Author Archives: azdvm

Your Dogs’s Oral Hygiene Affects Their Overall Health

Your Dogs’s Oral Hygiene Affects Their Overall Health
Just as we take care of our teeth regularly, we should be doing the same for our animals. Dogs experience plaque buildup and tooth decay just as humans do, so it is important to prevent dental disease and infection. Dental problems in canines can cause a host of other health problems, affecting their entire body as well as their mouth. By implementing basic dental care for pets, you can prevent the following issues.

• Organ Damage: A dog’s mouth is the ideal environment for bacteria to grow, especially when left untreated. As these organisms grow, however, an infection can develop and spread to the rest of the body. If this infection reaches vital organs such as the heart and liver, your dog could experience more complicated health problems. Keeping their mouth clean will help you avoid pouring money into pet healthcare in the future.

• Oral Pain: If you notice that your dog is pawing their mouth or licking their gums, they might be in serious pain from dental problems. Severe swelling and decay can cause extreme discomfort for your pooch, and they will likely show visible signs. When a dog starts exhibiting these types of behaviors, brushing at home may not be enough. Be sure to take them to a vet for dog dental care and cleaning.

• Difficulty Eating: When their mouth is in pain, your dog have difficulty eating or may not be eating at all. You may notice them struggling to chew their food. If you dog drops weight suddenly, this is another sign of dental problems. Losing weight suddenly could be detrimental to their health, so be sure to take them to a dog vet clinic as soon as possible. Your vet may recommend an alternative dog food brand to use until you repair your pet’s teeth.

About 65% of pet owners do not brush their dogs’ teeth, so be sure to start doing so. At-home brushing and dental care for pets, however, may not be effective if your dog has severe dental issues. In many cases, veterinary care is the only way to diagnose and reverse the problem. During your pet’s next checkup, be sure to ask the vet to thoroughly inspect your dog’s teeth. Also be sure to ask about prevention best practices, as adopting the best at-home care will keep your dog’s bite strong and healthy for years to come.

Spaying Your Dog: What to Expect and How to Care For Her

Read more about what are the best ways to care for your dog after they have been spayed on the AZ Paws blog!

Spaying Your Dog: What to Expect and How to Care For Her

Getting your dog spayed or neutered is a pretty routine procedure nowadays. None the less, when you get your dog back and she’s acting all slow and not like herself, it can be a little scary at first. Luckily, it’s not permanent and they’ll be back to their old self in no time. Until then, it’s important you know all the details about caring for your pet. Here are a few things to expecting in the spay and neuter process and how you can help out your pet until it gets better.

What You Can Expect

When spaying a dog, the anesthesia can make them feel a little funky for a while after they wake up. This is only temporary, but until it wears off, it’s best to keep an eye on them to ensure pet safety and make sure they’re comfortable.

The first thing to note is your dog will probably be a bit shaky on his feet for a while. The anesthesia typically messes with their balance for a while, so they may walk slow or tend to stumble. The best thing to do is ensure she’s walking slowly. Don’t let her bump into anything or climb onto any chairs, couches or stairs. Instead, have them lay on a dog bed or something similar that remains low to the floor.

The second thing to note after spaying or neutering a dog is the after effects of the anesthesia will probably make your dog want to sleep a lot. The best thing for this is to just let them sleep. Make sure they’re comfortable.

Another common thing to look for is some dogs tend to refuse to eat or drink anything immediately after surgery. After spaying a dog, the anesthesia has a tendency to make some dogs nauseous. This usually goes away by the next morning. If it doesn’t, call your vet.

How to Care For Her

Other than watching out for the signs listed above, there are a few other things you can do to assure your pet remains comfortable while she is healing. The best thing to do is prepare a room or quiet space for her, away from anyone or anything that might bother her.

A bathroom can be a useful space, as it can be closed off from other pets and young kids, doesn’t have high couches or chairs that a dog could try to climb up on and usually has tile floors, which are easy to clean if a dog becomes sick. Put your dog’s water and food bowls in with he.

You may find yourself wanting to cuddle and comfort your pet after surgery. While that may help, it is important that you are very gentle with her. Spaying, in particular, is a much more intrusive surgery than neutering, so she will be sore for a while. Try not to feed her too many treats either, as she may become sick. Treats are only supposed to be about 10% of the daily calories for your pet anyway, so hold back on feeding her them when just coming out of surgery.

Spaying a dog is luckily not as bad as it seems. It’s become a really common procedure and has no lasting effects on your dog. It is important, however, to make sure she remains comfortable while she’s healing. We hope you found these tips useful for your dog’s spaying operation.

For more information, please visit AZPaws.org

Debunking Popular Spay and Neuter Myths: Feline Edition

Read more about why spaying your cat can be a good thing on the AZ Paws blog!

Debunking Popular Spay and Neuter Myths: Feline Edition

Most cat owners consider their feline friend to be a much-loved family member. Understandably, you’d never want to cause your pet any pain. This is one of the reasons some people choose not to spay and neuter their cats. The truth is, spaying or neutering a cat will not cause them harm. Further, neutering and spaying a cat can also help to reduce unnecessary feline deaths. Sadly, millions of cats die in shelters and out in the wild each year due to overpopulation; if you spay and neuter, you can help curb this problem.

But because humans care deeply about their own animals, there are many myths about these procedures that continue to persist. If you’re thinking of bypassing spaying or neutering your cat at the vet clinic, you should pay close attention to the myths below. Once you read these, we hope you’ll better understand the importance of spaying or neutering your pet.

MYTH: Cats become lazy once they’ve been spayed or neutered
Reality: While it’s true that some spayed and neutered cats do put on weight, the surgery isn’t actually to blame. When a cat is spayed or neutered as a kitten, their metabolic rate will slow down as they become adults. This means that they actually require fewer calories than unaltered cats do. If we overfeed our cats — as many of us are wont to do — they’re likely to gain weight. Portion control and ample physical activity through play should be enough to keep your cat happy and in shape.

MYTH: My cat’s behavior will change after the procedure
Reality: If you see any behavioral changes, they’ll be positive. After being neutered, a male cat will likely reduce (or may never even start) territorial spraying. In addition, he will have a lower tendency to fight with other animals or wander off at night. After being spayed or neutered, most cats will actually be a lot more content, as finding a mate and breeding can actually be quite stressful. In basic terms though, these procedures will not alter your cat’s personality or playfulness.

MYTH: Indoor cats don’t need to be spayed or neutered
Reality: There is always a chance your indoor cat could escape and reproduce. After all, not all homeless cats are feral. And even if your cat never makes it outside, he or she (and you) can still benefit from these procedures. Undesirable behaviors like yowling at night or spraying urine will disappear, and if you spay or neuter your cat, you can actually reduce their risk of developing reproductive cancers. It’s the responsible thing to do.

MYTH: My cat should have the chance to be a parent
Reality: This notion is understandable but misguided. Cats don’t have psychological or emotional needs to become parents; they’re simply following their instinct to reproduce. Even if you think your cat might make a great mom or dad, it’s much better to adopt a kitten than it is to have your cat reproduce for the sake of parenthood.

MYTH: It’s better to have your cat go through one heat or litter before spaying
Reality: While SpayUSA.org recommends spaying prior to a first litter, evidence shows that you should spay and neuter your cat when it’s around six months old. Not only will spaying early eliminate interest from male cats, but it can also keep your pet healthy. By spaying at an earlier age, you can help reduce the risk of uterine infections and mammary cancer in your cat. Cats really don’t have a sexual identity, so there’s no reason for your cat to go through heat or a litter before getting fixed.

If you spay and neuter your animals, you’re actually helping to protect them. To find out more about the spay and neuter services we provide, contact AZ Paws today.

Why It’s In Your Best Interests to Keep Your Pets’ Teeth Strong and Healthy

Dental health for your dog can be a serious issue. Read more about why keeping your dog’s teeth healthy is so important on the AZPAWS blog.

Why It’s In Your Best Interests to Keep Your Pets’ Teeth Strong and Healthy

One health item that is consistently overlooked when it comes to pets is their dental care. If a dog or a cat has bad breath, owners should sit up and take notice. Bad breath may be a symptom of a larger issue, such as rotting teeth or periodontal disease. If a pet has bad teeth, they could very well be in pain just doing simple tasks, like eating, and the owner may not know until the pain is quite advanced.

Keeping a cat or dog’s dental health up is not a difficult task, and most (if not all) veterinarians highly recommend that pet owners keep an eye on the dental health of their pets. So what can owners do to make sure that their pets’ teeth are healthy, and why are veterinarians emphasizing the need for pet dental health? Read on to find out.

Why is dental care for dogs and cats so important?

By the age of three, 80% of dogs and 70% of cats have some form of dental disease, which is why so many vets suggest dental care for your dog and emphasize dental care for pets in general. If not treated, poor dental health has been linked to problems in pets’ organs such as the heart and kidneys.

Teeth can also become infected, break, and tumors or cysts can easily form in these absences. Naturally, this is extremely uncomfortable for the animal and can impact their eating habits. Pet owners might be horrified to realize that they’ve caused their beloved pets unnecessary pain by not being aware of the situation. The older the pet is, the more important it is to keep an eye on their dental health.

What can pet owners do to improve dental care?

Dog dental care might sound silly, but it should eventually become a regular routine in pet healthcare for owners. It’s not too difficult to carry out dental care for your dog. Indeed, you can reach around 90% of the surface of a dog’s teeth by brushing. You don’t even have to floss!

Certain treats or pet food can also be helpful in maintaining good dental care for your dog or cat and if you can’t brush your dog’s teeth every day, investing in this kind of food or treat can be helpful. You should consult with the vet to put together the most effective regimen for your pet.

Your pet should also be visiting the vet annually (at least) and during that time, the vet should be doing a thorough examination of their mouth. After the age of seven, it’s recommended that they get inspected twice a year. Listen to the vet as well. Veterinarians report that even though they explain how important it is to brush pets’ teeth, around 65% of pet owners don’t follow through at home.

What happens if my pet is already suffering from bad dental care?

If you haven’t been paying attention to dental care for your dog or cat and you believe that your pet is suffering, you should take them to the veterinarian as soon as possible and see what the vet recommends.

They may need a veterinarian dentist to perform a procedure and/or carry out a thorough dental cleaning. In many cases, a vet can replace or repair broken teeth and pull bad teeth, just like with humans. Do follow their directions for post-procedure and be sure to pay attention to their instructions for proper pet dental care afterwards!

Pet dental care is often overlooked by even the most concerned pet owners, but it can cause so many problems for your pet, that pet owners should have a higher level of awareness. If you need a dental cleaning, come visit us, and let us help keep your pets’ teeth healthy and strong.

Thank you.

5 Warning Signs of Dental Disease in Dogs

Dog dental care often goes overlooked but it should be an important part of taking care of your pet. Visit our blog to find out how you can help your dog with better dental care.

Unlike humans, dogs don’t brush their teeth twice a day or floss between meals to keep their breath fresh and their smiles white. Because it’s not a particularly routine part of caring for your pet, dog dental care often goes overlooked. It is, however, a very important part of pet healthcare.

By age three, a whole 80% of dogs and 70% of cats suffer from periodontal disease. Not only does this dental disease cause tooth decay, it can also travel through your dog’s body, affecting the lungs, kidneys, and heart.

Detecting periodontal disease can be as simple as opening your dog’s mouth and checking out his teeth and gums. Here are a few warning signs to look out for:

1. Inflamed gums
Dogs get gingivitis, too. Caused by bacteria that lingers in the mouth from food stuck in the teeth, gingivitis is a disease that causes gums to become red, swollen, and bleeding. The bacteria will gather under the gum line and cause a serious infection.

2. Swollen jaw
As the infection gathers around the root of the tooth, it creates an abscess, causing the jaw to become swollen. You should notice a lump on the lower jaw by the neck or on the upper jaw around the eye.

3. Plaque and tartar
Plaque is a sticky film on the teeth, which is composed of saliva and food particles. When plaque is left unattended, it hardens into a thick formation called tartar. This occurs in both dogs and humans.

4. Nasal discharge
As gums become infected and the roots of the teeth abscess, pockets of pus can reach the sinus cavities. As the infection spreads to the sinuses, your dog may develop cold or flu-like symptoms, including a runny nose and sneezing.

5. Stinky breath
Dogs’ breath typically doesn’t smell like roses, but when infected by a dental disease, it can become much worse than usual. If you notice a sour, acrid odor, it may be a sign of disease in the mouth as well as other internal organs.

Dog dental care is about much more than making sure your pup has a sparkling white smile. Poor oral hygiene can lead to a long list of health problems in both animals and humans. If you notice any of the signs listed above, take your furry friend to the dog vet clinic right away.

How to Comfort Your Cat After They’re Spayed

Your cat can be a bit uncomfortable after getting spayed but read more to learn about ways to keep your pet happy and comfortable. Visit us at AZpaws.org for more information and to schedule a visit for your pet.

How to Comfort Your Cat After They’re Spayed

There are many benefits of spaying your pet. Getting your cat spayed is a great way to ensure that you won’t all of a sudden become grandparents to a litter of kittens (however delightful that might be at first). A quick visit to the spay clinic will solve all that, since spaying a cat is a relatively routine and simple procedure.

Caring for your pet after a surgery, however minor, is very important. After neutering a cat, keep these pointers in mind:

DO

  • Keep your kitty inside. This will limit the chance of them picking up bacteria in their wounds or overextending themselves. Many vets will recommend keeping your pet in a crate or in one room if you will need to leave for an extended period of time.
  • Expect your feline companion to have much lower energy levels — your furry friend will need to rest up for the next couple of days. Also, expect to see some mild redness of the skin around the incision.
  • Limit your pet’s access to hiding spots, so that you will be able to monitor their recovery process. This goes hand in hand with trying to limit your kitty’s physical activity until they’re done healing.
  • Keep males and females apart: while they are healing from a spaying or neutering, they can still attract each other and hamper recovery.

 

DON’T

  • Introduce a new diet to your pet — the change could cause very unpleasant symptoms and discomfort in general.
  • Feed your pet immediately after the surgery. Most likely, your kitty shouldn’t eat for the next few hours or so. Treats are not the answer (and shouldn’t be more than 10% of your pet’s diet anyway)
  • Overwater your cat — it is usually recommended that your cat should only get a small amount of water immediately after the surgery.
  • Disturb the incison or the area around it. This includes bathing, petting, brushing, grooming or applying any ointments, which could interfere with the natural healing process.

Make sure to choose vet clinic and a vet with a lot of experience spaying a cat. As long as you let your furry friend heal properly, they’ll be right as rain in no time at all.

How to Keep Your Dog’s Teeth Healthy

Taking care of your dog’s dental health is part of their overall health. Read more about why canine dental health is so important on our blog.

 

How to Keep Your Dog’s Teeth Healthy
Once you become a dog owner, you assume many responsibilities. You have to ensure your dog exercises enough each day, gets vaccinated at a vet clinic, and learns good behavior around other people and dogs.

One of the most often neglected parts of dog care is — believe it or not — dog dental care. If your dog has inflamed gums or a toothache, he or she is dealing with pain that you probably don’t know about, and might not be able to eat without being irritated. Plus, the bacteria could spread and cause a more serious and painful infection.

The truth is that you should be able to maintain your dog’s dental health much in the same way that you maintain your own — by brushing their teeth. Most dog dentists recommend a brushing every day, but if that is unrealistic, shoot for three or four times a week. Check out the list below for other tips concerning your pup’s mouth:

  • Ease into it — Your dog won’t accept the intrusion of a strange new routine easily, so give it time. Start by offering him or her some peanut butter or a treat and let him lick it off of your hands, sticking your fingers in his mouth. Once your dog is used to you handling his or her mouth, it will be much easier to incorporate it into your daily or bi-weekly routine.
  • Find pet healthcare clinics, such as AZPAWS.org where there are vets who have experience in dental care for dogs. We will be able to detect problems before they even happen, and recommend a course of action if indeed there is a problem
  • Design a healthy diet for your pooch — A healthy doggy diet might include certain chew toys or treats that supposedly help battle plaque, but it is also important to make sure that they aren’t chewing on bones made out of starches or consuming any sugars. Your dog can eat fruits and vegetables — which are all around better for them anyway since 66% of dog allergies are caused by beef, dairy and wheat.

 

By age three, 80% of dogs have periodontal disease. You can prevent this by brushing their teeth, which cleans virtually all (90%) of their tooth surfaces. Give us a call to schedule a teeth cleaning. We can help your canine companion get started with great oral health.

 

Why Should You Neuter Your Dog?

Neutering your dog can be a good decision. Read more about why on our AZPAWS.org website.

Why Should You Neuter Your Dog?

Owning a dog is a big responsibility, and as a dog owner, you have a certain duty to keep your pet healthy. Treats should only make up 10% of your pet’s daily calories, and you should be aware that 66% of all dog food allergies are caused by beef, dairy, and wheat. By age three, 80% of dogs have periodontal disease. There’s a lot to keep in mind, but one of the biggest responsibilities of a pet owner is getting their pet spayed or neutered.
For most dog-owners, neutering your pet is a part of the normal procedure of owning a pet. But why is this so? Many dog-owners out there — even if they don’t intend to breed their dogs — decide to let their pets forgo this surgery. However, there’s good reason why this has become an accepted part of dog-ownership. Check out these reasons why neutering a dog is the right thing to do:

 

Reduction of Aggression

Male dogs tend to be aggressive and confrontational to strangers and other dogs. Neutering significantly reduces this aggression.

 

Lower Licensing Fees

In most communities and counties, if your dog is neutered, the fees for licensing are lower.

 

Focus Attention

Anyone who has an un-neutered dog knows how hard it is to get them to focus their attention on an activity, especially when there are other dogs around. They will be much more interested in constantly marking their territory and investigating other dogs and people, sometimes aggressively.

 

Reduces the Risk of Prostate Disorders

Prostate disorders like enlarged prostates, prostate cysts, and prostate infections occur quite often in un-neutered dogs, but studies have shown that dogs who get neutered have a much lower likelihood of having such disorders.

 

Prevention from Breeding

Yes, puppies are amazing and adorable — but the world has more than enough of them. Hundreds of puppies are homeless and awaiting adoption at shelters all the time. Plus, the responsibility of raising the pups will most likely fall on the owner of the female.
Definitely consider the pros and the cons of neutering your dog, and get the procedure done at a safe pet neuter clinic where the professionals take pet healthcare, and neutering a dog seriously. The same goes for spaying a dog at a good spay clinic.

Caring for Your Cat After Surgery and What to Expect

Neutering a cat can be a scary process but knowing what to do after can help. Visit our website and blog to learn about what to do for your pet after surgery.

As a pet owner, you have put yourself in a position of responsibility towards your pet. For instance, at minimum, your pet should have their mouth thoroughly examined by a vet at least once a year. After your pet reaches 7 years old, they should be examined twice a year.

Indeed, by 3 years of age, 80% of dogs and 70% of cats have periodontal (dental) disease. There are other important aspects of pet care, like keeping them clean, feed, exercised — and spayed.

Neutering a cat is often in the best interest of both you, the owner, and your beloved feline friend. Indeed, the surgery itself is routine and very easy — but it does require a couple of days of special attention and care for your pet. It is up to you to make sure that your cat is safe, healthy and after after the procedure — check out how to do that here:

 Expect your cat to have lower energy levels than usual — he or she needs to reserve their energy for recovery!

 It’s normal if some pinkness around the incision remains for a couple of days after, and it is only a problem if it lingers for longer than that. It should go without saying that it is inadvisable to touch your pets tender areas.

 Make sure not to feed your pet too soon! Likely it will not be allowed to eat until later in the evening the day of the surgery.

 Your vet will most likely recommend only giving your cat a small amount of water the a day of the surgery — any more could cause nausea in your feline companion.

 Try to keep your cat from being too active. Your cat needs to recover and moving like he or she usually does might cause the stitches to rip. Making your cat, or dog, can get it’s spay and neuter procedure will save you both a lot of headache — and possibly some kittens or puppies.

Caring for your pet is a big responsibility — remember that good nutrition should be at the center of every pet owners concerns — treats should make up no more than 10% of your pet’s daily calories.   Pet healthcare, including dental care for pets, and facilities for spaying a cat, will keep your pet health and happy for a long time — neutering a cat will keep you both very happy.

What to Expect When you Are Spaying or Neutering your Pet

Having to spay or neuter your pet can be an annoying process but knowing what to expect helps. Visit our website at AZpaws.org for more information.

Caring for your pet is a 24/7 task, and you’d likely do anything to improve your pet’s quality of life. The importance of spaying or neutering your pet is well-documented, and you should strongly consider visiting a pet neuter clinic if you have not yet done so.

Before you visit a pet neuter clinic, you should do some research of your own so you know what to expect. While your local spay and neuter clinic will handle the actual procedure, there are a few things you’ll need to do before the surgery to prepare your pet. Additionally, you’ll have some duties after the surgery to make sure your pet stays healthy and happy.

Your pet spay clinic will provide you with all of this information before your appointment, but it never hurts to be prepared. Here’s what you can expect before and after visiting a pet neuter clinic:

>> Pre-operation. You’ll need to schedule an appointment for a spaying or neutering, so be sure to do so at least one month in advance. Before you visit your pet neuter clinic, make sure your dog or cat has already gone to the bathroom. Also, bring all of your pet’s vaccination records to the appointment and notify the clinic if your pet has been feeling ill.

>> Post-operation. There will be a seven to 10 day recovery period following the procedure in which your pet should limit all physical activity. Make sure they stay clean, dry, and comfortable throughout this recovery period. Prevent licking, keep them well-nourished, and remain vigilant for any abnormal behavior from your pet.

>> Other pet neuter clinic services. Besides spaying and neutering, one of the most important vet clinic services is dental care for dogs. By the age of three, about 80% of dogs and 70% of cats will develop gum disease. This is largely due to poor dieting and brushing habits on behalf of the owner. As a general rule, treats should make up no more than 10% of your pet’s daily calories. Additionally, your pet should have their mouth thoroughly examined by a vet at least once a year.

Your pet deserves to be as healthy as possible, and the only way to make this happen is by seeking treatment from an experienced vet. Contact Azpaw.org to schedule your dog or cat’s appointment today.