[Pet Care Articles] Romeo's Teeth are Now Bright White!

This past weekend was a full, eventful weekend for Romeo. Not only did Romeo try herding for the first time (more on that later) and go play frisbee, Romeo got his teeth cleaned for the first time ever!

The American Veterinary Dental Society reports that by age 3, 80% of dogs and 70% of cats show signs of dental disease. Rocco has been getting anesthesia free teeth cleanings from a dental hygenist every six weeks, and my sister has been raving about the service. All my pets, despite my best efforts to brush their teeth, have noticeable tartar buildup and somewhat stinky breaths (you might know it to be dog breath or cat breath - it's actually just bad breath). I've been putting off doing the veterinary dental cleaning for them because, well, it's really expensive.

When I saw a sign for an anesthesia-free teeth cleaning clinic at Steve's Pets in Altadena (2395 Lake Avenue, Altadena, CA, 626-798-6290) by SmilePet (number below), I decided to give it a shot with Romeo. Now, with anesthesia, teeth cleaning at the vet's office can cost anywhere between $200-$300+, depending on your vet. So at $75, this was what I considered quite a deal. I decided Romeo should be the first even though he doesn't have the worst teeth out of all my pets -- he is the youngest, after all -- because dogs have shorter memories than cats and are far more forgiving of people. So Romeo got to be the guinea pig, and off we went for our appointment. It took about 40 minutes, and Romeo's teeth are now amazingly white! His breath smells better and all the icky yellow buildup on his teeth is gone! His gums, which were beginning to look inflamed, are starting to look normal again.

SmilePet isn't the only service out there, obviously. Rocco gets maintenance visits instead of a more involved teeth cleaning every six months (which is what most dental hygenists around here do or recommend). I did a lot of digging around, and these are the resources that I've confirmed exist (as of the time of this post, of course). Romeo will be going back to Kathy of SmilePet, as she did such a great job with him.

As a total disclaimer, do this at your own risk. Some dogs and cats need more work than what these dental hygenists can do without anesthesia, and some dogs and cats are too high strung to let a dental hygenist do this without being sedated. Check out the person before you go - this list is meant to be inclusive as a resource for you to find a good person to care for your pets and is not indicative of any sort of endorsement on my part. I'll add more to this list as I hear about them or run across them. The only person on this list we can attest to is Kathy of SmilePet, and we attest that Romeo's teeth are dramatically cleaner than before and that she didn't hurt him. That's all I'll swear to under oath.

ANESTHESIA-FREE TEETH CLEANING FOR DOGS AND CATS
(Los Angeles/Orange County/Southern California)

SmilePet (Kathy, 866-628-9745)
Makes housecalls and holds clinics from Los Angeles to San Diego. Kathy holds a clinic at Steve's Pets in Altadena (2395 Lake Avenue, Altadena, CA, 626-798-6290) every 6-8 weeks for $75 a pet. Call Steve's Pets to make an appointment. Romeo's had his teeth cleaned by her and his teeth are now bright white!

Houndstooth (Kathy (I think a different one), 877-309-8849, pettoothfairy@yahoo.com)
Makes housecalls to San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles (City and County), and Orange County). Price depends on type of pet and distance traveled. Also takes office visits in Chatsworth for $80 a pet.

The Tooth Fairy LLC (Shane, 818-988-3443, shane@thetoothfairyllc.com)
Housecalls only to most of Los Angeles county. Rates vary by type of pet.

Pearlie Whites (Dana, 818-667-5747, dana@pearliewhites.com)
Makes housecalls and takes office visits in Encino. Rates vary by type of pet, distance traveled, etc.

Gental Dental (JoEllen, 800-264-3094, petinfo@gentledentalforpets.com)
Housecalls around the Long Beach/South Bay area. Call for availability in your area. Rates vary. Holds teeth cleaning days at Wags to Whiskers in Long Beach (5505 Stearns St., Long Beach, CA, 562-430-5161) on the 1st Tuesday and 4th Saturday of the month for $85 a pet.

Bathe R Doggie (626-795-7777)
Pasadena, CA, based pet grooming salon. Anesthesia-free teeth cleaning available every other Sunday, by appointment only. Price ranges from $65-95, depending on the pet.

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Posted By Tina to Pet Care Articles at 9/26/2006 02:33:00 PM

Silly Little Kitty!

I found this video on Google Video. This is so freakishly...like a cat. Jezebel and Sambora wholeheartedly approve!

[Pet Care Articles] MDR1 Gene Mutation and Drug Sensitivity in Collie Breeds

I have been reading up on potential drug sensitivity of collie breeds due to a mutation in the MDR1 gene, whatever that means. Basically, from what I gathered, a significant number of collies and collie-related breeds like the Australian shepherd (Romeo!) have a mutation in this gene, which makes them sensitive to many common drugs, including heartworm medication.

More information can be found at the following links:
Drug Sensitivity in Collies - very clear information about the mutation.
Buster Alert - not as clear, but good anecdotal information, as well as a drug list

You can order the test from Washington State and administer the test yourself, which costs about $50 less than if the vet were to do it. That's the route I'm taking with Romeo! For more information on that: http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts-VCPL/

On a related note, here's an interesting article about how collies and sighthounds might be related due to research surrounding the MDR1 gene mutation: Collies have surprising relatives - Pet Health - MSNBC.com

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Posted By Tina to Pet Care Articles at 10/13/2006 12:32:00 PM