In the previous blog, I shared my experiences aiding in veterinary dentistry. Unfortunately, many pets end up with multiple extractions due to dental issues. Sometimes dental disease can lie undetected, however, when stages of the disease are advanced they can exhibit the following symptoms. Weight loss, poor appetite, poor hair coat, drooling, pawing at the mouth, and foul odor from the mouth. Cats, in particular, will hide or sit with their ears pinned back constantly, this is a major sign of pain in a cat. It is a great idea to start a dental care routine when pets are young so that their mouths are monitored on a continual basis, not just at a yearly exam. Smaller dogs tend to get more dental infections due to how small the oral cavity can be, dogs also can encounter “slab fractures” that can expose the pulp cavity which exposes the sensitive part of the tooth related to pain, this I have found upon performing routine cleaning. It is amazing what we could find once the pet was under anesthesia. Cats can develop issues in the mouth as well such as feline stomatitis and feline oral neck lesions. The extraction procedure, especially if there are multiple extractions can be lengthy depending on the degree of disease associated with each tooth. If you suspect that your pet is having any type of dental issue seek veterinary attention as soon as possible. In the next blog, I will discuss in detail some of the common issues seen with cats and dogs.