Dentals Are Routine, Right?

[Remolacha]

Kathy, your vet's set up sounds great! Much as I would miss him, having him there the night before would be easier on me (and the rest of the crew who don't get fed until I get back from delivering him Friday morning )

 

for Jacey, Princess, and their moms, and everybody else going to the nasty dentist this week

[KF_in_Georgia]

Jacey is home. Poor baby!

 

She had two extractions (upper back molar, both sides). Apparently, there was some puss under the gumline, and she's had an antibiotic pack, a pain pack...and a rough time.

 

For folks looking to know what happens: The vet's office shaved hair off in patches on both her front legs. This was never done on previous dentals, so I assume the shaving has to do with the pain pack and antibiotics pack. One leg still has a bit of vet wrap, presumably put on to help the bleeding stop. I haven't messed with it.

 

She's starting to act a bit less spacey. She's seriously starving to death (she says), and she wants food--now. Her dental was finished by 10 am, and I gave her a bit of food at 4:30. She usually gets 1.5 cups of kibble for dinner. I gave her less than a quarter-cup of kibble, soaked in water and microwaved for about 30 seconds to warm it up, as well as a quarter-cup or so of canned food. Since she doesn't chew her food at the best of times (she's an inhaler), she didn't have any trouble getting the food down. If she holds this down without a problem, I'll repeat this mini-meal just before bedtime. I'm restricting water for her, which means going to the kitchen with Sam when he wants something to drink and otherwise keeping their water dishes empty.

 

Here's what the vet said on the paperwork. The generic instructions:

 

Your pet may resume normal activity tomorrow. Your pet has had dental extractions. They may need softer food for a few days. Some oral bleeding may be normal. If bleeding is excessive or tenderness does not resolve within a few days, please call to have them rechecked. For your pet's safety, he/she was intubated for the anesthetic. You may notice some coughing for the next couple of days. This is normal due to a small amount of irritation to the throat from the endotracheal tube. If the coughing seems excessive please contact our office. Please offer your pet small amounts of food and water tonight. Normal diet can be resumed tomorrow.

 

Notes specifically for Jacey:

 

She had so much residual gum loss, with new exposed roots for the tartar to accumulate on, that the dentistry took much longer than usual. Fortunately, we only had to pull 2 teeth in the very back; and they were already so loose and inflamed that the single doses of pain meds (Rimadyl) and antibiotics (Baytril) should be all that she needs.

 

If you're interested in prices:

Canine dental 25-50 lbs $125

Dental Stage 3/4 $20 (no idea what this means)

Surgery IV Catheter/Fluids $36

Rimadyl Injection 26-50 lbs $23

Baytril Injection 41-60 lbs $37

Extraction Molar Simple (2 of them) $36 (total)

February Dental Discount ($20) (my vet's coupon)

Total: $257 plus tax.

 

Jacey had pre-anesthesia bloodwork last week as part of her annual exam; that bloodwork was $89. Also, four weeks ago she weighed a bit over 50 pounds. Last week, at her annual, she weighed 49.7 pounds. That weight loss probably saved me some money. What I've seen of her teeth looks good, but she's understandably reluctant to let me explore in there. But I went to PetSmart last night and bought a sonic toothbrush. Sam's not impressed with it; I won't put Jacey to the test for a few days.

[Guest kydie]

Gald she is home and o.k.

[Guest Energy11]

Yes, Glad she is home and okay!

 

Actually, I use cosmetic pads to "brush" my dogs' teeth. I feel, whether I use canine toothpaste or Petzlife Gel, I get better results, rubbing the above, into their teeth and gums. Just a suggestion.

 

I use CET toothpaste everyother day, and Petzlife gel and spray, everyother day. I have dogs, ranging in age from 7.8 to 9.5 years old, who have never had more than their adoption dentals. I also use Chlorhexidine rinse on all, every other day.

 

Good luck to you, and I am GLAD things went well :-)

[Guest Mom2aDog]

Is it 'safe' to have a dental done at the same time as other surgery on one's dog? My dog (a 10 yr old golden retriever) is going to have a vulvaplasty ('hoo-hoo' surgery to correct a tucked vulva) in March and I'm thinking of having them also do a dental cleaning while they have her under.

 

Any thoughts/opinions on the safety of teeth & gums being cleaned along with other procedures?

[galgrey]

I'm glad Jacey is home and doing well. Such a relief, isn't it?

 

Princess is home too. She lost 5 teeth and has sutures where the premolars came out so only soft food for her for at least 10 days. She didn't eat much of her canned tripe (her favorite thing in the world) so I know she's not feeling too hot. Even with the fluids she got she's really thirsty, but I was told to only let her drink small amounts at a time. She's sleeping on the bed with me right now. She gets a pain pill before bed -- due to the number of teeth she lost (none of which were loose) she's going to have a really sore mouth for a while. Hopefully she'll sleep through the night and feel much better tomorrow. My bill was almost twice what yours was -- Princess is a big girl, 75 pounds (she's gained 3 lbs. since I switched to TOTW), and she had her pre-anesthesia blood work down today. I'd go get the sheet, but it's in the kitchen and I don't want to wake her up.

 

Oh, and the entire staff is madly in love with her. That happens everywhere she goes.

[galgrey]

Yes, Glad she is home and okay!

 

Actually, I use cosmetic pads to "brush" my dogs' teeth. I feel, whether I use canine toothpaste or Petzlife Gel, I get better results, rubbing the above, into their teeth and gums. Just a suggestion.

 

I use CET toothpaste everyother day, and Petzlife gel and spray, everyother day. I have dogs, ranging in age from 7.8 to 9.5 years old, who have never had more than their adoption dentals. I also use Chlorhexidine rinse on all, every other day.

 

Good luck to you, and I am GLAD things went well :-)

 

This is good to know! Sounds like you've got a good routine rotating those 3 products. I've been thinking of ordering the Petzlife Gel, so I'm glad to hear that you like it. I use gauze or cotton pads instead of a toothbrush too. I'm going to stay after it with Princess -- I don't want her losing any more teeth. She's the first of mine that's ever had to have any pulled.

[Guest Energy11]

Yes, Glad she is home and okay!

 

Actually, I use cosmetic pads to "brush" my dogs' teeth. I feel, whether I use canine toothpaste or Petzlife Gel, I get better results, rubbing the above, into their teeth and gums. Just a suggestion.

 

I use CET toothpaste everyother day, and Petzlife gel and spray, everyother day. I have dogs, ranging in age from 7.8 to 9.5 years old, who have never had more than their adoption dentals. I also use Chlorhexidine rinse on all, every other day.

 

Good luck to you, and I am GLAD things went well :-)

 

This is good to know! Sounds like you've got a good routine rotating those 3 products. I've been thinking of ordering the Petzlife Gel, so I'm glad to hear that you like it. I use gauze or cotton pads instead of a toothbrush too. I'm going to stay after it with Princess -- I don't want her losing any more teeth. She's the first of mine that's ever had to have any pulled.

 

All I can say is, it works for us. It is hard doing it everyday, but, I feel it is worth it! "-))) Good luck with this! Sending you lots of love, many hugs, and tons of prayers! Love, "Us!"

[Remolacha]

Glad to hear Princess and Jaycee are home!

 

I know Fletcher's going to lose one tooth, it's infected. I hope he doesn't lose any more . He's lost some weight, he was down to 86 lbs.

 

 

I don't see any problem doing a routine cleaning along with hoo-hoo surgery . If there are problems, it may be another story.

[PatricksMom]

Is it 'safe' to have a dental done at the same time as other surgery on one's dog? My dog (a 10 yr old golden retriever) is going to have a vulvaplasty ('hoo-hoo' surgery to correct a tucked vulva) in March and I'm thinking of having them also do a dental cleaning while they have her under.

 

Any thoughts/opinions on the safety of teeth & gums being cleaned along with other procedures?

 

Personally, I feel the biggest risk is anesthesia, so I prefer to lump procedures together--usually removal of a lump of some kind. Imo, and in my vet's opinion, at least regarding my dog, fewer times under are preferable. Now I don't know how extensive or time consuming the surgery you're considering is--if it's very long that might be a factor, I don't know. I would ask your vet.

[NevadasMom]

Thinking of Fletcher today. I see ice cream in his future!