Cat with toothbrush - Febrary is Dental Month Cat with toothbrush - Febrary is Dental Month

"We want to be your pet’s best friend
   and your OTHER family doctor"

1415 32nd Ave. S.
Fargo, ND 58103
Phone: (701) 298-9455
Toll free: 1-866-322-4444
Fax: (701) 298-9970
E-mail: yourpetsvet@sgvet.com


February is Dental Month

Dental disease is one of the most diagnosed conditions in both dogs and cats. February is dental month and Southgate Veterinary Hospital is committed to your pet’s oral health, not only this month, but all year round. Here is a list of tips to keep your pet’s mouth healthy.

  1. Visit your veterinarian at least once a year to have a full physical exam which includes an awake oral exam. Based on the degree of dental disease, your pet may need a full dental cleaning. If you visit Southgate Veterinary Hospital during the month of February, and the veterinarian recommends a dental cleaning, you will receive a coupon for $25 off the procedure.
  2. Brush your pet’s teeth on a daily basis. Make sure to use only pet specific toothpaste. Once you have desensitized you pet to brushing, many animals look forward to this time with their owner.
  3. Never let your pet chew on hard bones or toys. Dogs can be aggressive chewers and it is not uncommon for them to break teeth.
  4. Use only VOHC (Veterinary Oral Health Counsil) approved dental treats or water additives. Visit their website (www.vohc.org) and see which products have actually been proven to decrease tartar and gingivitis.
  5. There are many websites claiming the benefits of “anesthesia free dentistry”. Southgate Veterinary Hospital, along with the American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC), do not support anesthesia free dentistry for many reasons. Please visit http://avdc.org/Dental_Scaling_Without_Anesthesia.pdf for the position statement from the AVDC.

Losing a pet may be easier than you realize

  1. Your pet digs under a fence or bolts through an invisible fence and escapes
  2. Thunderstorms or fireworks cause your pet to panic and flee
  3. While traveling, your pet wanders away into unfamiliar territory
  4. A handyman accidentally lets your pet out
  5. Someone steals your pet while unattended
  6. You leave town or an emergency happens and your pet gets lost in the turmoil

Read the story of Tazz the Cat and how he was lost, then found:

This is what happened to Tazz. While Tazz’s owners were out of town, Tazz escaped their home. Tazz was found lost and wondering the city of Fargo when a pedestrian saw him. The person who found Tazz states “He was declawed and looks well taken care of, so he must be someone’s”. This person stopped by different veterinary hospitals and even made flyers to hang up trying to find the owner of this beautiful white cat.

The story of Tazz the catThe story of Tazz the cat

It wasn’t until this person stopped by Southgate Veterinary Hospital when the idea of the cat possibly being micro-chipped occurred. The person brought the cat into the hospital to be scanned. Once this lost cat was scanned, sure enough he had been micro-chipped and we were able to contact the owners. Tazz was lost for a week, but through the identification process of being micro-chipped, he was able to be placed back with his owners.

Tazz the cat

Benefits of micro-chipping:

  1. More reliable than a collar with tags as there is no chance it will fall off
  2. Permanent ID that links your pet to you.

How it works:

  1. The microchip is inserted with a simple injection. The HomeAgain microchip is designed to make sure it does not move under the skin.
  2. We will submit your enrollment information for you, and you must make sure your contact information is kept up to date.
  3. If your pet is lost and taken to an animal shelter, clinic, or pound, the staff will scan the microchip to read its unique ID code.
  4. The staff will then call the appropriate registry with your pet's identified ID code.
  5. As soon as your contact information is retrieved, you will be contacted and arrangements will be made to reunite you with your pet.

We are AAHA Accredited

Southgate Veterinary Hospital has been proudly serving the Fargo-Moorhead area since 1994.  We are a progressive small animal hospital, located in the southern part of Fargo, North Dakota.

We are proud to be a member of AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association).  AAHA is a voluntary organization that we belong to.  There are 3 AAHA hospitals in the F-M area and only 5 in the state of ND. To be an accredited AAHA hospital, you have to demonstrate an exceptional level of care and service.  We are inspected by an AAHA representative every three years, covering over 800 standards.

AAHA

We believe that by being a part of AAHA, it helps us to offer you and your pet the highest level of care.

The mission of Southgate Veterinary Hospital is to provide progressive care for your treasured friends. If we feel your pet would benefit from seeing a veterinary specialist, we do referrals to a variety of veterinary specialists.

Thank you for “visiting” us on the web, we look forward to your visit at Southgate Veterinary Hospital.


Our Mission Statement

AAHA Accredited

The mission of Southgate Veterinary Hospital is to fulfill the needs of our clients by providing high quality health services through a responsive, professional staff with the emphasis on individual attention and commitment to community service.

© 2011, Southgate Veterinary Hospital, All Rights Reserved.