Tender Touch Veterinary Hospital
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  • Home
  • About Us
    • Meet Our Team
    • Services
    • Products
    • Vaccinations
    • Testimonials
    • Employment - Veterinary Technician
  • Client Care Center
    • Pittsburgh Emergency Vets
    • Online Pharmacy
    • Texting & Mobile App
    • Hill's to Home Delivery
    • Request Appointment
    • New Client Registration
    • View Your Pet's Records
    • Senior Pet Questionnaire
  • Connect
    • Blog
    • Pet Memorials
    • Feature Your Pet!
    • Social Media Feed
    • Refer A Friend
  • Links
  • Contact

Laser Therapy Q & A

12/2/2022

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Veterinary medicine has advanced leaps and bounds over the past few decades. Laser therapy is one of the most recent additions, allowing us another method to safely treat a wide range of conditions in dogs and cats.

We use our Companion Therapy Laser every day to enhance healing for surgical patients, decrease pain and inflammation from infections and injuries, and improve mobility for arthritic pets.

Many clients ask about how laser therapy works, and how it affects their pets. Here are answers to our most common questions:


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What is a Dental Prophylaxis, anyway?

1/24/2020

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Your pet's oral health is about more than fresh breath! Advanced dental disease can cause illness elsewhere in the body as bacteria enters the bloodstream through inflamed gums. This can cause infection in the kidneys, liver - even the heart!

Dental disease is also painful. As tartar builds up, the gums become red and irritated. Tartar buildup creeps below the gumline, eventually eating away at the structures that secure the teeth. A loose tooth is a painful tooth!

What is a dental prophylaxis?

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A dental prophylaxis (or dental cleaning) is the only way to thoroughly remove tartar buildup from all of your pet's teeth and allow for a "clean slate" to provide at-home oral care & maintenance (and hopefully prevent the need for future anesthetic procedures)

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For your pet's safety and to ensure a thorough cleaning, this procedure must be performed under general anesthesia. Precautions are taken to optimize safety, such as pre-anesthetic bloodwork, EKG & radiographs of the chest to detect abnormalities that may affect your pet's ability to handle anesthesia. All pets are monitored both manually and with electronic biometric equipment throughout anesthesia.

Once under sedation, we use an ultrasonic cleaner to remove all traces of tartar that has accumulated on the surfaces of the teeth, as well as the calculus that we cannot see below the gumline.


We use a special probing instrument to measure the gingival depth surrounding each tooth. This helps us locate pockets of bone loss that may identify a diseased tooth that otherwise appears healthy to the naked eye.

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In addition to physical measurement, we use dental radiography to locate signs of disease.

Look at tooth #105 in this photo. To view it from the outside, it looks perfectly normal - but the dark shadows around the root in the dental x-ray reveal bone loss all around. This is a diseased tooth that will cause pain and discomfort very soon if not extracted.

We ask for pre-authorization for extractions when you drop your pet off for his procedure. Our goal is to minimize anesthetic time, and don't want to extend it if we're unable to reach you by phone.

Know that we only perform extractions if absolutely necessary (i.e. the tooth is or will soon be causing pain to your pet). The veterinarian will use local anesthetic injections prior to extracting diseased teeth, and post-operative laser therapy is performed afterwards to minimize inflammation and jump-start the healing process.

Can't I just brush my pet's teeth?

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YES, we strongly encourage everyone to include daily toothbrushing in their pet's routine. However, brushing alone is not enough to remove tartar that has already hardened on the teeth. It's as tough as cement, and adheres so strongly to the surface of the tooth that it must be removed manually with an ultrasonic cleaner.

After we've removed all the calculus, we polish your pet's teeth with a fluoride toothpaste (using a prophy cup just like at your dentist). This smooths out any microscopic scratches from the cleaning and provides a clean surface for you to start at-home oral maintenance.

How much does it cost?

Because every case is unique, we will provide a written treatment plan with an estimated range at the time of recommendation. The size of your pet and the severity of dental disease are the primary reasons for variation.

February is National Dental Health Month - check out our special offers here!
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PA Rabies Law: What you NEED to know

10/8/2018

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Rabies: It threatens all mammals, including humans. This deadly virus is most commonly transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal, often via bite or scratch wounds.
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The bad news: Rabies is 100% fatal.
​The good news: Rabies is 100% preventable.
Protecting pets and people is the top priority here, and that's why vaccination is required by PA State Law. Recent amendments to the law may affect you as a pet owner, so we're sharing some key points:

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Guest Post: Welcoming a New Pet into Your Home

9/13/2018

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Photo Courtesy of Unsplash
It’s an exciting moment when you decide to welcome a new pet into your home. In no time, you won’t be able to imagine life without them.

​But before you can bring anyone home, there are several steps you need take first.

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Vaccine Reactions: When to Worry

8/23/2017

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Vaccine reactions are uncommon, but can be very serious, and in some cases, life-threatening. Know what's normal, and when to be concerned about your pet following a vaccination. Of course, if you're ever concerned about your pet's health, we encourage you to call us! Better to be safe than sorry. :)
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Today is "Check the Chip" Day!

8/15/2017

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Is your pet microchipped? Great! This permanent ID has proven time and time again to be an effective backup for lost collars and tags. But it doesn't stop at just having a microchip implanted!

The #1 reason for microchipped pets NOT reuniting with their owners is that the contact information in the database is incomplete or incorrect.

August 15 is "Check the Chip" Day, so take a few minutes to log in and make sure the info linked to your pet's microchip is up-to-date.

Not sure where to go? Visit www.petmicrochiplookup.org and enter your pet's microchip number to find out where the chip is registered. If you're having trouble finding your pet's microchip number, call us - we can help!
Infographic: Microchip Your Pet
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Top 10 People Foods That Vet Professionals Feed Their Pets

8/4/2017

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10 foods vets feed their pets
Remember that what's "just a little bite" for us equals much, much more to our furry friends.

If treats have gotten out of hand in your house and you're worried about your pet's weight, call us!

Our veterinary technicians are trained to take Morphometric Measurements of your dog or cat to accurately determine your pet's ideal body weight based on his or her skeletal structure.

The veterinarian will determine your pet's current body condition score (BCS) and calculate the recommended daily caloric intake to help adjust your cat or dog's diet to get on track to a healthy weight!
Yes, of course we discourage feeding your pet from the table. Extra calories can contribute to obesity (a nationwide study of American pets revealed that 1 in 3 dogs and cats are overweight in the U.S.). Some foods safe for humans are actually toxic to pets, and fatty-rich foods can cause serious problems, like pancreatitis.

That being said, Vetstreet.com surveyed 198 veterinarians, vet techs, and veterinary office managers, and revealed that many veterinary professionals "bend the rules" and feed our pets just a little people food now and again.

It turns out that more than 3 out of 5 of us let our own dogs and cats sample carrots, chicken, cheese, and peanut butter. Around half share beef, eggs, popcorn, and sweet potatoes with our pets.

All of the foods on this list are fine to feed in moderation, but should not be a daily occurrence to avoid excess calories and an unbalanced diet. Consider the food comparison chart below, made by our friends at Hill's Pet Nutrition:
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7 Reasons to Bring your Senior Cat to the Vet

7/31/2017

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Top Senior Cat Diseases
Senior cats have a sort of wisdom about them, don't they? Every "slow-blink" kiss tells you they appreciate all the years of love and affection from you, and it makes your heart swell.

Like people, as cats age, physical problems often begin. Read on to learn about the most common diseases in senior cats, and what you can do to catch illness early.

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Summer Vacation: A guide to pet sitting, boarding, & traveling with your pets

6/6/2017

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Summer vacation is here! Time for festivals, BBQs, and - of course - family trips.
As a pet owner, booking your airline tickets and hotel room are only part of the preparation.  Who will care for your pets while you're gone?

There are a few options:​
  • Ask a trusted friend or family member to care for your pet(s)
  • Hire a pet sitter
  • Book a stay for your pets at a boarding kennel/pet resort
  • Take your pet with you!
Everyone's situation is a little different, so let's look at what each has to offer:

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Why is checking your pet's stool sample so important?

3/29/2017

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You've probably had this conversation:
- "Hi, Mrs. Johnson. This is Stephanie from Tender Touch Veterinary Hospital calling to remind you about Sunshine's appointment with Dr. Brill tomorrow at 4:00 p.m."
- "Great! I'll be there."
- "We're looking forward to seeing you again! Remember to bring a fresh stool sample with you; within 24 hours is considered fresh, so long as it hasn't been frozen or left out in the sun."

We know, it's icky. But it really is important! Here's why:

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151 Wexford-Bayne Rd Wexford, PA 15090
​© Tender Touch Veterinary Hospital 2023
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