informative seminar at my vet (Hawks Prairie Veterinary Hospital) taught by Dr. Alena Cowell, one of their vets who is really interested in oral health.
Most of the seminar was lecture-style with a Power Point presentation. The graphics Dr. Cowell used were really effective and startling at times. (Alas, most of the slides were bullet points.) She passed around interesting little models of a dog and a cat jaw. The bones were made of a clear substance that made it really easy to see how deep each tooth cavity is and how much deeper the roots of the teeth are.
She passed around little toothbrush thingies that people slip on their fingers and then rub against their animals’ teeth. (See photo below.) I’ve seen them before and think they’re really interesting and am convinced they’re useful. But I wanted more – I’d have loved a demonstration and some practice with her helping us do it effectively.
The seminar ended with a tour of the treatment rooms and tools used when animals at Hawks Prairie Veterinary Hospital have oral treatment. Neato!
If the seminar were less lecture-y, with more memorable stuff, I’d recommend it. Otherwise, you can get the same info from in-depth articles written for the layperson or from a conversation with a vet.
Canine Toothbrush
(Note: I do not accept payment for mentions or reviews of products and services that I write about on this site.)
For more information:
- Case, Linda. The Dog: Its Behavior Nutrition and Health. Ames, IA: Iowa State Press, 2005.
- Dale, Steve. “Canine Enrichment.†Proceedings of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association. Sydney, Australia, 2007. International Veterinary Information Service. 18 Feb 2009.
- Hennet, Philippe. “Canine Nutrition and Oral Health.†Pascale Pibot, Vincent Biourge, Denise Elliott, eds. Encyclopedia of Canine Clinical Nutrition. Aimargues, France: Royal Canin, 2006.
- OnlyNaturalPet, “Dental Health Care for Your Pet“. 15 Jan 2010.
- Pitcairn, Richard and Pitcairn, Susan. Dr. Pitcairn’s Complete Guide To Natural Health for Dogs & Cats. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Books, 1995.
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