What Breed of Dog is Friendlier Towards ...

One of the many things that people take into consideration when choosing a dog is the temperament of the dog towards humans and other animals. It is well known that some dogs tend to like other dogs more than people, some dogs tend to like people more than other dogs, and some dogs tend to like neither. New dog owners that are looking to purchase their first puppy will often take this into consideration. There is a worry that a dog that does not like people or a dog that does not get along with other dogs may cause various problems that can contribute to the need to give the...

Are Flea and Tick Prevention Safe?...

Dr. Jan Bellows Over the past several years, the use of flea and tick medicines – so called “spot on” treatments that you place on the back of your dog’s neck so that it is absorbed into its skin – has been on the rise. The results have been fairly positive, as they have been able to do a better than decent job reducing discomfort to your pet’s skin by killing off fleas and preventing them from coming back for several months. Yet it is also widely known that these “medicines” are actually a form of pesticide, and pesticides can be very dangerous. After all, they...

Why Does Crate Training Work So Well? by...

If you have ever bought a guide to dog ownership, you have no doubt seen several chapters about the importance of crate training when it comes to housetraining your pet. Crate training is one of the only effective, time proven methods of dog training for reducing accidents and making sure that your dog learns to hold its waste until it goes outside. Despite all of this knowledge, few people truly understand what it is about the crate that makes it such an effective tool. Understanding why the crate is so effective is one of the most important aspects of training your pet effectively. Reasons...

What are Teacup Cats?...

By Dr. Jan Bellows Ask anyone their favorite age for their cat and they will tell you it was when they were a kitten. Kittens are small, adorable little animals with paws so tiny that anything they do can be considered cute. They look like babies, act like babies, and even when they are performing some regular behavior (like yawning), the look as though they are the most innocent and endearing little animals in the world. So much so, in fact, that modern day breeders decided to shrink down their adult cats to become a size known as “teacup cats.” Teacup cats are smaller...

End of a Pet’s Life - What to Do?...

Thanks to Dr. Jan Bellows for all his support with this website. As living beings, all pets will one day reach the end of their lives. It is not always predictable as to how and when and the details, but that there will be an end is a sure thing. No one is ever fully prepared for the death of a loved one, even if a pet has been sick or incapacitated for some time. Another part that complicates the human-animal relationship is that people have the option to prematurely end a pet’s life via euthanasia. Often there is a sense of regret and guilt associated with this decision,...

Radical Maxillary Resection - By Dr. Jan...

By Dr. Jan Bellows The most common oral tumors in dogs are malignant meanoma, benign odontogenic ameloblastoma (epulides), squamous cell carcinoma, and fibrosarcoma. Maxillectomy or mandilbulectomy is often indicated for wide resection of these oral tumors. A 7 year old, neutered miniature Poodle was referred for dental evaluation and treatment of a right maxillary oral mass of 3 weeks’ duration. Two weeks earlier, squamous cell carcinoma had been diagnosed by the referring veterinarian after incisional biopsy. The dog’s caregivers believed the dog was experiencing...

Why become a Veterinarian?...

Interesting video discussing why someone would want to become a Veterinarian.

Periodontal disease - a primer on recogn...

Periodontal inflammation is the most common syndrome affecting small animals. In no other area of the body can the dedicated veterinarian and dental team make a lifelong difference in patient health and longevity. AnatomyThe term periodontium describes tissues that surround and support the teeth including the gingiva, alveolar bone, periodontal ligament, and cementum. In the dog, the healthy free gingival margin of premolars and molars is 1-2 mm coronal (toward the crown) to the cementoenamel junction (CEJ), where root cementum meets the enamel. In the feline, the free gingival...

Explore the options for dental treatment...

Creating a dental treatment plan can be frustrating. As with other veterinary disciplines, dental diagnosis and care is one-third recognition of disease, one-third understanding anatomy and medical principles, and the last third performing needed care. Fortunately, the general practitioner or a close referral can manage most dental cases. Let’s review progressive options based on your technician’s exam findings: Photo 2: No endodontic or periapical pathology evident on intraoral radiograph. 1. Do nothing with the observed pathology other than future...

Functional occlusion: I’m OK, but ...

I hung up the receiver after explaining to one of my clients why his “normally” undershot Shih Tzu’s maxillary incisors needed be removed because they were penetrating the mandibular gingiva. How could this perfectly “normal” dog be abnormal? A book I read many years ago, titled “I’m OK, you’re OK” (Thomas A. Harris, 1973) seemed to apply to breeds and the problems unique to each animal. Harris theorized there are four types of relationships between people or organizations:   How does this apply to orthodontics?...