Vets stepping up the fight against dental disease in pets

calder-vets-dental-care

A leading vet practice in Yorkshire has invested £45,000 in state-of-the-art X-ray equipment and organised additional training for its vets and nurses as it battles dental disease – one of the biggest threats to pets’ welfare.

Team members at Calder Vets, which has 13 branches across south and west Yorkshire, received training from RCVS and European dentistry specialist Peter Southerden, from Eastcott Referrals, in Swindon.

The training and investment at Calder come at a crucial time, as the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has released new evidence which demonstrates that dental disease is one of the three disorders which have the greatest impact on a dog’s welfare. The other two are obesity and osteoarthritis (OA).

Rachael McGregor, clinical director at Calder Vets, said: “Periodontal disease is becoming more frequently recognised in dogs and can often have a huge and lasting impact on a dog’s wellbeing.

“It is an ongoing battle which is why we have armed ourselves with the latest training and equipment to help fight it.

“It is also vital we make sure owners are equipped with the best advice possible so they can help keep their dogs’ mouths healthy.”
Peter said: “There is often relatively limited access to high quality training during the undergraduate veterinary course, but dental diseases are exceedingly common and can leave pets with significant debilitations, so additional training can be vital.

“Accessing this training and investing in the latest technology helps to provide veterinary staff with the skills and knowledge required to best serve their patients’ needs.”

The study by the RVC investigated the severity and duration of major conditions seen in practice, as well as recording their frequency to provide an overall measure of impact on dogs.

Dental disease was revealed as the most common condition and also the condition which lasted the longest, with the average dog suffering from dental disease for 76 per cent of the year.