01/07/2026
FEBRUARY IS VETERINARY DENTAL HEALTH MONTH!
Cats: $350 - $400 Dogs: $450 - $550
includes: full mouth radiographs, cleaning, polishing, charting, etc! Read on to learn more!
It's time for your pet's annual COHAT!
What does COHAT stand for?
COHAT stands for Comprehensive Oral Health Assessment and Treatment. Your pet’s teeth are typically checked during routine visits. If you have noticed discharge or bad breath coming from the mouth, a COHAT is a good idea!
ANESTHESIA
Assessing your pet’s mouth while they are conscious will only give a small amount of information. Even tolerant pets often resist the manipulation required to perform full assessment of teeth and related anatomy. Examining under anesthesia allows the entire mouth to be examined, including the teeth and roots, including taking radiographs (x-rays) of the teeth and probing the gum line to assess the gum and root health. Our credentialed veterinary technicians monitor anesthesia vitals, including temperature, heart rate, electrocardiograph, oxygen saturation, carbon dioxide, respiratory rate, and blood pressure. A intravenous catheter is placed and iv fluids are administered to support blood pressure during all anesthesia events. Anesthesia vitals are graphed and recorded every 5 minutes and the veterinarian is alerted to any signs of anesthesia compromise during the procedure.
Once under anesthetic, the veterinarian will visualize the mouth thoroughly, looking for any noticeable abnormalities, injuries, or growths
Scaling
Once the initial check is complete, the tartar will be gently removed from the tooth surfaces, gum lines, and between the teeth, using an ultrasonic scaler. The removal of the tartar and any debris allow a proper assessment of the teeth and the gum line surrounding each tooth. This cleaning promotes healing of the gum negatively affected by bacterial growth.
Probing
Probing is performed using a periodontal probe, which measures the depth of the pocket between the teeth and gums, checking for any excessive pockets or areas of detachments. If there are pockets and they are left, they will accumulate food and other debris and become a breeding ground for infection, leading to tooth decay and tooth loss.
Sometimes teeth can snap or fracture, exposing the sensitive pulp cavity and impaired enamel causes extreme pain and leaves your pet at risk of infection.
Cats are prone to tooth resorption, where holes appear in the teeth or roots. It’s thought this could be due to an overreaction of the immune system to normal levels of bacteria within the mouth.
A probe will pick up any uneven areas of enamel and any areas of pulp cavity exposure. This information is then charted (recorded) in your pet’s dental health records.
Dental radiographs
2/3 of each tooth in your pet’s mouth is BELOW the gum line and non-visible to the naked eye. This portion of the root is where dental disease creates severe destabilizing damage to the tooth. Damage and disease are often hidden below the gum line or within the tooth or root, so without the additional testing performed in a COHAT, many mouth issues would be missed, which might leave your pet in pain or unwell. A COHAT allows earlier detection of dental problems, meaning a reduced need for tooth extractions.
Dental radiographs, are imperative to assess the tooth’s health thoroughly. A series of pictures are taken by placing a “sensor” or film within your pet’s mouth, just like in humans. X-rays help to identify damage to the tooth or root as well as changes to the jaw-bone surrounding the roots. Dental radiographs, particularly in cats, allows better treatment planning. Before attempting to remove the tooth, visualizing the tooth root means we can decide what type of extraction procedure would be best.
Treatment
The final step in the COHAT is treatment. Treatment may involve extracting teeth, application of antibiotic gel to deep pockets, or removal or biopsy of oral tumors.
If there is extensive treatment required, especially involving splitting tooth roots or time-consuming, we perform a staged treatment plan. Treatments are performed in a few installments to allow time for the gumline to heal between surgeries, allow for reduction of bacterial presence (healthy tissue heals faster), and limit excessive time under anesthesia for the pet. Our limit on anesthesia duration is typically 2 hours and may be shortened if we identify signs of distress while under anesthesia.
My pet has had a COHAT. What now?
Depending on the overall health of the mouth, follow-up COHATs will often be recommended in 6-24 months. Dental disease is often missed because pets don’t show signs of pain or discomfort, and can lead to tooth loss, pain and infection. By performing the COHAT and maintaining accurate charting, our team, in collaboration with you, can ensure that your pet leads a productive, healthy life!
What is the cost of a COHAT @ The Pet Stop?
Regular COHAT runs $350 to $550 for most cats and dogs. Cats tend to be toward the lower end, and dogs the higher end. Cats have fewer teeth and dont need as many xrays! :)
This includes the following:
Anesthesia, IV fluids, Monitoring, intr-operative pain management, vitals monitoring, cleaning, charting, polishing of teeth, xrays of each tooth and it's root in the full mouth, and comprehensive exam. Pain medications +/- antibiotics to go home are additional.
Does NOT include major extractions which require splitting/drilling of roots or incisions into gingival tissue. An estimate and later surgery are generally required for this. We DO NOT perform surgery when there is bacteria present from the tartar buildup and gum inflammation in the mouth as it can prolong the healing phase. Think of how your human dentist treats you when you have a bad infection but also need extractions or work?
Please call the office for more information or to schedule an evaluation!
