Dental Help

[Guest sidewaysfallin]

Sophie is due for a dental, but we have never gone through one before and I need some help. I called the vets that our group recommened and they are the ones that do all the preadoption stuff on the dogs from the track, so I am confident in their abilities.

 

I need to know everything about dentals so I can get prepared for this. I assume that blood work should be done before? How long before? What type of anasthesia to avoid? What the process is? What is the recovery time at the vet? At home? What kind of food to feed after? What type of meds they may prescribe? And anything else.

 

I really appreciate this!

[Guest greytkidsmom]

Most vets do a cell count and metabolic panel (technical names differ according to geographical location/lab/etc). I don't think they want the results to be more than 2 weeks old. My vet usually does it the same day although I make an appointment for earlier in the week to get it done because I don't want to drop my kid off at the vet and then have the labwork come back with something that makes them cancel the procedure and then he is stuck at the vet all day. Most vets are familiar with the proper anesthesia by now - they usually use propofol and isofluroane gas. You should be able to pick up your pupper by the end of the work day. How much work they do (including extractions) determines recovery time at home.

 

My boy with bad gum disease usually gets a couple of extractions so he gets a course of antibiotics and some antiinflammatory medication with instructions to eat a soft diet for a week or so. He just had his dental on Thursday - I dropped him off at 9:00, got a call from the vet at 2:00 and could pick him up by 4:30. (Cleaning and 6 extractions) He was really drooly and drowsy when he got home but he ate a small amount of rice, chicken, and baked sweet potato for dinner and walked outside to potty without any problem. Today he is pretty much back to normal - he just has to learn to eat without any front teeth

 

My girl has pretty good teeth and gums so after her dental she had some antibiotics and could go back to her regular diet the next day. We fed her chicken and rice for dinner on the day of surgery and that was it. She was a little groggy the day after but back to her bossy self in no time.

 

You really just want to find a vet you feel you can trust. This includes office staff too. Most understand you are nervous and should be open to talking to you about your concerns. If they aren't, find another one.

 

Good luck - I am confident that Sophie will come through with flying colors!

[Guest Cris_M]

Depending on how often one's dog goes to the vet, blood work may or may not be done. I usually go with one a year unless a problem shows up. Baseline blood values for your dog are very helpful if there is a problem down the road or if there is a significant change from one test to the next. Since you will be using the same vet that your adoption center uses, he should have a baseline set of values for Sophie.

 

With good teeth, your dog should come back to you pretty much like she was when she left. That is, ready to get out of the vet's (usually a 4-5 hour stay), a bit tired from a change in routine but not druggy, and excited about a regular meal. Mine have never had antibiotics or analgesics after a dental. Like greytkidsmom said, recovery really depends on how much work is done.

 

You'll both do fine!

[Guest MAXNAV]

Sophie is due for a dental, but we have never gone through one before and I need some help. I called the vets that our group recommened and they are the ones that do all the preadoption stuff on the dogs from the track, so I am confident in their abilities.

 

I need to know everything about dentals so I can get prepared for this. I assume that blood work should be done before? How long before? What type of anasthesia to avoid? What the process is? What is the recovery time at the vet? At home? What kind of food to feed after? What type of meds they may prescribe? And anything else.

 

I really appreciate this!

 

Your vet that takes care of the greys from the track should know what kind of anethesia to use. (I had a collie, and they are extremely sensitive to anethesia like the greys.) We always had pre-bloodwork a least a few days before the dental. My pups stayed at the vet's for 4-5 hours and were really drowsy when they came home. Be careful of stairs, etc. as she may be a little wobbly. My vet always gave a round of antibiotics to take after the dental. What a world of difference it made. When I adopted my grey (who had a dental before I got him), his mouth was rancid, and my vet way surprised that no antibiotics were given. With each dental my dogs had, being on the ab's made a world of difference.

 

My collie always had an upset tummy after a dental. (They are soooooo stomach sensitive.) He'd try to drink a lot when he got home, and then would throw up. After the first time this happened, I made sure he only got maybe 1/4 cup of water (or crushed ice) to start out, and wait an hour or so to give him a little more. My vet told me not to feed either of my dogs (collie & grey) till morning. I only gave a very small amount of food in the morning, and if they kept it down, in about 2 hrs. I'd give a little more. After the first full day home, and feeding little bits at a time, everyone did fine. They both were actually pretty much back to themselves by the time they woke up the morning after the dental, but I was still careful with the feeding so as not to make them sick.

 

Good luck.

 

Sophie is due for a dental, but we have never gone through one before and I need some help. I called the vets that our group recommened and they are the ones that do all the preadoption stuff on the dogs from the track, so I am confident in their abilities.

 

I need to know everything about dentals so I can get prepared for this. I assume that blood work should be done before? How long before? What type of anasthesia to avoid? What the process is? What is the recovery time at the vet? At home? What kind of food to feed after? What type of meds they may prescribe? And anything else.

 

I really appreciate this!

 

Your vet that takes care of the greys from the track should know what kind of anethesia to use. (I had a collie, and they are extremely sensitive to anethesia like the greys.) We always had pre-bloodwork a least a few days before the dental. My pups stayed at the vet's for 4-5 hours and were really drowsy when they came home. Be careful of stairs, etc. as she may be a little wobbly. My vet always gave a round of antibiotics to take after the dental. What a world of difference it made. When I adopted my grey (who had a dental before I got him), his mouth was rancid, and my vet way surprised that no antibiotics were given. With each dental my dogs had, being on the ab's made a world of difference.

 

My collie always had an upset tummy after a dental. (They are soooooo stomach sensitive.) He'd try to drink a lot when he got home, and then would throw up. After the first time this happened, I made sure he only got maybe 1/4 cup of water (or crushed ice) to start out, and wait an hour or so to give him a little more. My vet told me not to feed either of my dogs (collie & grey) till morning. I only gave a very small amount of food in the morning, and if they kept it down, in about 2 hrs. I'd give a little more. After the first full day home, and feeding little bits at a time, everyone did fine. They both were actually pretty much back to themselves by the time they woke up the morning after the dental, but I was still careful with the feeding so as not to make them sick.

 

Good luck.

[Batmom]

If you do a search in this forum for anaesthesia, posts by feemandvm, you should find Dr. Feeman's review of anaesthesia for greyhounds. Most common is to induce (put the dog under) with Ketamine/Valium, then maintain (keep the dog asleep) with Isofluorane/Sevofluorane gas. My vet prefers to use Propofol to induce; my dogs seem to recover more quickly using this drug.

 

Bloodwork preferences depend on the vet and the owner . For a healthy dog, I prefer to have basic bloodwork within the previous month. My vet can do it the morning of the dental if need be. For a dog who has/had issues, we may want more comprehensive bloodwork; that is sent out to a lab so I usually stop by 1-2 days beforehand and have it done.

 

Timing and whatnot depend on the vet and owner as well. At our vet, no food or water after midnight the night before the dental. Dogs have to be in by 9:00 a.m. and usually are recovered enough for pickup @ 4:00 p.m. My Zema is a nervous critter so she goes in early, gets put under fast, and may be ready for pickup by 2:00ish. Joseph, on the other hand, is not nervous but recovers from anaesthesia more slowly; he usually isn't ready for pickup till @ 5:30. ***Some dogs remain wobblier than others for awhile; if you have a tall vehicle that dog has to jump into, bring a friend when picking up so you can help the dog in/out of the car if need be.*** Vet's staff can help you put the dog in the car, but it can be helpful to have someone at home to help you get him out!

 

My vet uses IV fluids during surgery and monitors temp, respiration, heart rate, bp as a matter of course. ***The IV fluids mean that when you pick your dog up, he/she will likely have a full bladder, so a good pee before getting in the car to go home is a good idea!***

 

If there are no extractions, there's no need for softer food after. I usually feed a small meal -- third to half the normal size -- a couple hours after the dog gets home. If the dog is still pretty wobbly, I wait until he's steady on his feet plus one hour. I offer small amounts of water -- no big huge drinks at one time -- as soon as we come home. Usually the dog sleeps for a couple hours so no issues there.

 

If there are extractions, your vet should send you home with some pain meds, and you'll probably want to give soft food only for a few day to a week. Vet should be able to advise you about what to expect (bloody drool, soreness) and how long soft food should be needed.

 

***No stairs on their own until next day!*** Or until you're 105% sure they're well recovered from the anaesthesia.

 

Hugs and best luck!