Our Expertise

By Stuart Kellogg - Daily Press

Button's lips draw back in a snarl, baring a mouthful of sharp, tan teeth. Yes, tan teeth, except for the tartar at his gum line. This is dark brown, dark as unpopped popcorn husks. The indignity. Poor Buttons (a Bambi-eyed, 6 year-old, short-haired black dachshund). But no mere tartar is a match for Dr. Shafeeq Ahmed of Hesperia Animal Hospital.

As Buttons' mistress looks on in guilty horror (Why had she neglected her babies gums?), Ahmed uses clippers to remove great chunks of tartar. Working around the patient's mouth, the veterinarian checks for cavities. (Yes, dogs can have fillings.) Buttons keeps blinking, a sign that he's at the correct stage of anesthesia. "We don't want him too deep," Ahmed says, then points to an upper molar. The tooth is badly infected. Buttons' owner (by now in the last throes of contrition) gives her OK and - zip! - out comes the tooth. A course of antibiotics will stave off infection and prevent abscess.

Next, Ahmed's assistant Terri Williams uses an ultrasound wand and warm water to scale away the remaining tarter. Buttons' gums bleed a bit, but unless Williams gets under the gum line, bacteria will form pus pockets.

Finally, Williams polishes Buttons' teeth to a sudden, blinding white. (While they have him in their clutches, veterinarian assistant Mike Thompson clips the patient's nails and checks his anal sac.)

The bill for all this? The dentistry costs between $35 and $45, the anesthesia between $35 and $40. An elective preoperative blood screen - to evaluate the functioning of the kidneys and liver, and guide the vet in adjusting the anesthesia - weighs in at $32. "But if owners kept up with cleaning at home", Ahmed says, "this deep cleaning would be unnecessary." As Buttons begins to come round, Ahmed explains that dental disease is one of the most common problems among dogs and cats. "The signs of advanced periodontitis (gum disease) include loss of appetite, lethargy and irritability.

The consequences: bad breath, root abscesses and a risk of infection spreading to the liver, kidneys or heart." As in humans, Ahmed says, plaque is formed by the combination of food particles, bacteria and saliva. In time, the invisible plaque turns into brown tartar (aka calculus). Because they don't chew as much as large dogs, small dogs are more susceptible to tartar. A diet of table scraps increases the risk of dental problems. The answer? Toothbrushing. "Make brushing a pleasant experience," Ahmed urges us, "and always do it in the same location." "Start by rubbing the gums with your finger. After a few days, wrap some gauze around your finger and rub.

Finally, use a soft brush with dentifrice made especially for dogs. "Never use human toothpaste: The foam will annoy your dog and can upset their stomach. "You only need to brush the outside of your pet's teeth. The rough tongue handles the inside well enough." If you notice a broken tooth, take your dog to the vet immediately. A broken tooth can lead to carnassial tooth abscess - a fistula that surfaces on the dog's face.

To prove his point, Ahmed points to a photograph of a German shepherd suffering from carnassial abscess. Pus oozes from a hole near the top of his noble snout. A few days after my sobering visit with Buttons and Dr. Ahmed, I call Dr. Thomas Mulligan, a founding fellow of the American Veterinary Dental Society. Mulligan knows his stuff: He works with the San Diego Zoo to keep the animals' teeth, tusks and choppers bright and shiny. "Dentistry is an ongoing concern," Mulligan warns me. "Plaque forms in just eight hours. That's why we stress a regimen of home care that doesn't require too much energy on the pet owner's part. "There are two kinds: passive care and active. Passive is diet. For years, we said it was enough to feed your dog dry food. Now, Hill's TD (for Tooth diet) dog food has been proven to give 16 percent better results than just dry chow. It's the way the biscuits are constructed: Larger pellets make the dog chew more." Assuring me he does not work for Hill's, Mulligan cites a study of passive tooth-care products: Hill's was rated first; biscuits, such as Milkbone, second; rawhide chew toys third. Mulligan recommends sheepskin toys over rawhide. "Sheepskin lasts for weeks, and the softness allows it to get up into the dog's gum line." "Hard toys don't do any good against gum disease - they touch just the tips of the teeth.

In fact, they're a negative: A dog can break a tooth on a hard toy. Bones are just as bad for cats and dogs, and for the same reason." Active care means toothbrushing. According to Mulligan, "It's never too early to start active care. Most gum disease problems don't start until the dog is 1 year old. But if you rub your puppy's teeth with a solution of warm water and garlic salt, they'll learn to be less mouth-shy. "Garlic salt is no toothpaste - it just tastes good. Dogs love garlic. All dogs are Italian at heart." The doctor dismisses antiplaque mouthwashes, such as Act and Plax, as ineffective on dogs: "Gels are much better. They stay on the teeth longer - more contact time." According to Mulligan, more than 80 percent of dogs over the age of 3 are affected by periodontal disease. In cats the big problem is cavities. About 65 percent of cats have at least one cavity (dogs have cavities much less often). A fluoride gel can slow the progression of decay. Summing up, Mulligan says; "In general, a vet should clean your dog's teeth once a year. But if you brush your dog's teeth three times a day, you might avoid trips to the vet altogether." When I protest that three times a day seems a bit much, Mulligan is firm: "You hear people say, "I grew up on a farm, and we never did anything for our dog's gums. Well, these dogs tend to 'disappear' after three years."

Hesperia Animal Hospital's new facility is located at 9540 I Ave. in Hesperia 760-948-1553. Though Dr. Ahmed won't begin practicing there until Monday, Jan. 16, he invites the general public to visit the new site starting today.