Oral Health = Overall Health!

At Willard Veterinary Clinic, we are pleased to provide pet services such as pet dental care for our South Shore, Dorchester, Quincy, and Milton area pet patients. As our veterinarian, Dr. Meg Connelly, likes to say, "Pet dental care -- both at home and here at our cat and dog clinic -- is a very important part of overall pet wellness!" Did you know that pet dental problems can turn into very severe issues such as heart problems if they are ignored? You can avoid the majority of pet dental issues with the use of two basic things: Regular teeth brushing at home and yearly pet dental cleanings with our veterinary clinic.

Pet Dental Care Helps With More than Doggy Breath

Our South Shore veterinarian recommends that pet parents do daily teeth brushings at home as this helps to prevent the buildup of plaque. When plaque builds up it turns into tartar, which is difficult to remove and can cause a number of complications like infections that go beyond the mouth. When you incorporate regular brushing with a toothpaste made for pets into your pet wellness routine at home, it will positively affect your pet’s overall health.

The pet services provided during our dental exams and cleanings are complete. We generally perform these exams and cleanings only once or twice per year on a pet, so we make sure that we do a very thorough job, and that your pet's mouth is in excellent shape when they leave our facility. Our vet will examine the teeth, remove plaque and tartar, do extractions as required (for teeth that have decayed to the point of causing illness or being a problem for your pet), and will then polish your pet's teeth.

What steps do you take to keep up with your pet's dental health?

With very few exceptions, dogs don’t like to take pills. But if your canine pal needs medication to get well, you’ve got to find a way to get it into his or her stomach. Willard Vet has a few tips if you find yourself in this challenging situation.

Hide it in food. Dogs may not like medication-filled capsules, but they do love food. Push the pill into a small section of hot dog or hide it in some cheese, and your dog should be none the wiser.

Use a pill pocket. These are commercially available treats with a pill-sized indentation in the top. Simply place the pill in the pocket, fold it up, and offer it to your dog.

Direct pilling. Some dogs can’t be fooled by pill-filled treats, so you have to give them the pill directly. To do this, grasp the upper jaw, then gently pull down the lower jaw and place the pill as far back on the tongue as possible. If necessary, rub the dog’s throat to aid in swallowing. Generally speaking, if the dog sticks his or her tongue out after pilling, he or she has swallowed the pill.

Pill gun. If your dog is aggressive and you’re worried about being bitten during direct pilling, a pill gun – a long plastic tube with a clamp on the end to hold and release the pill – can perform a direct pilling with minimal danger from biting.

For more information, and to see demonstrations of all these methods, please check out our How to Pill Your Dog video on our YouTube channel!

For more than 20 years, Willard Veterinary Clinic has provided dedicated veterinary care for the communities of Quincy, Boston, Dorchester, Milton, Braintree, Weymouth, Canton, Randolph, Hingham, Abington, Hanover, and Rockland. Contact us to see why we’re different!

By: Willard Veterinary Clinic

Puppy and Kitten Proofing Your Home:
Tips from Our Staff

Here at the Willard Veterinary Clinic, we frequently see South Shore and Quincy area clients who have adopted brand new puppies or kittens. A big part of our job as a pet vet is helping our pet owners as they assist their new puppy or kitten to adjust to their new home. Our animal clinic has  some great puppy and kitten proofing tips that we would like share with new pet parents. As both a puppy veterinarian and a cat veterinarian, we have some great insights to share!

Our Animal Clinic Recommends Safeguards
for Your Puppy and Kitten

Our first tip applies to both kittens and puppies, but is especially important for kittens since they tend to be able to leap up on countertops (a skill they learn early). Our animal clinic recommends that you keep your prescription medicines, non-prescription medicines, pet medicines, cosmetics, cleaning products, mothballs, gasoline, and any other potentially toxic substances put away in cabinets. Essentially, this means you need to keep those countertops clean since nearly any household item can be toxic to your pet if it's ingested. This includes food as well because a curious kitten or puppy will not hesitate to nibble or claw their way into plastic food bags or containers.

Next, consider your house plants. Did you know that many common plants are poisonous to animals? Both kittens and puppies tend to be curious and may try to chew a leaf or a stem they come across. Lilies, elephant ears, spider plants, ivy, and plant bulbs are some of the many potentially killer plants that your puppy or kitten should be protected from. Keep plants in a completely inaccessible area or hang them to be safe.

Our pet veterinarian also recommends keeping a close eye on what you leave laying around. Kittens are especially attracted to string, ribbons, and anything they can bat around with their paws. However, they can choke on these things so it's best to keep anything that might tempt them far away.

Overall, our Quincy pet veterinarians say that when you are pet proofing that you need to take your puppy or kitten into consideration just as you would with an infant or toddler. We love serving our South Shore, Dorchester, and Milton pet patients and we want to help you to keep them here with you for many years to come!

What steps did you take to puppy or kitten proof your house?

A few months ago we talked about some important considerations when gifting a pet to a child. If you decided to get a new pet for your child, here are five important lessons to teach your child about owning a new pet in order to keep everyone in the family happy and healthy.

Practice calm, nice behavior – New pets who are adjusting to new environments, especially puppies and kittens, can be rambunctious, which may be difficult for a child to understand. Help your child understand that new pets need extra patience as they get used to and grow in their home, and that even when the pet acts out, their owners need to be calm and kind to help them adjust.

Teach the basics of pet care and keeping them safe – Make sure that children understand that pets need fresh food and water every day to help them grow and stay healthy. Teach them that like people, animals need to take potty breaks, which may mean taking your puppy out on a regular basis. You can also alert children to the fact that puppies and kittens may chew or play with things that aren’t good for them. You can create a chart that can enable youngsters to help with daily pet care activities and develop responsibility skills.

Reinforce the importance of boundaries – Children need to remember that litter boxes, food bowls, and water bowls are off limits for them. Also, they need to understand that pets get tired and need their rest just like people, so sleeping pets should be left alone. Also, they should know that just like children sometimes pets may need time by themselves. Help them understand when your pet wants to play and interact and when they should probably be left alone.

Ensure that an adult is around when they are with your pet – Especially with a new pet, it’s very important that children aren’t left alone without proper adult supervision. A situation between an inquisitive child and inquisitive pet could quickly turn into a bad situation.

Teach the importance of veterinary care – Just like children and adults, pets need to go to the doctor for examinations and vaccinations to make sure that they remain healthy. Pets should be brought to the vet on regular basis to help keep both your pet and family members healthy.

Working with your child on caring for a pet can be extremely rewarding for the whole family, and can teach valuable lessons that can last a lifetime.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has special section on their website, Petpourri, which provides activities for children to help promote responsible pet ownership.

For more than 20 years, Willard Veterinary Clinic has provided dedicated veterinary care for the communities of Quincy, Boston, Dorchester, Milton, Braintree, Weymouth, Canton, Randolph, Hingham, Abington, Hanover, and Rockland. Contact us to see why we’re different!