February marks National Pet Dental Health Month, a great chance to brush up on how best to care for your animal companion's teeth and gums. Graham Thatcher, clinical assistant professor of dentistry and oral surgery, shares his top tips for pet owners, important items to avoid, and why good oral hygiene is linked to overall health.
Did your valentine gift you some chocolate sweets? Don't let your pets pillage these treats. Different types of chocolate have varying levels of toxicity to pets; white or milk chocolate is least harmful, while dark is the most dangerous. Should your dog eat chocolate, PetMD's chocolate toxicity meter can help estimate the potential threat based on the type and amount consumed and your dog's weight. (Chocolate is also toxic to cats, but they're less likely to seek out and eat it.)
The Small Animal Internal Medicine Service is recruiting cats for a study of oxidative stress in early kidney disease. Cats with stage 1 and stage 2 chronic kidney disease are eligible; the goal is to understand whether very early intervention may be useful in these cats. The study involves one visit to UW Veterinary Care. Some cats may be eligible for an optional second part of the study, a one-month renal diet trial (free food provided), followed by a recheck at no cost.
UW Veterinary Care's Morrie Waud Large Animal Hospital now offers standing X-ray computed tomography (CT) to better meet the needs of our equine patients and improve the diagnosis and treatment of limb conditions and diseases of the head and neck. This state-of-the-art imaging system is the first in the world to provide rapid 3D scans of the legs on a standing horse.
Major benefits of this diagnostic procedure include patient comfort, because scan times are suitable for a sedated horse and do not require anesthesia; precision, with the flexible, highly accurate robotic technology allowing for easy positioning and imaging in a single session; and preventive screening, as the standing CT scanner is an ideal tool for early detection and monitoring of stress injuries and prevention of fractures.
