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2hounds

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    Dental On A 12.5 Year Old?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Thank you for the feedback, I feel a little better knowing that it isn't as unusual as I thought to do a dental on a 12+ year old hound. I will see my vet again on Wednesday and I will talk more about my hesitations, but knowing that his dental health could affect already known kidney problems, I am leaning towards having his teeth cleaned now.

     

    Judy, he usually licks bones, but doesn't really chew on them. If they are too small he will try to swallow them whole, if they are too large he will lick them to death and might crunch a few times.

     

    Michelle, I am not 100% sure that his teeth aren't the problem. I should have added above that we do wet his food so when he eats it later it has had time to soak in more of the water and is softer. I don't know if the softer food is why he eats it later or if he is just finally hungry enough to eat it.

    Dental On A 12.5 Year Old?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Iceman had another vet visit today (we have been going to the vet with him about every 2 weeks for acupuncture and to monitor his blood pressure, which has been high).

     

    My Icybaby is 12.5 years old and he is in great spirits (roaching on the couch as I type) and I would consider him to be in "ok" health. He does have high blood pressure and he is in the early stages of kidney disease (he is on medication twice/day for these things). He has LP and a very weak back end so we have to be really careful about his activities. But overall, I would say he is in pretty decent health for a 12.5 year old.

     

    He has recently stopped eating at meal times, but I wait an hour or two, put his food back down for him and he finishes it then. We had an appointment with the vet today and I asked her to draw blood, look at all of his levels, look at his teeth, etc and see if we can find a physical reason why he isn't eating. His blood levels are all ok and besides the known problems above, everything is ok.

     

    My vet suggested a dental, which I was shocked to hear her suggest for a 12.5 year old. He does have a layer of tartar, but no obvious decay and his breath won't slay a dragon or anything. If we were talking about one of my (younger) hounds, I would agree that it is probably time for a dental. But because we are talking about an older hound with known health issues, I just assumed we would try to avoid anesthesia unless it was ABSOLUTELY necessary.

     

    I should also add that I do LOVE my vet and know that they are not eager to suggest unnecessary procedures normally. They do a combination of traditional and alternative medicine and they offer acupuncture, chiropractic care, massage, etc.

     

    I am just not sure if anesthesia is a good idea for Iceman. Has anyone had dentals on older hounds and did they recover ok afterwards?

    15 Month Old Greyhound Is Very Sick`~update Post #99

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    She is doing better. She is responding well to the Prednisone. Her foster mom tried keeping her in the x-pen as it is easier to help her out if needed, but Becky whined and cried until she got her crate back :P

     

    We are trying to get her to put on weight. I talked to her foster mom about trying raw to see if that helps. Right now she is on a combination of Precise Plus (all natural, no wheat, gluten, soy) kibble and wet canned food, with hot tap water and EVERYTHING is sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, her favorite! The canned food is good quality, Merrick, Evo & Wellness for puppy (higher calorie). She seems to like the Merrick Turducken & the Thanksgiving flavors. For Evo, she likes the flavors of chicken & turkey, the rabbit, and the duck. She also likes shredded chicken.'

     

    She will not be attending our groups picnic tomorrow. It will be too much for her.

     

    Thanks for the continuing thoughts and prayers.

     

    I am relieved to hear she is responding to the pred! It is still doing a great job of controlling Mia's polyarthritis.

     

    And TRUST ME, the pred will take care of putting weight back on her. Mia had lost 10 lbs and weighed 48 at her lowest and then when she started putting the weight back on, she actually gained too much and had to go on a diet, much to her dismay!

    General Procedure For Euthanasia?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted · Edited by 2hounds

    When we lost Cujo last January, our vet gave him a sleepy shot and then waited a few minutes, he slept in my arms, and then she gave him the other shot. It was definitely very peaceful.

     

    I am sorry your experience wasn't so great. It is already a difficult time. But know that he is peaceful and worry free now. And he had a wonderful life.

     

    You are in my thoughts. :grouphug

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