{"id":5788,"date":"2021-02-17T15:51:40","date_gmt":"2021-02-17T15:51:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aercmn.com\/?p=5788"},"modified":"2021-02-17T15:51:40","modified_gmt":"2021-02-17T15:51:40","slug":"the-importance-of-routine-dental-care-for-your-pet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aercmn.com\/blog\/the-importance-of-routine-dental-care-for-your-pet\/","title":{"rendered":"The Importance of Routine Dental Care for Your Pet"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"veterinary<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a regular reader of our blog, you may remember Heidi Brenegan\u2019s blog about her dog, Sally, called \u201cMy Pet Was in Pain. Is Yours?<\/a>\u201d Heidi skipped one annual dental cleaning and as a result, Sally had to have four teeth extracted. Today, we have another cautionary tale that illuminates the need for our pets to have routine dental care, and this story could have had an even more dire outcome than the loss of four teeth.<\/p>\n

\"Pet<\/p>\n

Meet Pepper! Pepper belongs to Shari, who works in Animal Emergency & Referral Center of Minnesota\u2019s financial office. Shari says, \u201cPepper has had annual dental cleanings since she was about two years old. In 2020, I ended up putting it off about six months due to COVID, but towards the end of the year, I decided I had better get it scheduled. I am so very thankful that I did!\u201d<\/p>\n

So in November, Pepper came in for her routine annual dental cleaning, which includes a complete oral exam. At that examination, one of our board-certified veterinary dentists, Erin Vicari, VMD, DAVDC<\/a>, found a tumor towards the back of Pepper’s tongue. At AERC, Shari has a reputation for being really positive, and this situation was no different! \u201cI was taken aback [by the news] but hopeful it wasn\u2019t going to be anything of concern,\u201d Shari says. Then the biopsy results came back, and Pepper was diagnosed with a mast cell tumor.<\/p>\n

Mast cell tumors (MCTs) are a blood cell cancer and the most common skin tumors in dogs. Shari continues, \u201cWhen I found out the news that it was a Mast Cell Tumor, I was shocked, cried a lot and just snuggled her as much as she would let me. She was a gift from my Dad who passed away from pancreatic cancer a year and a half ago, so the word \u2018cancer\u2019 was hard to hear.\u201d \"Pet<\/p>\n

As with many cancers, early detection is essential to a positive outcome. It was fortunate that Shari didn\u2019t choose to skip Pepper\u2019s annual dental care, because she likely wouldn\u2019t have seen the tumor on her own until it had become very large. Caught relatively early, Dr. Vicari was able to remove the entire tumor with a much smaller portion of her tongue than would have been possible at a later time.<\/p>\n

Shari\u2019s diligence to her dog\u2019s annual dental schedule may have saved more than just her dog\u2019s tongue. If Pepper hadn\u2019t come in for another year, or even another six months, her story may have ended very differently. Instead, Shari says, \u201cPepper has been doing great! She loves the snow, walks, playing with her toys, guarding the neighborhood, and just being her sassy self.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019re so glad Shari and Pepper will be a team for years to come. If your pet hasn\u2019t had a dental cleaning and oral examination with x-rays in a year or longer, please contact your family vet today!<\/p>\n

\"Heidi<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n