Alternatives to full anesthetic for dental work on my doggy

Angelbones

Angelbones

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Hi guys

I'm new to All about Dogs, so hi!

Took my terrier to the vet today as his gums are very swollen and his breath is, well quite frankly, indescribably bad. As expected he has infected gums (given jab of antibios) and has to go back in on Friday for anesthetic so they can descale his teeth and extract any bad ones.

The estimate for this work is a good £300-500 :eek:

So, friend mentioned that there is a heavy sedation that can be used instead for this type of thing (as good as the one they sedate horses with to castrate them), that is wears of much more quickly, is safer for the pet (mine is 8 now) and is considerably cheaper - which presumable is why they don't offer it upfront?!

Does anyone know of anything like this? Can you suggest a name for it - I can ring the vet and enquire but would like to go in armed with more info if I can.

Many thanks folks, from me and Dodger :)
 
Nope, the anaesthetic they use in older dogs is safer and easier on the body than the one they use for horses. It is maintained by gaseous isoflourane and the effects wear off much quicker, therefore making it easier for the dog to recover. Also, if they need to remove teeth would you want your dog to be anything other than fully asleep? Yeek, I think not! Best of luck, hopefully he'll smell like roses afterwards!
 
Hi and welcome. My vets use this sedation for hip x rays, can't remember the name but I think it is something like the horse sedation, torbugesic.? However, the dog would be able to feel what was going on so prob not good if he is going to have extractions. Ask your vet to run full bloods before the anaesthetic , that will show up if he has any health problems which would make it inadvisable.
 
Farrierlover said:
Nope, the anaesthetic they use in older dogs is safer and easier on the body than the one they use for horses. It is maintained by gaseous isoflourane and the effects wear off much quicker, therefore making it easier for the dog to recover. Also, if they need to remove teeth would you want your dog to be anything other than fully asleep? Yeek, I think not! Best of luck, hopefully he'll smell like roses afterwards!
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Thanks Farrierlover - a greatly informative reply! Of course I'd want him fully 'out', god I couldn't think of anything worse than him feeling it :eek: I was told they were completely zonked which is why I was looking into it. Could be a case of chinese whispers but I'll ask my vet anyway, just to get the facts straight for another time. And yes, I can't wait for his breath to improve cos it certainly is unsavoury! ;)
 
You would need a full GA because the dog wil need to be intubated-have a tube in his windpipe-as part of the dental uses water and ultrasonic scalers so it gets really wet and you wouldnt want the dog to choke on it.
Modern anaesthetics are very safe and he will be so much happier with pain free teeth
Good luck :)
 
I'm afraid this is quite common in dogs fed soft food, it's a shame as it could be avoided by giving a dog a large meaty bone on a regular basis. Mine are fed raw and I keep my money in my pocket and the anaesthetic in the bottle.

Raw meaty bones are a dogs toothbrush, my older rescue came to me with yellow tartared teeth and within a week or so they were fine. One of mine is 8 or 9 and the other 6 and there is no tartar on either, so prevention other than by brushing a dogs teeth is possible. If he is susceptible to tartar build up and you want to avoid the risk of future anaesthetics, this risk can be high in older dogs, look into some form of teeth cleaning for the future for him.
 
You're very welcome! My dogs eat dry food and have perfect teeth so there are actually other options to the BARF diet. Whatever you're comfortable with, although I do agree a toothcare routine for after his work is adviseable.
 
KarynK said:
I'm afraid this is quite common in dogs fed soft food, it's a shame as it could be avoided by giving a dog a large meaty bone on a regular basis. Mine are fed raw and I keep my money in my pocket and the anaesthetic in the bottle.

Raw meaty bones are a dogs toothbrush, my older rescue came to me with yellow tartared teeth and within a week or so they were fine. One of mine is 8 or 9 and the other 6 and there is no tartar on either, so prevention other than by brushing a dogs teeth is possible. If he is susceptible to tartar build up and you want to avoid the risk of future anaesthetics, this risk can be high in older dogs, look into some form of teeth cleaning for the future for him.
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Thanks KarynK, yes its a huge shame and I feel guilty about it. He's fed on a complete biscuit meal, softened with water, and some veggies or fruit. I guess it wasn't enough. What sort of bone would you suggest for him to gnaw on? I've always steered clear in case of choking on small pieces, but would give it a go if it would help him in future.
 
I know I say this a lot but you can't beat the Asda turkey drumstick. £1.47 or even cheaper if it has a short date and is in their bargain bin, you can chuck it in the freezer. Although it might be the same weight as Dodger and there's a lot of chewing on it.

Some breeds are more prone to gum disease than others, I've had GSDs my whole life (always had a soup knuckle bone at least once a week before the BSE regulations came in here) and never a one with tooth issues. Apart from the one who knocked hers out chewing a wooden dumbbell :p
 
Farrierlover said:
You're very welcome! My dogs eat dry food and have perfect teeth so there are actually other options to the BARF diet. Whatever you're comfortable with, although I do agree a toothcare routine for after his work is adviseable.
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Didn't actually say all dogs and didn't say BARF was the only option in fact I didn’t suggest changing the diet at all and went out of my way to be diplomatic about sack food, more so than I usually do.

But there are dogs out there just like Humans that through diet, age or predisposition are more susceptible to gum disease and plaque build up, the addition of a raw meaty bone or if your prefer something like "Dentastix" or whatever they call expensive imitation bones, or brushing a dogs teeth would save an unnecessary anaesthetic which is always a risk.

Please don’t feel bad Angelbones it’s one of the many things they don’t warn you about on the packet!! But at least you are aware of how you can help him post op.

If he is having teeth removed you should probably wait a while but if you want to take the raw bones route bones like Turkey and lamb would be good with some meat on them that need a bit of chewing. The meat as well will massage and clean the teeth and gums and of course don’t cook them. I would avoid beef as they can be really hard and he is an older dog with old teeth and you don’t want him breaking any he has left. With one his size chicken wings or legs would be good too if he cannot face the turkey leg as CC says they can be quite big. Just something he has to spend time chewing away at.

If you do give bones don’t feed them anywhere near a kibble meal as that moves at a very different pace through the dog and can cause big problems.
 
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