[Beverly Anne]

Franics is now 8 1/2 years old and the vet wants to put him under for teeth cleaning and dental work. What experience has anyone had with this pro and con? Thanks.

 

[lovingbianca]

I sure wish I could know about this as well. I've never cleaned a dog's teeth--just give her lots of good things to chew on to hopefully take care of the tarter, etc.

Thanks for your good info.
Sandra--Bianca's mom

 

[SPEEDY]

When speedy was 10 I had to take him to a new vet to have his teeth cleaned. I reminded him that speedy was 10 about 3 times. The vet finally looked at me and said " Look, I understand your concerns but I have been doing this for 30 years and haven't lost one yet." Good enough for me. As it turns out, it isn't as dangerous to put them under for teeth cleaning as it is putting them under to pull a bad tooth with all the infection and stuff. Speedy had a heart murmur so he always got a round of antibiotics to be safe but he always did fine. It seems the danger the older they get only goes up a little, not alot. Hope this helps. Speedster

 

[Maggie's Mommy]

I had Maggie Mae's (ATB) teeth cleaned for the first and only time when she was 12 years old!!! I was SO scared. Suddenly she stopped eating. Very out of character for her. I finally realized it was her teeth. The Vet said she had tons of tartar buildup and horribled breath :blink: I never brushed her teeth. I had it done and she was fine. Of course, we did all the presurgical bloodwork to make sure she was okay to put under. Turns out her teeth were fine, no extractions but she did have lots of tartar under the gums. She recovered fine and eat like a champ till her last day .

When I got Rusty & Stickers I started brushing their teeth almost everyday. The breeder did this their first year and they don't know to put up a fight. In fact, when Rusty sees his toothbrush he comes running and immediately goes into a Flat Basset position :lol: :lol:

 

[Nestor]

When Oliver was about 11, he needed a couple of teeth removed along with general cleaning. Not only did it improve his breath, but his coat wasn't as smelly (for a bassett, anyways).

After the healing, his temperment also improved. Guess his teeth were bothering him and making him a little grumpy.

Can't think of any cons, other than being a fairly pricey procedure.

 

[murraysmom]

Beverly Anne- you're a nurse, so I know you know there's a risk with any procedure, and that the benefits should always outweight the risks. It sounds like Francis needs some dental work, and I would go ahead with it, but just for the record I thought I should post this:

Our 14 year old dachschund Gretel aspirated during dental surgery a few years ago, developed pneumonia, and died.
It shouldn't have happened, but it did.

After that happened, her brother Hansel needed dental surgery, and we went ahead with it because he had some pretty serious dental problems and was in pain. He was the same age, and came through the surgery fine.

Murray has so many allergies and reacts so badly to drugs that I will only have him put under for an absolute emergency. He has his teeth scaled without anesthesia every year, and he gets supervised bully sticks a few tiems each week. His teeth are looking great at 5 years.

Good luck to Francis!

 

[Lightning&Stomps]

I just had Stomps' teeth cleaned and one extracted. I don't know his age, but my guess is he's about 11. He sailed through it. I've had both my dogs' teeth cleaned two or three times now, and never had a problem. Of course there are exceptions, but I think overall it's very safe.

 

[Betsy Iole]

Periodontal disease is associated with other systemic illnesses, like heart disease, respiratory disease, diabetes--a good reason to pay attention to good dental hygiene. (Just be careful not to use pet toothpaste made in China; it's been recalled).