Download Mile High Veterinary Hospital Newsletter

Volume 1, Issue 1
Spring 2016
Articles in this
issue:
Mile High Veterinary Hospital
Newsletter
 Periodontal disease
 Case of the month:
Diesel
 Employee of the
month: Sara
Shypkoski
Periodontal disease
by Marla Kriet, DVM
Periodontal disease is the most commonly
diagnosed problem in our canine and feline
family members. Have you ever leaned down to
give your own pet a smooch and thought, "yuck!"
as you smelled his breath? If so, your pet may be
suffering from periodontal disease.
How should a dog's breath smell? When most
Photo courtesy of kingwestvets.com
people think of dog breath, they think "eww", "
stinky", or "gross!" However, healthy dog or cat mouths shouldn't have much
odor. Foul smelling breath is usually due to bacteria in plaque or tartar on the
surface of the teeth and under the gum line. The long term presence of
bacteria in the mouth can eventually lead to infection under the gum line, loss
of bone surrounding the tooth root, and tooth loss. Bacteria in the mouth can
also shed into the bloodstream after a pet eats, leading to heart, liver and
kidney problems. Luckily, regular dental care can help prevent these problems.
The mainstay of home dental care is brushing the teeth. This should be done
daily as it only takes about 24 hours for plaque to turn into tartar, which
adheres to the tooth surface and is difficult to remove without a professional
cleaning. Pets require a toothpaste that is free of fluoride, which is safe for
them to swallow. Many pet toothpastes also contain enzymes that help rid the
mouth of bacteria. Water additives, chews or diets that work to scrub the
teeth, and chews with antibacterial agents can also help decrease plaque and
tartar buildup. Ask our team members about establishing a home dental care
regimen for your pet.
Periodontal disease continued on page 2
Mile High Veterinary Hospital Newsletter
Page 2
Periodontal disease continued...
Pets should receive professional dental care annually to remove tartar and have a full oral exam performed
under general anesthesia. We’ve seen pets with multiple abscessed or infected teeth that don't have obvious
signs of periodontal disease on routine physical exam. Dental radiographs and a full oral exam under
anesthesia are necessary to identify problems early while they are easier and less costly to treat.
Some providers are offering "anesthesia free" dental cleanings, which studies show are purely cosmetic as they
do not allow for cleaning of the teeth beneath the gumline. Without anesthesia, no one can effectively assess
the health of the teeth and structures below the gumline, which is critical to identifying and treating
problems before they become painful. Many anesthesia free dentals require extensive restraint, which is
frightening, and cleanings can be painful. Anesthesia eliminates anxiety and discomfort and also allows all
surfaces of the teeth to be treated, including those surfaces under the gumline. Please see the statement from
the veterinary dental specialists with the American Veterinary Dental College at AVDC.org/AFD for more
information on anesthesia free dentals.
Call us at 303-693-6484 to schedule a dental evaluation for your pet!
Mild dental calculus,
mild gingivitis, and
no gingival recession
Moderate dental
calculus, mild
gingivitis, and no
Moderate dental
calculus, moderate
gingivitis, and mild
Severe dental
calculus, severe
gingivitis, and severe
gingival recession
gingival recession
gingival recession
Photo courtesy of allpetsdental.com
Volume 1, Issue 1
Page 3
Case of the Month—Diesel
by Leslie Dunham, DVM
It was a typical day on the job for Ken Henriksen, a truck
driver from New York. He was hauling a load from New
York to Colorado and had a few small jobs set up in the
Denver area. Upon stopping at a truck stop in
Oklahoma for a rest, he stumbled upon a small, helpless
puppy crawling around the truck stop all alone and not
bearing weight on his left front leg. No one around
claimed this small puppy as their own. Recognizing that
this puppy was abandoned and needed help, Ken
scooped him up, created a small bed on the passenger
seat, and continued his drive to Denver. He brought the
puppy to see us at Mile High Veterinary Hospital, where
he told us he had decided on an appropriate name for
the little guy, Diesel. We gave Diesel pain relief
medication and took x-rays, which showed that Diesel had 2 broken toes on his
left front foot. While surgery is the treatment of choice for broken toes, a visit to
the specialty hospital and orthopedic surgery wasn't going to work with Ken's
busy driving schedule and the fact that he was only in town for a few days. We
splinted Diesel’s foot to immobilize it, giving the toes a good chance to heal, and
dispensed pain relief medications. On Ken's last day in Colorado, he stopped by
for a quick splint change. We sent him with detailed discharge instructions of
the type of fractures, the frequency of splint changes that were needed, how to
care for the splint, and a copy of the x-rays so other veterinarians could see the
fracture. With that, we wished him luck on his travels and Ken left for New
York. Now, 14 weeks later, after receiving veterinary care in New York and
Arizona, Diesel is fully healed, fully
vaccinated, and happily traveling
across the country as Ken's co-pilot.
Check out the photos to the right that
Ken sent of their travels together!
Finding new ways to give pets happier, healthier lives
MILE HIGH VETERINARY
HOSPITAL
22310 E. Arapahoe Rd
Aurora, CO 80016
Phone: 303-693-6484
Fax: 303-699-6627
E-mail: [email protected]
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www.milehighvet.com
Employee of the Month
Sara Shypkoski is the newest technician to join the Mile High Veterinary Hospital
team. She was born in Bismarck, ND, but moved to Colorado at a young age and
has been here ever since. She received her certification in veterinary technology
from Bel-Rea in 2008. After working in emergency medicine and a short stint at
VPI Pet insurance, she joined the Mile High Veterinary Hospital team in
December 2015. Sara enjoys all aspects of small animal medicine, but has a
special interest in emergency medicine and critical care. Sara is also an active
volunteer for the Colorado Veterinary Medical Reserve Corps, where she has
been called into action 3 times. One incidence included assisting with the
historic Denver flooding of September 2013. She traveled to a National Guard
base and helped provide care to evacuee animals who lost their homes in the
floods. She also has assisted pets at the Red Cross Shelter during the Fourmile
Canyon fire in 2010. On her days off, when she's not playing video games, she's
taking time to plan her wedding, which is set for this October.