Are you brushing those canines?
QMy three-year-old Jack Russell cross male has developed yellowing of his teeth. I have heard from friends that there is a new product you can add to the water to prevent tooth decay. Is this correct?
AResearch done by the Royal Veterinary College indicated that, by your dog’s age, 80% are already suffering from dental disease.
Yet, theoretically, dental disease in dogs should be entirely preventable.
The figure above suggests that not enough is being done to solve the problem, and the inevitable pain that tooth decay causes.
Ideally, brushing your dog’s teeth daily with canine toothpaste should be adequate. It’s best to start brushing from day one and it can be made to be fun, with plenty of praise.
I would recommend a chat with your vet to start a good oral health plan. New on the market is a triple response programme. Along with brushing, there are toothpastes, a gum spray and additives to the water.
All of these measures help prevent build-up of bacteria that harms teeth.
Such products have been endorsed by the Veterinary Oral Health Council – visit the group’s website at vohc.org for more detailed information.
Q
Our 10-year-old neutered female cat has recently been diagnosed with an overactive thyroid. She had a ravenous appetite and was still losing weight. We are thinking about the possible treatments, as advised by our vet, but finding it hard to decide.
AHyperthyroidism is now the most common hormonal condition of cats, due mainly to a benign tumour of the thyroid gland.
Although the underlying causes are poorly understood, there is better knowledge of treatment. Two treatments aim to control the disease while two aim to cure. The non-curative treatments are either a low iodine diet or anti-thyroid drugs. The diet may be useful initially for some cats that are difficult to give medication to, although it is not favoured long-term.
In the UK, many cats are given antithyroid drugs and these can be very effective in reducing thyroid hormone levels quite quickly. There may be side effects and they must be given every day for life with periodic blood tests.
Surgical removal of the thyroid tumour aims to cure, although some studies show the success rate is disappointing at around 40%.
Radioiodine has the highest curative rate at more than 95%. There are 15 specialist clinics in the UK that offer this treatment. It is the most expensive initially, and a short period of hospitalisation is required – meaning two trips – but follow-up treatment won’t usually be necessary.
It could therefore be cost-effective, with overall costs comparable with other treatments after two years.
■ David Grant MBE has been a vet for more than 50 years. Email questions to him at pamperedpets@people.co.uk