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It’s Dental Time

Glenn Polyn//February 10, 2017//

It’s Dental Time

Glenn Polyn //February 10, 2017//

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Oral health is a major part of an animal’s overall health. While February is National Pet Dental Health Month, it’s vital for pet owners to know they should practice a regular dental care routine at home. Yearly vet exams of a pet’s teeth and gums are also recommended.

To address the significance of oral health care for pets, Pet Age has dedicated the theme of this month’s issue to dental care. One of our new contributors is Jennifer Higgins, a veterinary technician who has worked at several zoos and aquariums as an animal care and training professional with a background in exotics and domestics. Through our emails and phone calls, she’s educated me on oral health for dogs, cats, small animals and even birds.

Warning signs of a possible pet dental issue include difficulty eating or a decrease in appetite, she noted. Also, a pet’s bad breath might signify a serious health risk, with the potential to damage not only the pet’s teeth and gums but its internal organs as well.

With February being the shortest month of the year, March will be here before we know it. Pet Age is excited to be attending two top trade shows that month: Global Pet Expo and the Atlanta Pet Fair & Conference.

Trade Show Executive continues to name Global Pet Expo one of the “Fastest 50,” an award for the fastest-growing shows by total attendance, net square feet of exhibit space and number of exhibiting companies, and the magazine even dubbed Global the “Greatest Show on Earth” in 2015.

A favorite of master groomers, Atlanta Pet Fair & Conference offers competitions, new products and expert-led demos and seminars for grooming and pet service professionals. Grooming is dear to Pet Age, and we’ve devoted this month’s “Focus On” to grooming products (p. 28). We also have APPA President and CEO Bob Vetere delivering a piece on how good things happen if a team works together (p. 13) and Erik J. Martin exploring why it’s a great time for retailers to carry geckos (p. 63). In short, if your business caters to critters with fur, feathers, fins or scales, Pet Age has it all covered in this and every issue. Enjoy!

Glenn A. Polyn

Editor

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