Guest gmangel12 Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 HI I am new to this board and was looking for some advice from greyhound owners. I have a adorable greyhound her name is red and she is almost 14. Her teeth are starting to rott. I got her from regap and talked to them about the situation and they said I should not have her teeth pulled because of her age and because greyhounds have problems with anestheia and with her age it would be a big risk. I had one vet tell me that I should have it done and greyhounds dont have problems with it and I felt they were not taking my concerns serious. So I switched vets and I love my new vet. They seems very patient and caring. They told me that while greyhounds do have problems with being put under they take many precautions. They use human grade anestheia where the death rate is 1 in 25,000. They also have a iv tube put into them so if there were any problems they would have instant acess to a vein. They also check their vitals and heart rate every 5 minutes. So with this new vet I feel comfortable getting the surgery done but I am nervous against going against the advice of regap who is so experienced in greyhounds. I really need to make a decision because her teeth are getting bad but if something happens while she is having surgery I will never forgive myself. What would you do or do you have any advice or experience with this? Thanks sooo much!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MomofSweetPotatoes Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 Well, my angel girl Penny had all of her teeth removed at 12.5 years old (she was my foster at the time). She was in a very fragile state at the time being malnourished and underweight. She came through anesthesia and the dental without an issue. If your vet monitors, uses caution, and prepares accordingly (bloodwork, echo, etc) for the procedure then I would have all of the faith in them. Rotting painful teeth is more dangerous than anesthesia IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest boondog Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 Welcome to GT! How is her health otherwise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KennelMom Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 Our boy had the rest of his teeth pulled a few months shy of 14. I'd have a full blood panel and thorough physical exam done to make sure she's otherwise in good health and if there weren't any other major issues going on, we'd go for it. With our boy, it was "now or never" and we are so glad we had the teeth pulled. He seems MUCH more comfortable...and he just turned 14! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greyhoundis Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 I have had several that had to have most of their teeth pulled and I had 2 that had to have all their teeth pulled. Sounds as though your new vet will monitor and that is the important thing. Not only are bad teeth unhealthy but imagine the pain of having your teeth bad. They have a rough couple of days SOMETIMES but once they are out you can tell they feel better. Good luck on your decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feemandvm Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 As others have said... if the heart and lungs sound good and the bloodwork si good... by all means do the dental. Is anesthesia a 0% risk? No. But there is a 100% risk of discomfort and infection without the dental/extractions. If a Greyhound group is telling owners NOT ot pursue treatment based on age... then they need to stop making recommendations or get educated!!!! Bad teeth are painful and are a risk for sepsis amongst other things. I'd be curious to hear if they have a bad tooth when they are 80 if they'll be OK with "just leaving it" because they are too old to have it fixed. I'm willing to bet that they wouldn't accept that answer!!! Please don't take my comments as criticizing you... I'm just frustrated that a rescue group would make such an ignorant statement. Quote Bill Lady Bella and Sky at the bridge "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." -Anabele France Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greysmom Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 If she is otherwise healthy and in good spirits, and your vet is committed to taking proper precautions and monitoring her, then I would probably do it. We had a 12 yr old foster who had most of his teeth removed and he did fine. He felt better and was actually able to eat better because his mouth wasn't sore and painful. He had other issues and we couldn't put him on an all canned diet, so I ended up crunching up a meal's worth of dry kibble in the blender and mixing it with some water to make kibble gruel. He could just lap it up and he did great! greysmom Quote Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora) siggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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