Missoula Veterinary Dentistry & Oral Surgery

02/20/2025

Happy National Love your Pet Day! Showing your pet love goes beyond snuggles and playtime. Ensuring they are happy and healthy means one less thing to worry about and more time to spend together.

"Animals are such agreeable friends-they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms"-George Eliot

02/17/2025

Fruits can be a tempting and nutritious treat for your canine companion, but how does it impact their oral health? Do doggy dentists recommend fruit as a healthy treat? Discover the good and bad of fruit and your dog's teeth by going to our website and checking out our blog post from October 25th, 2024.

02/15/2025

02/14/2025

Here are 6 tips for a safe Valentine's Day for you and your pets!
🍫Lots of people like to give boxes of chocolates for Valentine's Day but keep it out of reach of your pets.Chocolate contains Theobromine which is toxic and can cause vomiting, diarrhea, seizures and even death if ingested by your pets.
🌷Flowers are a great Valentine's gift but if the recipient has pets make sure to check out which flowers are toxic to pets so you make sure not to include them in the bouquet. Flowers like Lilies are especially toxic to cats and even ingesting the pollen or water the flowers are in can cause fatal kidney failure in as little as 3 days.
🍬 Candy isn't good for our pets and candy containing an artificial sweetener called Xylitol is toxic to pets, especially dogs. When in doubt, keep it away from their snout.
🥂Even small amounts of alcohol can make our pets sick. Make sure to not leave any open glasses or bottles unattended.
🕯Never leave lit candles unattended. Curious pets can get too close and singe their ears/tail or accidentally knock them over and risk starting a fire.
🎈Decorations like balloons, ribbons and string can be dangerous if ingested by your pet. Try to dispose of your decor before your pet decides a foreign body surgery is what they want for Valentine's Day.

02/13/2025

As both predators and prey, cats have evolved to be good at hiding signs of illness and pain. As caregivers to these amazing creatures, it's up to us to notice the subtle signs of pain and discomfort in our feline friends. Understanding these signs and knowing when to seek care from a Board-Certified Veterinary Dentist can significantly impact your cat's quality of life. To learn more about common signs of oral pain in cats, visit our website and check out our blog post form January 10th, 2025. If you think your cat is experiencing oral pain, give us a call to schedule an appointment with one of our Board Certified Veterinary Dentists.

02/11/2025

Responsible Pet Owners month is the perfect time to reflect on how to best provide for your pet, and to promote responsible pet ownership for others.
Responsible pet owners: ensure their pet has a microchip/collar with tag and accurate contact information, spay/neuter their pet, pet proof their pets home environment, provide veterinary care as needed (including staying up to date on vaccines), train and socialize their pets, never leave pets outside without proper shelter, food and water, regularly groom or bathe their pet (including the dreaded nail trim), make sure their pet is leashed when off their property and don't allow them to roam, clean up after their pets in public areas, never leave an unattended pet alone in a parked vehicle and provide enrichment and interact with their pets daily.

02/08/2025

National Cat Health Month is the perfect time for cat caregivers to make sure their felines are feeling fine. Here are some steps you can take to help ensure your cat is healthy and happy.
Schedule a yearly wellness exam, keep vaccinations up to date (especially important for our friends who roam the outdoors), spay or neuter your cat (if you haven't already), pay attention to your cats oral health (bad breath isn't normal), maintain a healthy weight, feed a high quality diet, monitor litterbox habits and note any changes, maintain a regular grooming schedule, and make time to play and interact with your cat (it's good for both of you). If you suspect your cat is having oral health issues give us a call to schedule a consultation with one of our Board Certifed Veterinary Dentists.

02/06/2025

Pepper came to see Dr. Felz for evaluation of a broken tooth and COHAT (Complete Oral Health Assessment and Treatment). While under anesthesia Dr. Felz found she had a complicated (pulp exposure) crown-root fracture of her upper right 4th premolar. This definitely explained why sweet Pepper had been feeling lethargic, and didn't want to eat. Dr. Felz extracted this painful tooth and Pepper left with a pep in her step and a brighter, more comfortable smile.

02/05/2025

February is National Pet Dental Health Month but any Board Certified Veterinary Dentist would argue that we should be paying attention to our pets dental health daily. According to the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) 80% of dogs and 70% of cats show some degree of periodontal disease by the age of 3. If your pet is experiencing bad breath, broken or loose teeth, extra teeth or retained baby teeth, teeth that are discolored or covered in tarter, abnormal chewing, drooling or dropping food, reduced appetite or refusal to eat, pain or bleeding from the mouth or swelling around the mouth give us a call to schedule a consultation with one of our Board Certified Veterinary Dentists-no referral necessary.

02/03/2025

We love our Golden Retrievers! According to the American Kennel Club Golden Retrievers are consistently in the top 5 most popular dog breeds around the world, and it's no secret why. Golden Retrievers are serious workers when it comes to hunting and field work, as guide dogs, therapy dogs, search and rescue and obedience work. Their love of water is only overshadowed by their love of food and if a golden has found their way into your life no one will love you as much as they will. Loyal and dependable this breed can go from searching for survivors after a disaster to chilling at home on the couch next to their favorite person. Their playful and affectionate personality is part of their universal appeal. If you have a Golden Retriever at home give them a hug for us.

01/23/2025

This little Dumpling was referred to Dr. Block for a COHAT (Complete Oral Health Assessment and Treatment). Dr. Block also extracted 4 teeth due to advanced periodontitis (stage 4 periodontal disease). Dumpling was a perfect patient and we are so pleased to be part of her health care team.

01/17/2025

With the extreme cold weather heading our way, it's important to know how cold is too cold for outdoor activities with our canine friends. Just because it's too cold for a walk it doesn't mean you can't have fun with your dog or cat. Check out our blog post on our website from January 3rd for some great ideas to keep your dog and cat entertained when it's too cold to be outside. Keep in mind cats and dogs can get frostbite and hypothermia if they're exposed to temperatures of 32*F or less for extended periods of time.

01/16/2025

Tipper was referred to Dr. Block for imaging to determine what was causing swelling on the right side of her face. With the help of Elliot (our Cone Beam CT) Dr. Block was able to see retained tooth material from a previous extraction attempt of the right maxillary canine tooth. Dr. Block was able to surgically debride the infected bone and soft tissue associated with the retained tooth material. The infection had broken through the bone, both into the oral cavity as well as the nasal cavity. While she was here, we also did a COHAT (Complete Oral Health Assessment and Treatment), and sweet Tipper left with a brighter, more comfortable smile. Tipper is a perfect example of why post-extraction x-rays are so important and why we do them with every procedure.

01/09/2025

Sweet Vinnie was referred to Dr. Block for a COHAT (Complete Oral Health Assessment and Treatment) and a fractured upper fourth premolar. Dr. Block extracted his fractured premolar, identified 3 additional teeth that required extraction due to severe periodontal disease (stage 4), and extracted an incisor that was causing some issues with its neighbors due to crowding Vinnie's teeth were then hand scaled, ultrasonically scaled, polished, and charted. Vinnie was a perfect patient and won the entire staff over with his charming personality.

01/06/2025

Deacon came in today for his coronation! This sweet boy had root canal therapy performed on his lower canine tooth in August. His caregiver decided to protect her investment with a crown, not just any crown though. This super sweet boy needed an extra special crown. Deacon had his Blurple crown (made by ) cemented on today!

01/02/2025

Keep you and your pet safe while traveling with these helpful tips:
🚗Prepare your pet for a road trip. If they aren't used to being in the vehicle, taking them out for a few short car rides while gradually lengthening the time spent in the vehicle can help them get used to traveling.
🐈Make sure you have copies of Rabies certificates and any medical records you may need in case of emergency.
🐶Keep your pet confined in a well-ventilated crate or buckle them up in a crash tested pet safety belt. Secure your pets crate so it doesn't move in case of an abrupt stop.
🐩Don't let your pet ride with their head out the window.
🐈‍⬛Pack a pet-friendly travel kit. Bring bowls, leash, waste bags, grooming supplies, medications, a pet first aid kit, and a list of Emergency Veterinary Hospitals along the route you're taking. A favorite toy and blanket that smells like home can help ease any homesickness.
🫗Pack plenty of water from home or opt for water bottled water. Drinking water from an unfamiliar area can cause stomach discomfort.
📿Make sure microchip and tag information is current and be sure your pet is wearing their collar.
🐾Never leave your pet alone in a parked vehicle in the summer or winter. In warm weather a car can become a furnace and in cold weather it can become a refrigerator.

12/26/2024

Otter was referred to Dr. Block for a fractured and infected upper right deciduous third premolar tooth. Otter's CB-CT showed all other dentition and structures appeared normal for his age and stage of development while the 3-D reconstruction showed a healing, right maxillary non-displaced fracture on the buccal bone surface. Otter was a perfect patient for his procedure and was back to his normal puppy self by the next day. We are so pleased we were able to help this sweet boy have a more comfortable smile.