Dental Services at Jenison
A happy mouth is a happy pet! At Jenison Animal Hospital, dental care is high on our priority list. Just like people, our pets can get dental disease. We recommend yearly dental cleaning and checkups to prevent the growth of plaque, particle buildup, and disease in our pet’s mouths. And sometimes, even with the proper preventive care, our furry friends develop discomfort anyway.
What to Look For
When your pet develops signs of dental disease, they are often trying to avoid painful areas or “hot spots.” Sometimes they stop eating altogether because they can’t avoid the pain! Here are some signs to look out for:
- Chewing on only one side of the mouth
- Eating less
- Weight loss
- Odor in the mouth
- Licking more often
- Licking around mouth
- Swelling around mouth
If you notice any of these signs, please call us for a dental checkup! While your furry family might not be able to thank you, they’ll be back to their old habits in no time.
What to Expect
So your pet needs dental cleaning or a dental procedure. What happens during this process?
Before the dental procedure:
- Before we consider a dental procedure for your pet, we have a consultation with you and your pet so you know exactly what we would like to do to help.
- If they are going under anesthesia, we do a blood check 30 days prior to the procedure to make certain your pet is healthy enough to go through it.
- You will drop your pet off on the morning of the procedure.
During the dental procedure:
- We take X-rays of your pet’s teeth as part of the cleaning, to verify we didn’t miss any hidden surprises and for verification.
- Our team observes the vitals of your pet throughout the process to make sure your pet is doing fine.
- We then perform the dental procedure. If anything unexpected occurs, you will be the first to know!
After the dental procedure:
- Your pet gets big, soft, fluffy blankets to recover! We take care of them until they wake and you return for pickup.
- We discuss your pet’s X-rays and the procedure with you.
- If needed, we go over recommendations for specialized treats or after care.
- If your pet needs teeth extracted, we see them again in 2 weeks to make sure everything is healing properly.
We can’t stress enough the importance of preventive dental cleaning. The faster we catch dental issues, the less of a chance for long-term damage. Our senior family members might need checkups more often, as their systems grow and change as they age.
Call us at (616) 457-9200 if you have any questions or to schedule a dental appointment.