Time For Kebo To Lose His Last 2 Canines...dentist In Va Or Go To Osu?

[Guest greytkidsmom]

Kebo's lower canines have started to bother him and our vet thinks it is time for them to come out. She wants a vet dentist to do it. We had seen the dentist at NC State where he had his maxillectomy but they no longer have a dentistry program. She has a vet dentist that practices out of Charlottesville but he is presently out of the country. I have found some names online but they are in the northern Virginia area. Do any of the NOVA people have experience with dentists (and costs) in the region? I emailed OSU and Dr. Kellogg said that they were capable of doing the procedure there but are booked into April. He has pain medication and we have changed his meals to a consistency that seems to be working (he had stopped eating for while which is why we had his teeth checked). I think we are probably okay to wait but I want the right person in the right place to do the job. Thoughts and opinions are welcome.

 

A photo of the critter in question...

[Houndtime]

If you are willing to travel, as many people do, you could make an appointment at NGAP in Philadelphia. I have a friend who travels from Ohio to NGAP for her greys dentals.

[MP_the4pack]

If you're going to go to NJ, go to Dr. Fiorito in Brick, NJ. SUPERB canine dentist. Expensive but SO WORTH it. I had my 15.5 yr old go under anesthesia with her because she is just so meticulous.

[NeylasMom]

I did a consult with a veterinary specialist in Gaithersburg, MD. Incredibly expensive, but I really liked the staff there and they've got the top of the line equipment, procedures, etc. Here's their info if you're interested:

 

Center for Veterinary Dentistry
301-990-9460

 

I've been debating over where to take Zuri. He just needs a routine dental (his first at age 8) and the veterinary dentist was able to ascertain that he needs to lose 4 incisors (more minor teeth), but because he has overheated in the past I am concerned about the anesthesia and sort of want the best of the best. Dr. R doesn't do dental x-rays as a routine part of his dentals and the specialist here is SO expensive so I am seriously considering going to OSU to have it done. It's a lot of driving to do by myself in a short period, but I can stop in Pgh on my way to see my family and even with gas and hotel costs, it's much cheaper than the specialist.

 

So no idea what you should do, just sharing my ridiculous thought process.

[Guest PA_Greys]

Our vet referred us to Dr. Ed Taylor to do extensive dental work on one of our greys. I think he is probably officially out of Charlottesville but he practices out of several different locations...Richmond, Staunton. I was real comfortable with him, knew his stuff and knew greys. They called us 3 times during the procedure to let us know what was going on.

http://www.virginiaveterinarydentistry.com/619066.html

 

Another option might be Virginia Tech. We've had a good experience with them for other stuff.

Edited January 18, 2013 by PA_Greys

[Tallgreydogmom]

I'd wait for Dr Kellogg and OSU. We live in SouthWestern TN and make the trip up to Ohio.

[tbhounds]

I second Ohio State but, I must admit I'm bias. Why does your vet feel the teeth need to be extracted?? Infection? Mobile? Fractured?

Misalignment?

[Guest greytkidsmom]

Our vet referred us to Dr. Ed Taylor to do extensive dental work on one of our greys. I think he is probably officially out of Charlottesville but he practices out of several different locations...Richmond, Staunton. I was real comfortable with him, knew his stuff and knew greys. They called us 3 times during the procedure to let us know what was going on.

http://www.virginiaveterinarydentistry.com/619066.html

 

Another option might be Virginia Tech. We've had a good experience with them for other stuff.

This is the dentist that she works with but he is out of the country at the moment.

Did he do it at a place that was capable of keeping your dog overnight if needed?

Do you feel the cost was reasonable?

 

No disrespect to Virginia Tech but they did his first surgery and then sent us to NC State. We did not have a good experience there. At some point I will be ready to give them a second chance but I'm not there yet.

Edited January 19, 2013 by greytkidsmom

[Guest greytkidsmom]

I second Ohio State but, I must admit I'm bias. Why does your vet feel the teeth need to be extracted?? Infection? Mobile? Fractured?

Misalignment?

 

He stopped eating for a few weeks. At first we thought it was because we had company but it continued after they left. We ground his kibble to a powder and made a slurry out of it and he ate it like he had never had a meal before. The vet checked him and he is very sensitive at the base of his right lower canine. No sign of infection and not loose that we can tell but both gums have receded badly. They jut out past his nose and are both exposed to air all of the time. The dentist at NC State gave us the option of keeping them or losing them at our last visit because of the gum recession but at that time they weren't bothering him and that was a big surgery to undergo just six months after the first. Now that he is eating normally on modified kibble I wonder if it would be reasonable to wait. It would be nice to have another opinion. He is in need of a dental anyway - his gums in general are so bad that even before all of this he needed a dental every 6 months. He has lost all of his incisors and several molars because of his gum disease.

 

Thanks for all the thoughts and opinions, keep them coming.

[tbhounds]

Ahh- get it now. If your vet felt it could wait I would head to OSU-basically because of their experience with ghs. All of their departments are very well versed in gh medicine-onco, ortho, internal medicine......and of course are very well equipped with all the diagnostic tools too. I mention the other departments only because if the primary Dr needed to bounce a question off of another Dr or department they would be familiar with gh quirks :-)

Maybe ask your current vet what he/she thought about using biotene vet on his gum line. They have a maintenance gel and an antiseptic gel formula. The biotene vet formulas were recommended to me by a veterinary dentist. I have seen the antiseptic gel calm some pretty inflamed gums. Please pass a hug on to Kebo from me ;-)

http://www.petkingbrands.com/products/bioteneOral.html

[NeylasMom]

Well if it helps you I've decided to head to OSU.

 

But honestly, if you'd prefer paying a bit more to traveling, go to the place I recommended in MD.

[Guest greytkidsmom]

Ahh- get it now. If your vet felt it could wait I would head to OSU-basically because of their experience with ghs. All of their departments are very well versed in gh medicine-onco, ortho, internal medicine......and of course are very well equipped with all the diagnostic tools too. I mention the other departments only because if the primary Dr needed to bounce a question off of another Dr or department they would be familiar with gh quirks :-)

Maybe ask your current vet what he/she thought about using biotene vet on his gum line. They have a maintenance gel and an antiseptic gel formula. The biotene vet formulas were recommended to me by a veterinary dentist. I have seen the antiseptic gel calm some pretty inflamed gums. Please pass a hug on to Kebo from me ;-)

http://www.petkingbrands.com/products/bioteneOral.html

 

Hug passed along - he says thanks.

We use the biotene water additive and I have the gel to use on his back gums. It is a bloody mess every time I brush him.

 

I forgot to add that our vet recommended a chest x-ray first before doing anything because of his history of cancer. If he has mets, there is no reason to do anything. We decided to defer that to the referral center since they often like to do their own films but maybe we should do it here. Kebo's travel anxiety is so bad that I would hate to put him through a long drive only to find out that we shouldn't have come in the first place. I was happy with the NC State idea for the reasons you mention OSU - all of the specialties available to bounce ideas off one another, etc. Cost with a private practice vs an academic center is also a concern of mine. I know they both give good care but this is not going to be a cheap procedure.

[Guest PA_Greys]

This is the dentist that she works with but he is out of the country at the moment.

Did he do it at a place that was capable of keeping your dog overnight if needed?

Do you feel the cost was reasonable?

 

No disrespect to Virginia Tech but they did his first surgery and then sent us to NC State. We did not have a good experience there. At some point I will be ready to give them a second chance but I'm not there yet.

He did the procedure at the Valley Augusta Clinic in Staunton. She had a canine and couple of molars and one or two others removed, plus the general cleaning. Cost around $600-$700 which was a lot less than I was anticipating. As I said they did a fantastic job of keeping me informed of what was going on, and during the pre-exam Dr. Taylor reassured me that if he couldn't reach me he would make decisions and treat Rosie and if she were his own dog. I can't remember about overnighting at that facility ... I'm sure I checked into it at the time but am not remembering now. It seemed a very nice clean facilty. The only thing that made me nervous was that I had them write all over her chart to use harness not collar (she can slip her collar) and they handed her back to me hooked to her collar ... I guess that's more of a tech oversight than Dr. Taylor's.

Interesting about your experience at VA Tech, I was nervous taking my boy to a teaching facility having heard horror stories about other teaching clinics but it worked out ok ... he had a endoscopy and biopsy, so not really surgery.

Wish you well with your decision, let us know how you make out.

[greytpups]

No suggestions...just scritches for sweet Kebo wishing the pain would go away.

[Guest kkaiser104]

I'm probably biased, but I love Dr. Kellog and the vets at OSU. They've been so great with Teddi, even allowing us to go into an exam room while waiting for results because Teddi gets cranky without a nap and won't lay in the waiting room without a bed. If you need a place to stay on the way, I'm an 1.5 (or so) south of OSU and we have 2 spare rooms for guests. Greyhound people are always welcome

[Guest greytkidsmom]

He did the procedure at the Valley Augusta Clinic in Staunton. She had a canine and couple of molars and one or two others removed, plus the general cleaning. Cost around $600-$700 which was a lot less than I was anticipating. As I said they did a fantastic job of keeping me informed of what was going on, and during the pre-exam Dr. Taylor reassured me that if he couldn't reach me he would make decisions and treat Rosie and if she were his own dog. I can't remember about overnighting at that facility ... I'm sure I checked into it at the time but am not remembering now. It seemed a very nice clean facilty. The only thing that made me nervous was that I had them write all over her chart to use harness not collar (she can slip her collar) and they handed her back to me hooked to her collar ... I guess that's more of a tech oversight than Dr. Taylor's.

Interesting about your experience at VA Tech, I was nervous taking my boy to a teaching facility having heard horror stories about other teaching clinics but it worked out ok ... he had a endoscopy and biopsy, so not really surgery.

Wish you well with your decision, let us know how you make out.

 

Thanks - that is pretty reasonable and close to what I was expecting the cost to be. Makes me feel a little better about staying in the state. I know my vet wouldn't steer me wrong but Kebo has been through so much that I want to know that everything is going to go smoothly.