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Dental disease is very common in pets. It can happen as they age, and can also be can be due to genetic or environmental factors. It can cause severe discomfort in pets and lead to health issues in the rest of their body, such as kidneys, heart, & other organs. Regular teeth brushing with enzymatic pet toothpaste or using specially formulated dental chews can be a great way to help prevent the buildup of plaque and tartar on your pet's teeth. During comprehensive exams, our doctors will make sure to monitor any progression of dental disease. If appropriate, our veterinarian may recommend a dental, also known as a COHAT. Dental services are currently only offered at our Belchertown location. 

 

What is a COHAT?

A COHAT is a Comprehensive Oral Health Assessment & Treatment. If recommended by our veterinarians, we will schedule a time for your pet to be dropped off for the day in which we will place your pet under general anesthesia and perform a COHAT. Our dental procedures include full mouth digital x-ray, ultrasonic scaling, polishing. If the x-rays determine a tooth should come out, we will perform extractions as necessary. Our team takes every precaution to ensure that our patients receive safe anesthesia. Before surgery, we will perform pre-anesthetic bloodwork to determine which anesthesia and pain medications are safe to use, as well as IV catheter placement all prior to anesthesia. During anesthesia, your pet will receive IV fluid therapy, electronic monitoring of heart rate, ECG, temperature, oxygenation, blood pressure and personal monitoring. All pets receive pain management both during and after surgery (as needed for dental surgery). Post surgery there is always a medical staff member monitoring during recovery.  We always want you to be comfortable with any procedure that is being done and are happy to discuss the procedure and answer any questions you may have both before the surgery is booked and after our patient has been discharged and is back in your care.