RIP Cara

Two months ago, Cara was delivered to the Summeridge Animal Clinic, your Thornhill Vet.  She had been found on the sidewalk on Thornhill Woods Road by a kindly Samaritan.  Efforts were made to contact her previous family proved futile.  The conclusion was that she had been abandoned despite the fact that she had a twinkle in her eye, walked like Charlie Chaplin’s tramp and loved to be shnuggled.  Cara wormed her way into everyone’s heart whoever she met.  Everyone at the Summeridge Animal Clinic, your Thornhill Vet, adored her and she became a permanent member of our “staff”.  Her position was simply clinic cat and her job description included just being cute and cuddly. 

Unfortunately, Cara suffered from a number of ailments chief among them was advanced kidney disease, which left her tired, nauseous and sometimes grumpy.  A course of treatment at first seemed to be helping but her condition soon worsened to the point where she was unable to function properly.  She wouldn’t eat and spent most of her time in front of her water bowl or in her bed too weak to move.  She passed away a few days ago and we have all been devastated. 

We at the Summeridge Animal Clinic, your Thornhill Vet, will always remember the little cream coloured darling who was so happy to see us that she started voicing her happiness in seeing us as soon as we entered the hospital.  She demanded that we start our day with doing her rounds before any other clinic work.   She enjoyed a number of different activities:  sitting on the printer in the doctor’s office, lying in her oversize brown bed, having her eyes cleaned every morning, walking around and exploring the various corners of the hospital and watching the various activities involving other patients.  Her favourite activity, however, was lying on someone’s lap and having them brush her coat.  Her tail would fly up with every stroke of the brush.  Despite her condition, she had a zest for life and an exploring spirit that we all adored.

Farewell my sweet Cara.  You will be greatly missed.

Clients often ask me if dental cleanings performed by groomers or provided by pet stores are equivalent to dentistries performed under anesthesia.  Often these services are provided by individuals with little or no training in this area.  However, even when performed by sufficiently trained personnel, the results are not the same as when performed under anesthetic.  The reasons are simple.  Teeth cleaning by groomers and other staff are merely cosmetic procedures that only deal with what is visible to the naked eye.  These procedures give pet owners a false sense of security because most of the real damage is being done by forces that can not be seen by a cursory view of the pet’s mouth. 

Generally, humans tend to co-operate with their dentist or dental hygienist when they go in for dental cleanings.  Our pets are much less co-operative.  Removing tartar on the visible surfaces of the tooth has little effect.  It is necessary to probe thoroughly around the teeth and gums in order to see what is really going on in a pet’s mouth.  This can only be done under anesthesia.  It is also necessary to take full-mouth radiographs to determine what is happening below the gum line.  Without radiographs, it is impossible to find out if the pet has bone loss due to disease. 

During dentistry procedures, it is possible to identify additional problems such as crowding of the upper premolars, gum recession, exposed roots, broken or abscessed teeth, or oral tumours.  Some of these conditions can cause significant pain to the animal and can remain undetected for years.

Anesthetic dental treatments are advisable because of the nature of the dental procedure.  Dental tartar firmly adheres to the surface of the tooth and to remove it requires the use of noisy machines and sharp instruments.  Any head movement during the procedure can result in injuries to either the patient or the practitioner.  The most important part of the procedure involves scaling the area between the gum and the root of the tooth.  Using an anesthetic ensures that the patient does not feel any pain or discomfort during the procedure.  Besides, a complete oral exam is not possible on an unanesthetized patient because the surfaces of the teeth facing the tongue can not be examined and therefore the diseased and uncomfortable areas might be missed by the examination.

Dental

Cara was discovered by a neighbour to Summeridge Animal Clinic, your Thornhill Vet  sitting on the sidewalk in front of a house in her neighbourhood.  Nobody could recall seeing her before.  She is a very striking cat:  folded ears, white colouring with gold markings (she’s a flamepoint Scottish Fold) and walks like Charlie Chaplin (front paws point outwards rather than straight ahead).  After determining that she did not belong to anyone in the neighbourhood, she was brought to Summeridge Animal Clinic, your Thornhill Vet to discover if she was carrying a microchip or any other determining factors to discover where she belonged.  All enquiries turned up negative.

We agreed to give her a temporary home here at the clinic until such time as she was claimed.  No one even enquired concerning her whereabouts despite notices being posted in the neighbourhood and announcements being made by schools in the area.  She was transferred to Vaughan Animal Services.  After two weeks and no one showing any interest in her, Cara was transferred back to our clinic.

Since joining our little family here at your Summeridge Animal Clinic, your Thornhill Vet, Cara (as she was named by one of our staff members because of her resemblance to caramilk), Cara has settled right into her new life as a clinic cat.  She has reserved her favourite spots, discovered where the food is kept and laid claim to anything that takes her fancy.  She is especially partial to lying on the printer covers (while they are still sitting on the printers) and sitting on Dr. Bouchard’s lap in her office. 

Cara is always interested in meeting new people who she can charm them with her sweet, pleasant personality.  So please feel free to drop by and ask about her.