Dental cleaning risks
This is really last minute but I'm more stressed than I thought I would be.
My corgi mix is old...really old. He's about 13-14 years old and is in desperate need for a teeth cleaning. I have an appointment for him tomorrow. He'll need general anesthesia and I know that is risky but especially in a dog his age. Yet I know it is risky to let his awful teeth go untreated.
What should I do? If something happens to him during the treatment I'll never forgive myself. If he gets sick because I did NOT get the cleaning done I'll never forgive myself. See my predicament?
Does anyone know the pros and cons of this situation?
My corgi mix is old...really old. He's about 13-14 years old and is in desperate need for a teeth cleaning. I have an appointment for him tomorrow. He'll need general anesthesia and I know that is risky but especially in a dog his age. Yet I know it is risky to let his awful teeth go untreated.
What should I do? If something happens to him during the treatment I'll never forgive myself. If he gets sick because I did NOT get the cleaning done I'll never forgive myself. See my predicament?
Does anyone know the pros and cons of this situation?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Michael on
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It's a hard decision either way.
My last dog, not Corgi but a mixed breed of similar size and look, had dental problems as well. But she also had other problems at 13 years of age - Diabetes, congestive heart failure, arthritis, declining vision due to Diabetes, you name it.
She just had too many issues so I was really uncomfortable with having her put under general anesthesia. So, I passed on having her teeth cleaned at that point though she had no problems going through it before.
Pros and cons - Well, if the dog breath is really horrible, I think it's a significant risk that bacteria can travel to the organs and cause more trouble. In my dog's situation, I just felt it was a risk she had to take considering all the problems she already had.
I don't know if I have the right answer for you but if I had the decision to make, I would do it unless my dog had several other health problems and was already in declining health. Obviously, I would take into consideration my Vet's advice as well.
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Permalink Reply by Eruc on
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North San Diego County makes it a drive to North LA county, but it might be worth it for you.
My agility instructor does these about every month:
TopRock Training Center
Is Hosting A
K-9 Anesthesia Free
Teeth Cleaning Clinic
Friday, July 25th
Cost: $70
To Make an appointment, please email Kirsten at ToprockTC@aol.com
Email Kirsten and see when her next one is. The lady who does it is amazing with the dogs and she just cleans thier teeth while they are awake.
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Permalink Reply by Geri & Sidney on
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Well, Bruce is at the vet now, but I'd like to do something like this as a maintenance thing after the big cleaning is done. Do you know how often it should be done to keep the teeth clean?
*waiting waiting, so hard to do... *
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Brucie came through his procedure like a champ. They had to extract 5 more teeth, three molars and two incisors. He gets soft food for 5 days, antibiotics and pain meds. He's really glad to be home. They said he was most likely in a lot of pain, since there was lots of pus under the bad teeth. No wonder his breath smelled so bad. Poor old guy hardly has any teeth left!
I need to think of low protein soft foods for him.
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Permalink Reply by Cindi on
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Glad Brucie made it through okay. Our Cody is 13 and needs a tooth cleaning but we're afraid of anesthetizing him. But he had other issues, as well. We purchased a liquid, Oral Care, at work and it seems to help. Teeth are going to be an issue as long as our dogs have soft food. Hope Bruce is feeling better!
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It looks like Bruce is having some pain from the extractions. Thank goodness for the painkillers! I'm looking forward to when he is fully healed and back to his usual self! He's usually so happy and energetic (even at his ripe old age) and today he is moving more like a grumpy old man.
You vet should recommend a mini blood panel before any anesthesia to make sure it's safe. That's how we found out about his impaired kidneys, but those numbers did not make the anesthesia a risk. Still, it was really scary to make the decision to have the dental done. Now that I know how bad his mouth was, I'm glad we had it done. If that infection had gotten into his blood.....
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