DENTAL CARE
Dental care is probably one of the most overlooked aspects of your pets overall health. Good dental health can prevent a wide range of health problems such as heart and kidney disease. Poor dental health causes daily pain and discomfort, systemic inflammation, generalized infection throughout the body, difficulty eating, bad breath and ultimately can lead to a shortened life span.
Signs and Symptoms of Dental Disease
If left untreated, dental disease can lead to problems in the oral cavity such as loose teeth, tooth/gum infections, abscesses and/or bone loss. Symptoms to watch out for include a swollen face and/or mouth, bad breath, loose teeth, drooling, pawing at the mouth and decreased appetite.
ABOUT OUR DENTAL PROCEDURES
Our Services
All dental procedures include placement of an intravenous catheter, intravenous fluid therapy, EKG/Pulse Oximeter monitoring, anesthesia, cleaning/scaling to remove tartar, polishing and prescribed medications to go home. Your pet MUST BE SEEN BY AN RVUC veterinarian prior to your dental procedure. We offer appointments on both Sunday mornings and Mondays.
Pets will be dropped off first thing in the morning. Discharge will be between 4-6pm, with few to no exceptions. In order to help keep prices more affordable for pet owners, we DO NOT have an office staff answering phones throughout the day. If you have an urgent need to contact us, you may call/text and/or email. Messages will be checked periodically throughout the day and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Bloodwork
ALL patients are required to have bloodwork. The bloodwork performed shows us basic organ function and aids us in making the safest choices for anesthesia. We do accept recent bloodwork performed by another veterinary hospital if done WITHIN the last 3 months. Bloodwork can also be done here at RVUC. If your pet is having the bloodwork done with us, we can send it to our reference lab ($75) but it will need to be drawn AT LEAST 48 hours prior to your pet's procedure or we can do it the day of the procedure using our in house lab ($125). We offer blood draws every Sunday from 8am-6pm by appointment ONLY. We will contact you with bloodwork results prior to your pet's surgery.
Dental X-rays
Dental x-rays offer the best tool for evaluating the health of your pet's teeth below the gum line. There are numerous issues that cannot be detected by the naked eye, such as cavities, bone loss, tumors, fractures, etc. IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOUR PET RECEIVE DENTAL X-RAYS AT THE TIME OF THE DENTAL PROCEDURE. You may choose to decline the dental x-rays but you will be required to sign a form indicating you are aware of the risks and take full responsibility for any undiagnosed issues.
Discharge
All patients will be sent home with complete aftercare instructions, any medications needed and any necessary follow up plan.
Schedule Dental Procedure
If you are interested in scheduling a dental procedure for your pet, please fill out and submit the Dental Request Form along with any medical records related to the dental. Once we receive the request and/or medical records, a veterinary technician will be contacting you to discuss the details of the procedure.