Dental Services
Not all of our pets are compliant with having their teeth brushed. For owners, sometimes there are simply not enough hours in the day to keep up with your pet’s dental care. Small mammals may be greatly affected by the diet offered. Their teeth can even be affected by the water source! Sometimes, even with the most diligent care, our pets’ oral health deteriorates. This could be a result of genetics, illness, accident, repeated trauma, or immune factors.
Whatever the reason, if your pet has dirty teeth, they need some help! We can provide that care and assistance that is needed. We will not judge you or your pet: we just want to get that mouth cleaned up and fit for future service!
Many species suffer with dental disease. Depending on the type of pet you have, certain dental problems are more likely than others. For example, dogs, cats and bearded dragons are likely to suffer with calculus build-up and caries (holes in the enamel). Rabbits, guinea-pigs and degus are more likely to have tooth over-growth and development of sharp dental spurs. Small rodents frequently fracture their teeth by chewing on metal bars, which can alter subsequent dental growth.
How should I maintain my pet’s oral health?
We recommend daily brushing of your pet’s teeth, if you have a dog, cat, ferret or similar species. Please click here for more information.
For reptiles such as bearded dragons, we recommend a diet that is 85% vegetable material for adults – preferably a mixture of weeds and vegetables. This will help to prevent calculus formation, although your pet may require a dental scale and polish to remove any calculus that has already formed.
For rabbits and rodents like guinea-pigs and degus, please see our diet pages for information on the best foods to feed to wear the teeth. We recommend withholding concentrates (pellets or mixed feeds) where possible, and concentrating on more roughage. This will ensure their teeth are worn down constantly, helping to prevent dental spur formation. If spurs are already present, these will need to be removed.
All rodents require plenty of gnawing toys and sticks, plenty of space, and plenty to do. These should prevent them from chewing on the cage bars too much!
Some animals of all species may have inherent conformation problems such as an over- or undershot jaw. This causes improper occlusion of the teeth, leading to various other problems. Unfortunately, these pets are likely to require routine dental treatment throughout their lives.