Bad breath can not only diminish the amount of affection you’re willing to receive from your pet, but it can also be a sign that your pet’s teeth need to be cleaned.

Plaque builds up on the teeth of cats and dogs just like it does in people, and can lead to inflamed gums (gingivitis), loose teeth, bone loss, and painful and dangerous abscesses.  Even worse, an unhealthy mouth can harbor bacteria that can enter the bloodstream, and cause infections in the heart valves, liver and kidneys.  As a result, dogs with good oral health tend to live, on average, about four years longer than those who suffer from gum disease.

Fortunately, there is quite a bit you can do to prevent your beloved pet from developing gum disease.  Most importantly, you should be brushing his teeth every day.  For a step-by-step description on how to effectively brush your dogs teeth and maintain good dental health for him, please visit this webpage on: ASPCA

Gingivitis – inflammation of the gums.

Source: PetMD

By now, you’re probably tired of hearing that one of the reasons you should spay your dog is so that she doesn’t get breast cancer.  We know, we know…!  You’ve had dogs your whole life and you’ve never spayed any of them, and none of them have gotten breast cancer.  So really, how likely is that to happen?

To answer that question, we decided to collect pictures of dogs that came to us with breast cancer.  The following pictures are some that were either taken by our staff, or submitted to us via email, within a two-week period.

SALLY:  This dog came to us on a Tuesday for bloodwork to see if she was healthy enough to undergo surgery.  Before the results of that bloodwork were available the following day, she had already died at home.

DEMI:  This mass was much too advanced, and we weren’t able to do surgery to help her.  Her loving family had to say good-bye to her two months after these pictures were submitted.

KASIE: Kasie was one of the lucky ones we were actually able to help.  However, even though her prognosis for survival is good, she was forced to endure a very lengthy and potentially dangerous surgery because she hadn’t been spayed.

LUCY: Sadly, the prognosis on this dog was not good, and she did not last too long after being diagnosed.

OZZIE: We were able to do surgery on this dog in time to remove the cancer.

A hematoma is a pocket of blood that is created underneath the skin when a blood vessel breaks and leaks blood into the surrounding tissue. An ear hematoma on your pet is easy to recognize: because the ear flap fills with blood, it looks and feels like a pillow with liquid inside. This is different from an ear infection, in which the ear canal (the part inside the ear) becomes red and itchy.

If your pet develops an ear hematoma, DO NOT drain it yourself. Not only are home surgeries illegal, but you are putting your pet in unnecessary pain and exposing him or her to potential infection. And finally… you’re not even resolving the problem. Ear hematomas require more than just a simple draining; they must be surgically repaired.

When your dog gets an ear infection, it can be smelly and annoying and, well… just plain gross. And, sadly, that is the least of the problem.

Ear infections can be exceedingly painful for your dog, and can lead to aural hematomas, ear polyps, and eventually permanent hearing loss.

Is your dog licking and biting at his paws until they’re wet and bloody? This is often the result of an environmental allergy*. Before he develops an infection, you might want to try some simple things to relieve him of the pain and discomfort of this skin allergy.

To learn more about what you can do, please click on this link: Healthy Pets

 * There could be other causes for paw irritation, such as a foreign body – like a foxtail – having gotten lodged under the skin. Always have your pet examined by a veterinarian to determine the source of your pet’s irritation before assuming it’s due to an environmental allergy.

Skin cancer is the most common ailment we see at our clinic.  The vast majority of skin cancer is found on pitbulls who are either white, or who are partially white.  Sadly, white pit bulls have a particularly liking of sunbathing, and they are the most susceptible to skin cancer

The best thing you can do to prevent skin cancer in your dog is to keep him out of the sun entirely.  We know, however, that this is not realistic for most people.  If you’re unable to keep your dog out of the sun, consider severely limiting his exposure to it.  And for the times that he is outside during the day, be sure to apply a generous amount of baby sunscreen, paying attention to areas where the skin can easily be seen through the short, white fur (e.g., the nose, ears, back of the neck.)

The pictures below were all collected within within the same two-week period described above.

PINTO: We were able to able to help this sweet dog temporarily, but sadly, we wound up recommending euthanasia less than three months later.

By the time this dog came to us, the cancer was too advanced and there was no way we could have helped.  There was no longer enough healthy skin left for us to be able to close the ulceration.  He died a short time later.

MISFIT: This dog came in for a pre-exam, but the cancer was too advanced and we had to recommend euthanasia.  Misfit was a white pit bull.  The cancerous lesion was on his scrotal sac, between his two hind legs.