12/14 Furball AMPS=278 +2.5=200 +4.5=174 +10.25=265 PMPS=220

Dentistry and Antibiotics:

Antibiotics are rarely needed for dental issues and this is an area where antibiotics, including Convenia, are very often overused. Dr. Frasier Hale is a board-certified veterinary dental specialist and has written a paper for his website entitled Antibiotic Use in Veterinary Dentistry.

Here is a quote from that paper: "In general, antibiotics are vastly over-used in veterinary dentistry, often to the detriment of the patient."

I share Dr. Hale's frustration but want to take it one step further as it pertains to Convenia. IF it has been determined that a patient fits into the fairly rare dental category of patients that need antibiotics, Convenia is not an appropriate first-choice antibiotic for any dental issue since its spectrum of antibacterial activity is not targeted toward the bacterial species that normally live in the oral cavity.

Antibiotics vary significantly in their ability to kill various species of bacteria so it is important to match the correct antibiotic with the target infection.

When it comes to dental care, the most important issue is to remove the bacteria by cleaning the teeth (under general anesthesia - not by using anesthesia-free services) and addressing any infected tooth, usually by removing it. The answer is not to use antibiotics in an attempt to kill the bacteria which is often unsuccessful and even if it is successful, it will only be temporary as outlined in Dr. Fraser's paper.

Using an infected splinter of wood stuck in your finger as an analogy - you would not consider pouring antibiotics over your finger, right? Your answer would be to get the splinter out of your finger. In this analogy, the tartar on your cat's teeth, or an infected tooth, is the splinter.

Click to expand...