by Victoria Schade
Have you ever asked your dog to do something simple—sit, for example— only to have him look at you as if you’re speaking another language?
You know your dog knows how to do it; it was the very first thing you taught him! You ask him to do it several times a day, in fact, and he always complies. So, what gives when he doesn’t?
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By Dr. PATRICIA KHULY
OK, so that’s just a salacious title. Your veterinarian may well recommend pet health insurance. I do, so that makes … um … two of us. Okay, maybe I exaggerate. It’s clear that veterinarians increasingly buy into pet health insurance. When faced with very sick patients whose owners hold insurance policies for them, we breathe a sigh of relief. In our experience these clients more readily accept our recommendations to treat their pets. More and more of us see pet health insurance as a positive influence on patient care — not to mention out bottom lines. Yet even those of us who wholeheartedly endorse it tend to tread lightly on the subject, as if we’re well aware that we should be careful what we wish for.
Dental disease is more than just a cosmetic issue — when your canine companion or feline friend has red gums, yellow teeth, and stinky breath, it could be a sign of severe oral disease that could, if left untreated, lead to devastating effects on your pet’s quality of life. Neglecting your pet’s teeth and gums can cause chronic pain issues that may even be at the center of some behavioral problems.
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) reports 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats to have some oral disease by the age of 3.