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Imagine what your mouth would feel like if you never brushed your teeth or went to the dentist. For many dogs and cats, this is a painful reality. According to the American Veterinary Dental Society, more than 80% of dogs and 70% of cats have dental disease by the age of 3. Dental (or periodontal) disease is the most frequently diagnosed health problem in pets.

Common signs of dental disease include:

• Yellow or brown buildup (tartar) on the teeth
• Red, swollen, or bleeding gums
• Bad breath
• Excessive drooling
• Changes in eating or chewing habits
• Pawing at the face
• Loose teeth
• Depression/toothache/headache

Even if your dog or cat doesn’t have these symptoms, here at Byron Animal Clinic recommend that you have a veterinarian evaluate your pet’s dental health at least once a year. Bacteria and food debris accumulate around the teeth and, if left unchecked, will lead to deterioration of the soft tissue and bone surrounding the teeth. This decay can result in irreversible periodontal disease, tooth loss, and possibly expensive oral surgery.

Dental disease can also affect other organs in the body: Bacteria in the mouth can get into the bloodstream and cause serious infections in the kidneys, liver, lungs, and heart. If these problems aren’t caught and treated quickly enough, they can result in death. A physical exam combined with appropriate laboratory work can determine if infection in the mouth has spread. Dental x-rays can assess the health of the tooth roots, under the gum-line, giving us an opportunity to catch subtle lesions much earlier in the process. Finally, a dental scaling under a general anesthetic is the best way for us to keep teeth and gums healthy in the long run.

Schedule your pet’s dental exam today! We can also show you how to brush your pet’s teeth and recommend foods and treats that will help combat plaque and tartar buildup. Just call (519) 472-3770.

When we need to figure out what’s wrong with your pet, we routinely use x-rays to help identify the cause of the problem, rule out possible problems, or provide a list of possible causes. We may also use x-rays during a wellness exam to diagnose potential problems before they become serious.

X-rays provide valuable information about a pet’s bones, gastrointestinal tract (stomach, intestines, colon), respiratory tract (lungs), heart, and genitourinary system (bladder, prostate).  At Byron Animal Clinic we use radiology alone or in conjunction with other diagnostic tools. Interpretation of radiographs requires great skill on the part of the veterinarian.

We are proud to offer state of the art digital radiology. Our x-rays are instantly produced as a .dicom image file on a computer. This image is of much higher resolution and can be manipulated to provide even more diagnostic information than standard film x-rays can provide. We now have both a standard digital x-ray as well as a digital dental x-ray unit.

To avoid a blurry image, pets need to remain completely still while an x-ray is taken. In some cases, we may need to sedate your pet or use short-acting general anesthesia.

At Byron, we also work with a radiology referral service. Board-Certified Veterinary Radiologists are experts with years of specific training in interpreting x-rays. For a fee, we have the ability to send our digital x-ray images over the internet to these specialists to get valuable second opinions on our cases.

If you have any questions about our radiology service or what to expect during your pet’s procedure, please don’t hesitate to cal (519) 472-3770.

Skin problems are common in dogs and cats and can be caused by hormonal disorders, allergies, infections, or parasites such as fleas and mites. These issues can be difficult to treat and should be addressed promptly.

At Byron Animal Clinic, we can often diagnose a skin problem by simply examining your pet. Some dermatologic diseases or conditions do require additional diagnostic procedures to ensure a correct diagnosis. Depending on your pet’s symptoms and the results of our physical exam, we may run blood work or perform a urinalysis, skin scraping, tape prep, skin cytology or even skin biopsies.

We can eliminate parasites and sometimes food allergy with a special diet called a hypoallergenic diet. In most cases, allergies are a lifelong symptomatic problem that is managed not cured. We have many options for this but the key to all of them is consistency of care by the owner.

Treatments for allergy are often MULT-MODAL – meaning you need to use more than just one treatment at once. At Byron this can include medicated wipes, sprays, shampoos, ointments, or creams. It can include anti-parasiticides to eliminate ectoparasites. It can include antibiotics or anti-fungal medications to treat secondary infections. It can include over the counter anti-histamines. It can also include veterinary prescription drugs like Apoquel, Atopica, prednisolone, dexamethasone, or Depo-medrol.

In the near future, we hope to use monoclonal antibodies as targeted therapy for chronic allergies. There are some interesting new therapies that are coming soon.

In severe cases or if owners are interested, we can refer your pet to a Board-Certified Veterinary Dermatologist. These specialists can offer intra-dermal and blood allergy testing. These tests attempt to identify specific allergens that can in some cases be avoided. In other cases they can create immunotherapy injections (“allergy shots”) that are targeted at specific allergies. In some cases, this can cure an allergy over time. Or – at least minimize the severity of the allergy. Besides these allergy tests and treatments – dermatologists can diagnose and treat rare and extremely difficult to control dermatology patients.

Contact us at (519) 472-3770 if you notice your dog or cat scratching excessively or if he or she develops any bare patches, scabs, scaling, redness, inflammation, lumps, or bumps.

Although heart problems are found more often in older pets, these conditions can affect pets at any age. Heart disease is usually a life-threatening condition, but early diagnosis and appropriate therapy can extend your pet’s life. If caught soon enough, some forms of heart disease can be cured.

At Byron animal clinic, we have many tools we can use to diagnose heart disease. including:

• a thorough history and physical exam
• auscultation of the chest (listening to heart and lungs with a stethoscope)
• blood tests for cardiac proBNP
• EKG tracings
• Chest x-rays
• P.O.C.U.S. Ultrasoud
• Referral for Cardiac Ultrasound
• Referral to a Board-Certified Veterinary Cardiologist

Heart disease can lead to congestive heart failure (CHF), which occurs when the heart can no longer pump blood effectively. If an animal is suffering from CHF, fluid usually accumulates in and around the lungs and sometimes in the abdomen. Congenital heart disease (animals born with a heart problem), valvular heart disease (abnormalities of the heart valves), arrhythmias (rhythm disturbances), and heartworm disease can all lead to CHF.

Call us at (519) 472-3770 if your pet starts breathing rapidly or coughing, loses his or her appetite, tires easily, seems weak, or has trouble exercising or sleeping. There are many treatment options for heart disease.

It is crucial for your pet’s vision that we detect and treat glaucoma and other problems with intra-ocular pressure (pressure within the eye) as quickly as possible. We can test your dog or cat’s eyes for excess pressure. The test, performed with a device called a tonometer, is not painful and does not require sedation.

If not treated immediately (within hours to days), glaucoma can cause permanent vision loss or even blindness. Pets that have suffered eye injuries should have this test performed. In addition, we recommend that breeds that are prone to developing glaucoma come in for regular measurements so we can monitor eye pressure and begin treatment before any problem becomes irreversible. Please call us to discuss whether your pet may be at higher risk for glaucoma.

Call us right away – (519) 472-3770 – if you notice any of the following problems in either or both of your pet’s eyes: dilated (enlarged) pupils, clouding of the cornea (the normally clear outer layer of the eye), red or bloodshot eyes, one eye protruding or appearing larger than the other, squinting, or tearing. Because glaucoma is painful, your pet may react by rubbing or pawing at the eyes or rubbing his or her head against the floor or furniture more than normal. We may even have to refer your pet to a Board-Certified Veterinary Ophthalmologist.