Open Worldwide
By Colin Tennant

I first met Peter in the early eighties. I was amazed by his zeal for ethical and precise treatment of animals. One of my white GSD’s had a broken canine and Peter had just begun pioneering repair techniques in dogs. Peter root filled the infected tooth and restored it with a gold crown. The next day Gist was back at work and his new tooth even made the national press when his photo was published in The Mirror with the headline: Fangs a lot, Peter! That was the start of a long and fascinating friendship.

That was back in 1983. Since then Peter has developed a highly philosophical approach in the dental treatment of animals and strongly believes that such restorative procedures must be considered an exceptional case, and the primary aim in the

dental treatment of non humans must be the restoration of health, not function or aesthetics.

Peter is a very dynamic man. He has a busy dental surgery (for humans) in the West End of London and he is a dental consultant to many zoos and animal organisations throughout the world, including London Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo. Since he became involved in the dental treatment of animals in the early eighties, he has become a world authority on the subject and he regularly lectures throughout the world on all aspects of veterinary dentistry. His book, A Colour Atlas of Veterinary Dentistry and Oral Surgery, was published, and it is the definitive work on the subject throughout the world.

Police Dogs Need Teeth

Peter has performed surgery on many pet dogs and working dogs. One of his patients was Ben, a Police dog, who had suddenly stopped working; he was reluctant to pick items up in his mouth and during training he wouldn't take hold of the padded arm. Peter examined Ben and found a small, black spot on one of his teeth; this indicated to Peter that the pulp had become exposed. As the pulp can't heal itself, action had to be taken. Peter cleaned the tooth's root canal out thoroughly and then filled it completely so no bacteria could breed there. After he'd recovered from the anesthetic Ben showed an immediate improvement. Within days he was back at work patrolling the streets and chasing criminals with his gleaming fangs back in condition.

Killer Whales (Orca)

On another occasion, Peter was called to Nice in the South of France to see a Killer Whale. Tanauk - as he was called - had a fractured tooth which had become infected. As whales breathe consciously it was impossible to give Tanauk any anesthetic. So Peter had to rely on the skill of the trainer and Tanauk's intelligence to be able to work on him while he was conscious. Of course, Peter was keen to avoid headlines like: Killer Whale Swallows Dentist; so he discussed the treatment in detail with the trainer before work commenced. He used large drills to clean the infected cavity and allowed frequent breaks so that everyone, including Tanauk of course, could have a rest. In the end it all went well and indeed Peter is about to go back for a follow-up visit.

Tools Of The Trade

Peter has a great deal of equipment for veterinary dental work, much of which he has designed himself. When your patients vary in size from an elephant to a hedgehog your equipment has to be very specialised All these tools and implements are portable for Peter is often asked to work abroad on account of his unique skills and experience. During the summer Peter had to transport equipment weighing over 400 pounds to the Greek mountains where Libearty - the bear charity - had asked him to treat some bears. The bears had been rescued from Gypsies who had cruelly ill-treated them and broken their teeth so they could force them to perform for holiday makers. Peter worked on three adult bears who needed 27 severely infected teeth extracted and two large canine teeth root filled. This wasn't easy for the roots of the teeth were up to three inches long. However the surgery went well and the bears are understandably happier, now that their toothaches have gone.

Natures Diet

Many domestic pets suffer from dental problems due to inappropriate diet, genetics
( inbreeding) or when breeders mutate a species type. Hence the Pekinese bred to an extreme often have breathing problems and tooth configurations which are irregular. The predators domesticated like the cat and dog would in the wild state eat prey in it’s entirety, skin, bone and meat. The tearing action of fibrous tissue has a self cleansing action and keeps the predators teeth and gums in good condition naturally. Domestic pets rarely have access to such food. One could not compare Whiskers Tinned food to a shrew or vole but then not many owners would be willing to feed their pets live or recently killed rodents hence the Pet Food Industry.

The Big & Small Cats

Peter was in Russia again in 2000 at the Moscow Zoo; he then proceeded to their breeding unit and helped with dental work on a very valuable Amur leopard, commonly known as a Siberian leopard. There are only about 40 left in wild. Each animal saved is critical to the current population. Russia has many severe financial problems and the staff at the Zoo work hard under extreme conditions.

The Domestic moggie or Pedigree cats also attract Peter’s expertise, cats can have tremendous gum problems, some people try to unnecessarily preserve the cats teeth when extraction at an earlier stage, this action often prevents further problems developing and leads to an early resolution. Much of the cats periodontal problems are a host response phenomenon which is a combination of genetic and developmental combination to bacterial toxins in the felines mouth.

Peter has worked with Chinchillas which suffer severe dental problems. Chinchillas cheek teeth often overarupt not at the bite but into the deeper low jaw and the eye socket. Most Breeders are aware of these problems. In Peters view the problem is related to diet and or genetic predispositions through chinchillas inbreeding.

Horses

Now horses are I imagine not the easiest patients to treat though this has not deterred Peter’s efforts to develop and assist in the health care. As the adjacent picture shows a large veterinary team is required to assist peter. Equipment alone means that the operating theatre is big with the required pullies and lifting apparatus. Horses also often require veterinary intervention with their teeth. By the very nature of a horses mouth it will develop enamel spurs on the cheek teeth, failure to give early attention on regular basis causes ulcerations.
Each adjacent tooth |(arcade) the integratorary of these teeth must me maintained herbivores have a totally different action to carnivores. Vets will need to deal with any dental problems early so as to try and avoid abstractions.

Treatments & Advice

Some people have tried to imitate human treatment and transpose it to an animal which is also incorrect according to Peter. Animals require an individual approach changing from species to species. However, dental specialists are in short supply so most people revert to the best veterinary help available in their area.

Dogs can develop decay in the back teeth if given on a regular basis sweats and chocolates not dissimilar to children . So what is the order of treatment in such cases. 1) Treatment of any of these problems should be a combination of the most rapid ( so the animal is not subjected to prolonged anesthetic risk). 2) The least traumatic option available. 3) The most predicable. So the animal does not have to be re anaesthetised for the same problem again.

Peter advises that under no circumstances should orthodontics (correcting bad bites) be performed on any dog. If the Animal is suffering from pain they should have the teeth shortened and root filled.

Cleaning Dogs & Cats Teeth

Peter encourages the cleaning of pet dog or cat’s teeth from and early age. A very young kitten or puppy is more likely to accept it’s mouth being opened than an older dog so start early. Use a tooth brush compatible for the pets teeth size. The taste of the paste sometimes ( liver based) is important for palatability. NEVER USE HUMAN TOOTH PASTE. Having said that my own experiences indicate that cats without doubt are more difficult than dogs to work with. I try to gently touch the teeth with the brush and pet paste for the first 10 or so lessons and make no attempt to actually clean the teeth. Once the pet accepts the handling and likes the experience and taste, one can the increase the pressure on the teeth until is accepted daily. Peter brushed his own pet German Shepherd Dogs Mako and she died aged 14 years with a fine set of nashers

When it comes to treating animals Peter has very strong ethics. He never performs any surgery to please the whim of the owner: the health and well-being of the animal are paramount. Peter only treats pets which have been referred by a vet. Peter then goes to that veterinary surgery with his portable equipment and his indispensable dental nurses. The mobile dental surgery is then set up and they're ready for the patient. It is very much a team effort with the vet administering the general anesthetic and monitoring the animal's condition as the surgery takes place. They all work together to ensure that the treatment is as swift as possible and that the best possible results. Peter without doubt has placed Britain firmly on the world map in animal dental treatment and care.

Peter works with UK and International Veterinarians from all aspects of small and large animal care. Below are some more animals that Peter and his Veterinary Colleagues have recently worked with.