“Dental hygiene is as important to your pets’ overall health as nutrition and exercise,” said Dr. Mark Verdino, vice president and chief of veterinary staff at North Shore Animal League America, which operates a full-service Pet Dental Suite at its Pet Health Center in Port Washington, N.Y.

Poor dental hygiene can cause dental disease, which creates bacteria in the mouth. “Dental disease can cause numerous problems for your animals, including oral pain, halitosis, tooth loss and periodontal disease,” Verdino said. “It can even affect the heart, kidneys, intestinal tract and joints.”

In addition, a pet in dental pain is not a happy pet, and the pain can affect his/her ability to eat.

Preventative care is the first line of defense against dental disease. Verdino advises pet owners to take the following steps:

It’s important to brush your pets’ teeth as early as possible. Their adult teeth are in at about 6 to 9 months old, and that’s the best time to start a tooth-brushing regimen.
Avoid dental products containing Xylitol, as it is highly toxic to dogs and questionable for cats. NEVER use human toothpaste to clean pets’ teeth and gums.

Your pets should have annual dental checkups by their veterinarians.

Dental care for dogs and cats should never be neglected. However, since dental problems often develop gradually, it is easy to miss the signs (such as reluctance to eat or lack of activity) until there is a bad infection or serious cavity.

During a medical exam, your veterinarian will determine the status of your pet’s dental needs. If your pet needs more advanced dental care, a veterinarian will recommend the treatments needed and the approximate costs involved.

Remember, good dental hygiene can add years to your pet’s life—and prevent you from spending lots of money on treatments for complex problems related to dental disease.
North Shore Animal League America

Derby.

Derby
Derby, a 3-year-old Chihuahua mix, is up for adoption. He only has three legs, but this little tripod has no trouble keeping up, and he loves to play. He adores being with his favorite people and likes to curl up on available laps. Squeaky toys have a special place in Derby’s heart, and if you toss one, he will chase right after it. He may not be a retriever, but he will bring the toy back to you for another round of play. Cat owners should have no problem with Derby, because he’s lived with cats before. But he’s not a huge fan of other dogs, and needs some time to understand that you’re one of the good guys. Once he warms up to you, he’ll be your canine pal. Derby would be a perfect pet for a Chihuahua fan and would do best in a teens-and-up household. Derby is neutered and up-to-date on all vaccinations.

Buffy and Pearl.

Buffy and Pearl
Buffy and Pearl are 11-month-old feline beauties who would like nothing more than to find a loving home and spend all of their time together. These two are a bonded pair and love each other so much that they can’t bear to be split apart, so they must be adopted together. These lovely ladies are sensitive and shy, so they would appreciate respectful owners who don’t move too fast toward them. Once they sniff you out, they’ll let you know if they are comfortable being petted. Buffy and Pearl are Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) positive, but that shouldn’t prevent them from living long, healthy lives. They would do best with an experienced cat owner with children over the age of 10. Both Buffy and Pearl are spayed and up-to-date on all vaccinations.

With each of these pets, the ASPCA includes also includes a microchip and free follow-up vet exam.
To adopt Derby, Buffy and Pearl or any of the many other dogs and cats at the ASPCA, visit the shelter at 424 E. 92nd St., between York and First avenues. Shelter hours are Monday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visit www.adoptaspca.org or call 212-876-7700, ext. 4120, for additional information.

The dog days of summer can be hazardous for your pet. Be a cool owner and help your canine companion beat the heat this summer.
It is important to realize that people and animals differ greatly in their ability to regulate internal body temperature. Humans have hundreds of sweat glands, all over the body, that help us stay cool by releasing moisture which evaporates on the skin’s surface. Dogs have very few sweat glands, all of which are located in the pads of their feet. Dogs cool themselves primarily by the process of panting and breathing, with the moist lining of their lungs, tongue, mucous membranes and windpipe serving as the evaporative surfaces. Dogs also release heat by dilating blood vessels in the face, ears and hairless areas of the body like the armpits and groin. This allows blood to flow closer to the skin’s surface, where it has a chance to cool down.

Minimizing your dog’s exposure to extreme temperatures can prevent a life-threatening condition called hyperthermia, which can lead to heat stroke. A dog’s normal body temperature is 101–103 degrees Farenheit. Hyperthermia is a sustained core body temperature over 105, due to the dog’s inability to cool itself efficiently. Certain dogs are at higher risk because of their body conformations or medical conditions. At-risk dogs are those that have thick hair coats, flat faces (like bulldogs), lung/breathing or heart problems, or that are older or overweight. Symptoms include hard and harsh panting, deep red gums, drooling, sluggishness, disorientation, vomiting and diarrhea. Internal body temperatures over 105–106 degrees can quickly lead to organ failure and death. These temperatures can be reached even with moderate heat and exercise. I have seen this happen to a dog who sat under a hair dryer too long while at the groomer!

Never leave your dog unattended in a parked car, even for a minute. Temperatures inside that vehicle can easily reach 160 degrees in a matter of minutes. Five minutes inside can lead to death. Consider leaving your dog at home when you run errands on a hot day.
I see many dogs being walked with canvas muzzles in place, presumably because they don’t get along well with people or other dogs. While you may be trying to prevent a bite, you are also preventing your dog from panting and cooling off. Basket muzzles are a much better alternative, as they allow your dog to pant freely, but also add the layer of protection you are looking for.

If you enjoy exercising with your dog, do so at the coolest part of the day. Noontime jogs are not a good idea.

If you think your pet may be experiencing heat stroke, take immediate steps to cool him/her down, then seek veterinary attention at the Animal Hospitals at Bideawee or from your veterinarian. This usually entails hosing your dog off with cool water or submerging him/her in a tepid bath; it may not be enough to just bring your pet into an air-conditioned room. Ice packs applied to the armpit and groin can also help cool your dog. Once at the vet, further cooling procedures can be administered. However, some of the consequences of prolonged, extreme elevations in body temperature can cause an irreversible process of multi-organ system failure leading to death.

On hot days, the coolest thing to do may be to leave Fido at home.

Robin Brennen is chief of veterinary services & VP Program Operations at Bideawee.

Although ticks aren’t the most loveable creatures, they just might be the hardiest—they have been around for over 100 million years. The oldest example is a 90 million-year-old bird tick in a piece of New Jersey amber from the Cretaceous period. It is likely that ticks will still be around long after humans are extinct.

Ticks are parasites that feed on the blood of their host, which can be an animal or a human. Ticks are sightless. They get around by using tiny pincer-like claws on the ends of their eight legs to grab onto rough surfaces. When a tick emerges hungrily from hibernation, it wanders blindly until it bumps into something, then grabs hold and starts climbing upward until it can rise no higher.

There, perched on some foliage, it sits patiently, using its legs as sensors that detect carbon dioxide and vibrations—it waits for its meal to drive by. It can wait for months. Ticks in various life stages can go well over a year without food.

Once aboard a feeding source, like your dog, they seem to navigate toward an area that is difficult to groom, like the ears or shoulder blades. Despite being quite hungry, they look for a mate. Male ticks remain on the host for an indefinite period of time, alternately feeding and mating. Usually, after a few matings he dies.

The females feed, mate, become engorged and then drop off to lay their eggs. The female dog tick lays 4,000-6,500 eggs. Then, exhausted, she dies. Adult ticks can sit around for two years waiting for food, then they eat, procreate and die.
The tick has a built-in spoon, fork and knife. The fork and knife dig a hole in the skin and, once the hole is dug, the spoon is inserted to feed. What is cool is that while digging, the tick secretes something akin to a topical anesthetic. It can take a half a day to dig the hole, and all the while the animal or human host doesn’t feel it.

Once they start sucking blood, ticks produce saliva that helps thin the viscosity of the blood, making the meal flow faster. The blood not only nourishes the tick, it also provides fuel to the bacteria living inside the gut of the tick. As saliva continues to be produced, some of the bacteria migrate out of the tick and into the host. This is how disease is spread.
Different ticks host different diseases. We are all familiar with Lyme disease carried by the deer tick, but the American dog tick can carry Ehrlichia and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Both attack the blood cells of dogs and have been reported to cause disease in humans.

Protecting you and your dog from ticks takes diligence and insecticides! The Center for Disease Control recommends avoidance (walk in the center of a trail), repellents (check with your vet for products safe for your animals) and surveillance (body and clothing checks). Showering and bathing your dog can reduce the risk of being bitten. Ticks are susceptible to desiccation and high heat, so tossing clothing in the dryer can kill any hitchhikers that haven’t found their way to the flesh.

In addition to good tick control, you may consider vaccinating your dog against Lyme disease.

Robin Brennen is chief of veterinary services and VP of operations at the Animal Hospitals at Bideawee.