If you read my last post you know that when I cleaned my big boy Monty's teeth the other day I noticed that he had something going on with one of his teeth. It looked like a cavity to me so my husband, who is a dentist, took a look and said we needed to take Monty to a Pet Dentist.
Most people don't realize that many of the medical specialties humans have are also available for our pets and it really pays to seek out these specialists for your pet.
We searched the internet to find the right dentist for our boy Monty and found "The Pet Dentist" in Tampa, Fl, which isn't too far from where we live.
After looking at the website of Dr. Michael Peak "The Pet Dentist" we knew he was the doctor for us, he was compassionate and caring and always puts the pets needs first.
When we drove up to visit "The Pet Dentist" the directions they provided were easy to follow and led us right to their door. They are located in a beautiful, newly developed area of Wesley Chapel, which is right outside of Tampa, Florida. The office was spotlessly clean, very efficient and the staff went out of their way to make all the patients feel comfortable and welcome.
Here's Monty in the car while we're driving, he can't wait to meet the pet dentist! He wants to get his teeth fixed by the doctor who fixes tigers teeth.
Our wait time was just a couple of minutes until we were placed into a treatment room with pictures on the wall of the doctor treating tigers, gorillas and even a hyena! It turns out that Dr. Peak is the doctor who cares for the dental needs of all the Animals in Disney's Animal Kingdom.
Dr. Michael Peak and his new associate Dr. Christopher Smithson came into the treatment room and introduced themselves. Dr. Peak gently examined Monty while Monty sat in my husbands lap. After examining Monty, Dr. Peak explained in detail what he saw and what he expected to find on the x-rays. Dr. Peak said that he thought that the tooth may have a resorptive lesion and that it was common for both the right and left premolar to be affected. He said that cavities are rare in dogs and that they don't know the reason for the premolars to sometimes be absorbed by the body but that it was common in dogs and when it happens it usually will happen to both the premolars at the same time.
Both doctors were very professional and friendly and my dogs were very comfortable with them. Yes, Zoe came along because we take our pups everywhere we go and she wanted to offer Monty some moral support.
They quickly provided us with two estimates, one for if the x-rays showed it was a cavity and the other for if the x-ray showed it was a resorptive lesion as he suspected. The pricing was very fair.
Next step is to take some x-rays. In order to take x-rays he needed Monty to be relaxed so Dr. Peak gave him an injection of a sedative to help him relax for his procedure. We held him while the drug took effect and when he was ready they took him in the back to get him started.
The x-rays only took a few minutes and Dr. Peak called us in to take a look, it turned out that Monty had a resorptive lesion and the one I noticed wasn't as bad as the tooth on the other side that also had the same thing going on. We had no choice but to have both teeth extracted.
Dr. Peak said that the only way to catch a resorptive lesion early is to take an x-ray so there was no way we could have known or prevented it from happening. He estimated that it started about 6 months ago and was probably causing him some discomfort. As you can see in the x-ray the right and left side premolars are being absorbed by the body.
Dr. Peak started Monty's procedure immediately, he cleaned and checked all of his other teeth at the same time. Turns out that Monty's other teeth are all in great shape, no cavities and his gums are nice and healthy. See, all that tooth brushing has paid off!
Above is a picture of Monty's premolar. This is the one that looks fine on this side but according to the x-ray this one is worse than the one with the visible problem.
According to Dr. Peak, if the resorptive lesion had progressed his tooth would have broken because what happens is the tooth gets eroded from the inside and that's why there was a "cavity" because it had eaten through from the inside of his tooth. Thank goodness we caught it before the tooth broke.
After Monty's extractions he was brought to us in a treatment room so we could comfort him while he fully woke up from his anesthesia. They put him on a blanket on the floor and we all sat around him and petted him while he recovered. He was very wobbly when he first stood up but looked good. We always ask our doctors to allow us to stay with our pet right up until his procedure and to hold and comfort him right after.
Below you can see where Monty's premolars have been removed and as you can see there are no root pieces left in the bone to cause problems! Well done!
Below is a picture of Monty's extraction area after Dr. Peak has packed it with artificial bone to prevent any dry socket problems and to make sure his jaw stays strong.
And here you can see what a beautiful job Dr. Peak did in stitching Monty up afterward. Great work Dr. Peak! We're so glad to have found you!
On the ride home Monty stayed awake just to make sure we were going home. He was comfortable because he was still numb and Dr. Peak had given him a shot of pain reliever before sending him home. He also provided us with antibiotic and two pain medications for the next few days.
Anyone who knows Monty knows that he lives to eat so they won't be surprised to hear that the minute we walked in the door Monty was waiting by his food bowl. Dr. Peak said he could eat a half portion after 4pm but somehow we got home really fast and it was only 3:30pm. I tried explaining that to Monty but he would have none of it....he wanted his food now and he wouldn't take no for an answer. So, having no choice I prepared his meal under his intense supervision. Since he was still numb he had a little trouble getting all the food out of his bowl but I helped him with it and he was happy.
He was hungry again about an hour later......
Monty is doing great today! He's to eat only soft food for a week to make sure his incisions stay closed so I'm putting his food into the food processor and pureeing it before giving it to him. At least he's happy now that he's getting his full meals again. He's back to eating it all with no help. He is wondering why Zoe is getting treats and he isn't though. You see, we give them rice cakes for treats and he can't have anything crunchy so instead poor Monty is getting pieces of american cheese and he feels like he's missing out. You should see his face!
We're so glad we found Dr. Peak "The Pet Dentist" and would recommend him to anyone with a pet they love. If you want to receive the best treatment for your pets dental needs make sure you seek out the specialists and if you want the best pet dentist call Dr. Peak at 813-406-4800.
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