THE RIDER EXTRA AUGUST 2010 / 11 Proper Dental Care for Pets


tal health for our pets,” said Dodd. Overall dental health can be an indicator of current or future health challenges for humans and pets.


An ounce of prevention may be worth a pound of cure, but when it comes to your pet’s health, practicing good dental hygiene may make a significant difference.


Dodd, a board certified veterinary dentist at Texas A&M Universi- ty’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sci- ences.


In fact, an animal’s teeth may be more important to its overall health than most pet own- ers realize, says Dr. J.R. “Bert”


“Human dentists have done a really good job of educating people on practicing good preven- tive dental health, but often we don’t think about preventive den-


McAllister Eats Up the Competition in $25,000 Full Meal Deal Grand Prix


Calgary, Alberta – Calgary’s Bre- anne McAllister topped a field of 87 starters, including her older brother Tye, who finished second, to win the $25,000 Full Meal Deal Grand Prix held July 18 dur- ing the Mid Summer Classic III produced by Rocky Mountain Show Jumping at Anderson Ranch in Calgary, AB.


Run in a unique format, the $25,000 Full Meal Deal Grand Prix, conceptualized by Subway restaurants, sees competitors jumping the exact same course set at four different heights. All competitors, regardless of height, had the same time allowed of 74 seconds to complete the course designed by Eric Hasbrouck. First, all the entries in the popular 1.10m division jumped, produc- ing five clear rounds out of 36 entries. Then the fence heights were raised to 1.15m, with four clears emerging out of 14 entries. At 1.20m, four of the 25 entries enjoyed clear rounds. Finally, 12 entries contested the course with the fence heights set at 1.30m with two riders producing clear rounds.


“Everyone enters on the honour system, entering at the respective heights that they have recently been competing at,” explained John Anderson, Presi- dent of Rocky Mountain Show Jumping. “I could put my grand prix horse Terrific in the 1.10m division, but that would not be entering on the honour system. I could not beat those young kids anyway!”


For the jump-off, the competition worked its way back down. The 1.30m jump-off contenders went first, followed by the 1.20m, the 1.15m and, finally, the 1.10m. In the end, it was 16-year-old Bre- anne McAllister who jumped the 1.15m jump-off course clear in a time of 31.33 seconds to beat her 19-year-old brother, Tye McAllis- ter, who contested the 1.20m jump-off course, stopping the clock in 32.77 riding Mon Plea- sure. Both Breanne and Tye McAllister train with 1986 World Champion Gail Greenough. Anderson’s concept is one


that sees the junior and amateurs competing on equal footing with the professionals. In fact, grand prix winner McAllister purchased her horse, Santos, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, from Tamie Phillips, who was also competing in the $25,000 Full Meal Deal Grand Prix with her well-known grand prix mount, Lucas. Offering 1.10m horses and riders a chance to compete in a $25,000 grand prix also gives juniors and amateurs a rare shot at winning the first place prize money of $7,500.


“I really wanted to do some- thing that concentrated on the next generation and encouraged the future of our sport,” said Anderson, who represented Cana- da at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 1986 World Champi- onships. “How many 1.10m rid- ers ever get a chance to compete for first place prize money of $7,500? They just don’t get that opportunity. It also teaches them what it feels like to compete under the pressures of jumping for big coin. The 1.15m and 1.10m competitors jump off last, which are usually the youngest kids; you should see them with the whole afternoon to stew and feel the pressure!”


McAllister, 16, had no prob- lem handling the pressure to stake her claim to the $7,500 winner’s cheque. In the event’s three-year history, the winner emerged from the 1.20m division in 2008 and 2009, making McAllister the first 1.15m rider to win.


“The whole feel of this tourna- ment is great sport, good fun, and youth development,” said Ander- son. “All three are lacking in this sport, and we need to get back to that. This grand prix was a per- fect example of combining good fun with great sport, and educat- ing our youth at the same time.” The $25,000 Full Meal Deal Grand Prix wrapped up three weeks of competition comprising the Mid Summer Classic show series. In August, Rocky Moun-


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advanced such that we are now bet- ter able to treat these diseases and our animals are living longer, healthier lives.”


“As goes the mouth, so goes the health. So, taking care of your pet’s mouth and keeping it nice and healthy, should help the animal live longer,” said Dodd. Preventive den- tal care includes regularly brushing your pet’s teeth and getting an oral evaluation and dental cleaning at least annually by your veterinarian.


Some pet owners may ques- tion the importance of dental health maintenance for pets based on their own experience with childhood pets, but veterinary medicine has come a long way over the past 20 years.


“It used to be that most of our pets died at younger ages, so peri- odontal disease did not have a chance to impact their health and cause damage to their kidneys, liv- ers or other vital organs” noted Dodd. “Veterinary medicine has


ease, or they can be symptoms of serious illness in veterinary patients.


Dental therapy for pets includes many of the same proce- dures that help humans maintain healthy teeth, gums and mouths. Available treatments include oral surgery, periodontics, endodontics, restorations, and even orthodontics on animal patients as needed. Some of these procedures may be offered by your family veterinarian or you may be referred to a board certified veterinary dentist.


It is highly important that pet owners become aware of the serious consequences of ignoring their pet’s dental health.


“Periodontal disease is a dis- ease of neglect. If preventative den- tal health is not practiced and peri- odontal therapy, such as root canals and tooth extractions, is ignored, other health complications may fol- low,” said Dodd.


Teeth, gum or mouth prob- lems can cause infections and dis-


“The teeth are 42 little patients in a dog’s mouth, so they need to be well taken care of and treated with respect” added Dodd. More and more pet owners are recognizing the connection between healthy teeth and their animal’s overall wellbeing. When you make a dental appointment for yourself, it might also be a good idea to make a veterinary appointment to have your dog or cat’s teeth cleaned and checked.


ABOUT PET TALK


Pet Talk is a service of the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University. Stories can be viewed on the Web at http://tamunews.tamu.edu/.


Suggestions for future topics may be directed to cvmtoday@cvm.tamu.edu.ex


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