Just like you, your dog can get periodontal disease. According to Merck Veterinary Manual, periodontal disease is a progressive disease of the teeth and surrounding gums that can lead to tooth and bone loss. You may have been treated with penicillin while suffering a bad case of periodontal disease—which is also the bacteria-killer of choice for your pooch.
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Basics
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If you’ve ever had problems with your gumline and teeth, this may sound familiar; the disease starts off as inflammation and infection of the tissue around the teeth, known as gingivitis. If the infection goes untreated, your dog can suffer from periodontitis. At this stage, your dog may lose the tissue that supports his teeth and his teeth may eventually fall out, according to MVM.
Incidence
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MVM reports this disease is the No. 1 reason dogs lose their teeth. Other risk factors include the size of the dog—with larger breeds suffering from these tooth and gum problems more often than smaller ones. It also pays to feed your dog a healthy diet of quality dry food, as MVM reports the chewing action required to eat such hard food has the added benefit of cleaning your pup’s teeth.
Penicillin
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MVM reports that teeth can be salvaged—up until the point where 75 percent of the supporting bone has deteriorated. Treatment of the infection comes from a form of antibiotic containing a semisynthetic penicillin or amoxicillin, marketed under the brand name Clavamox, according to medicine directory Drugs.com. These tablets are used to treat skin and soft tissue infection, including but not limited to infected teeth and gums.
Dosage
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Pfizer Animal Health, the maker of Clavamox, recommends administering 6.25 mg per pound of body weight two times each day. Drugs.com also reports that a typical course of treatment runs no longer than a week, and the drug should not be administered for more than a month.
Side Effects
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Pfizer reports penicillin has been helpful treating periodontal disease in dogs, namely because it is distributed effectively into the majority of the body’s tissues.
Even so, as with penicillin in humans, there are side effects. According to Pfizer, an allergic reaction can occur. When a reaction occurs, it usually happens quickly and is often accompanied by swelling, breathing and gastrointestinal problems. These problems should be quickly treated by your vet with steroids.
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