Miss Maggie Goes to the Dentist

Hi! I’maggiem Maggie. I must tell you about my day at the dentist (veterinary, that is).

A few weeks ago, my mom (she’s the veterinarian) forgot to feed me one morning. I tried to tell her I was hungry, but she just ignored me. I did everything to remind her by licking my bowl and dropping my squeaky in it, but still no food. After her breakfast, mom left for work. Then dad came in the kitchen and I tried again, but he said he couldn’t feed me because mom said no food for Maggie this morning. Sigh, oh well, I played all morning and then dad took me for a car ride. Dad told me that we were going to see mom and I was so happy because the nice ladies that work with mom feed me treats all the time.

After dad and I arrived at the hospital and we said “hello” to everyone, it got weird. The nice ladies put me on the table like usual, but then mom put something in my leg and I got real tired. I had these weird dreams and when I woke up, my mouth felt funny. I overheard my mom explaining to dad that the canine baby teeth came out ok. It seems that two of my teeth did not fall out like they should have – I thought that was fine – the better to bite my squeaky toy! It turns out that this could have been a serious problem. Leaving the baby teeth in might have caused my big fang teeth (canines) to get infected. Just like a human toothache, the bad teeth would hurt and smell bad too. That is why she likes to remove baby teeth that are not falling out on their own before they start to cause problems.

Dad came to pick me up and by the evening I felt fine. The stuff they put in my leg went away quickly. Pretty soon, I was playing with my favorite squeaky while waiting for mom to come home and say I can eat!

Mommy hates doggy breath! She is always brushing my teeth – it’s annoying, but doesn’t hurt. When pets come to visit the hospital, the technicians can demonstrate the proper way to brush the teeth of dogs and cats. This is important especially because using human toothpaste is dangerous and pets need a special toothpaste formula made just for them.

Since February is Pet Dental Health Month, the Miller Place Animal Hospital is offering a 15% discount on dental services for the months of February, March and April. Mom (Dr. Galvis) wants to make sure that her wonderful patients have clean teeth, sweet smelling breath, and no toothaches.