Dogs and Cats at Best Friends Animal Society’s Sanctuary get New Smiles for 2017
Kanab, Utah (PRWEB) February 06, 2017 -- Rescued dogs and cats who come to the nation’s largest companion animal sanctuary for a second chance at a happy life often show up with serious dental issues. With the help some of the leading skilled veterinarians in animal dentistry, several of these animals arecently had their health and adoptability improved.
A group of veterinarians led by board-certified veterinary dental specialist Dr. Brook A. Niemiec, DVM of Veterinary Dental Specialties & Oral Surgery extracted 569 teeth, performed 3 root canals, along with various other dental procedures on the 38 animals they treated.
Dr. Susan Konecny, Best Friends Animal Society’s medical director said:
"This is the third time Dr. Brook Niemiec and his intrepid team of dental experts have generously donated their time to helping the dogs and cats at the Sanctuary run by Best Friends Animal Society. There is no way to exaggerate how important this dental care is both for the animals and the medical team at Best Friends. So many of our animals come in with extreme dental issues and it directly impacts their overall health and mental attitude. When Dr. Brook and his team lend their talents and their hearts this way, we can get many dental procedures done in a very short time -- it frees up our medical team to attend to other medical issues for the animals at the sanctuary, and it is a huge boost in getting our sanctuary dogs and cats ready for adoption." Konecny said.
“To me, one of the most exciting recent veterinary medical developments is that untreated dental disease is now truly considered an animal welfare issue,” Niemiec said. “Untreated dental disease negatively affects quality of life. So we look forward to our visits to Best Friends where we can help rescued dogs and cats.”
Dr. Niemiec is Chair of the World Small Animal Veterinary Medical Association (WSAVA) Dental Standardization Project. He and his committee members from North and South America, Australia/Oceania, Europe, and Africa are creating international guidelines to promote veterinary dentistry worldwide. The guidelines will be released later in 2017 and importantly, take into account the different socio-economic realities worldwide so that the standards are obtainable goals. The WSAVA is comprised of more than 100 veterinary associations worldwide.
In addition to helping the dogs and cats at Best Friends’ sanctuary, as well as local shelter animals in southern California, Veterinary Dental Specialties & Oral Surgery has started a “Pet’s Tooth Fairy Fund”® to help pets whose owners cannot afford advanced dental treatment. For more information, please contact Info(at)scvds(dot)com.
The team who helped at Best Friends Animal Society’s sanctuary were:
Veterinarians
Brook A. Niemiec, DVM , DAVDC, DEVDC, FAVD
Southern California Veterinary Dental Specialties & Oral Surgery
Erin P. Ribka, DVM
Gulf South Veterinary Dentistry & Oral Surgery
Shelley Renee-Taylor Thilenius, DVM, MS
Southern California Veterinary Dental Specialties & Oral Surgery
Jen Mathis, DVM
Animal Dentistry Referral Services
Katie Rumsey , DVM
Family Pet Veterinary Center
Katie Kangas, DVM, CVA, CVCP
Assistants
Erin Cox Amanda Allsup (RVT), and Rodney Hotchkin
Family Pet Veterinary Center
About Best Friends Animal Society®
Best Friends Animal Society is the only national animal welfare organization dedicated exclusively to ending the killing of dogs and cats in America's shelters. A leader in the no-kill movement, Best Friends runs the nation's largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals, adoption centers and spay and neuter facilities in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City as well as lifesaving programs in Atlanta and New York City along with partnership with more than 1,600 rescue groups and shelters across the country. Since its founding in 1984, Best Friends has helped reduce the number of animals killed in American shelters from 17 million per year to an estimated 4 million. By continuing to build effective initiatives that reduce the number of animals entering shelters and increase the number who find homes, Best Friends and its nationwide network of members and partners are working to Save Them All®.
To become a fan of Best Friends Animal Society on Facebook go to: http://www.facebook.com/bestfriendsanimalsociety
Follow Best Friends on Twitter: http://twitter.com/bestfriends
Barbara Williamson, Best Friends Animal Society, http://www.bestfriends.org, +1 4356442001 Ext: 4408, [email protected]
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