We recently took our rescue Pomeranian to Dr. Gates at Cordova vet. Our dog's name is Gandhi, and Gandhi, since we rescued him, had terrible breath and was skittish anytime we would get close to his m... Read More
We recently took our rescue Pomeranian to Dr. Gates at Cordova vet. Our dog's name is Gandhi, and Gandhi, since we rescued him, had terrible breath and was skittish anytime we would get close to his muzzle. Our regular vet at the time (not Cordova vet) did two separate dental procedures (full sedation, cleaning, inspection) and found nothing wrong--just some plaque, some gingivitis that was easily controlled, etc. But it didn't make sense to us... Gandhi was acting even more scared of being touched around the head, he was hiding under the bed, and even after the cleanings, his breath was terrible. Then I remembered that one of our other rescued Pomeranian's (Poppy) had some similar issues (about 8 yrs ago). A different vet at the time (now retired) immediately referred us to Dr. Melissa Gates at Cordova Veterinary Hospital. The dental work that Dr. Gates did on our aged Pom' worked like a miracle--no exaggeration. Dr. Gates did a full sedation/full dental work. It turned out that the majority of Poppy's teeth were rotten under the gum line and had other nasty teeth problems. Dr. Gates extracted a number of teeth, stitched him back up, and from that point on Poppy was a much happier, healthier dog. So back to Gandhi. Our vet is saying that Gandhi's bad breath, the plaque, etc. are normal, that the Pomeranian breed is prone to this because of small mouths/crowded teeth. But my wife and I just didn't accept it. So we took Gandhi to Dr .Gates at Cordova vet. The experience working with Dr. Gates and the staff, and the results for Gandhi were amazing. Dr, Gates did an initial consultation and thoroughly explained what she would do, what might be need to be done, cost breakdown, etc. Very thorough, highly professional. Gandhi went back a few days later for the full sedation and dental work and for Dr. Gates to see what else might be going on in his mouth. The next day after this treatment, Gandhi was a new dog. We were amazed. Dr. Gates had discovered a number of problem teeth that required extraction (she even had photos of before/after the extractions so you could clearly see what was done). She ended up extracting 7 teeth. Since then, Gandhi has changed dramatically! He now wants to be handled more, wants to be close to us, and we can touch him anywhere, including rubbing his teeth and gums to keep them clean. He has more energy and is just all around much happier dog! So that's two of our Pom's that Dr. Gates has done amazing dental work on with dramatic results. I cannot say enough good things about her and her office.We received an entire packet of info prior to Gandhi's dental work explaining all the details and other helpful information. Dr. Gates was a true pleasure to work with. Treatment was followed up by calls from her office to be sure Gandhi was well. In short, Dr. Gates saved Gandhi from a miserable life of mouth pain and a much shortened life as the poisons from the decayed teeth went into his stomach and system. She truly saved Gandhi. Counting Poppy, that's two rescue dogs that Dr. Gates has "rescued" for us through her expertise and care for animals. I highly recommend Dr. Gates for dental/mouth problems for your pet, or even just for a consultation so you know what your options are. She has been doing this for a long time and really knows this skill and is a wealth of knowledge. Thank you Dr. Gates & Company!Read Less