Mason Has A Dental And Possible Tooth Extraction Tomorrow

[GreyhoundGirl]

I took him in to have his brown tooth checked and they're going to x-ray it, do a cleaning while he's under and remove the tooth if necessary. I'm sure everything will be fine but of course I'm nervous. It's fur baby's (and mama's) first dental.

[Guest Dancer]

Good luck!

[KF_in_Georgia]

At the risk of scaring the bejeebers out of you, please print the article at this link and give it to your vet: http://greytarticles.wordpress.com/medical-first-aid/anesthesia-surgical/high-potassium-during-anesthesia-causes-greyhound-sudden-death/

 

If everything goes well, your vet won't need this info. Most greyhounds come through a dental just fine. But it would be well for your vet to have this situation in mind, especially if Mason has to be under anesthesia longer than expected with an extraction. This information has just arisen very recently, as far as I know, and there's not anything you need to do differently before surgery. It's just something for your vet to have in mind. (My girl will be going for a cleaning in the next month or so, and her vet is going to get a copy of that article.)

 

The other thing to know is that you should get a just-in-case prescription for Amicar if your vet has to remove the tooth. Amicar scripts can be filled at people-pharmacies. Amicar is used to help blood clot in greyhounds. In your case, since there's a weekend coming up, you might want to take this precaution rather than have to deal with an ER over the weekend if there's a problem. (And make sure you know your own vet's weekend hours and have the vet's recommendation for an emergency.) Where to find amicar. What amicar does. That second link goes to an Ohio State article about bone cancer. The specific statement that's relevant for Mason's dental is, "Aminocaproic acid (AA - Amicar®) is a commercially available inhibitor of fibrinolysis (procoagulant) commonly used in humans with postoperative bleeding that can be administered IV or by mouth."

 

Greyhounds usually don't have a problem forming clots after surgery (and a dental extraction counts as surgery). If a greyhound's blood is tested before the surgery, it clots just fine. But their clots are weaker than the clots of other breeds and sometimes can fail, triggering post-op bleeding. This is something greyhound-savvy vets usually know. But a lot of vets don't know about this, and another greyhound owner recently went through hell trying to get the bleeding under control on her dog in the face of ER vets who told her to stop making a fuss ("It's just a bruise") and just take her dog home. Her own vet was out of reach, and the ER vets refused to consider online publications or Dr Couto's published recommendations. Amicar isn't cheap, and sometimes it can be hard to find (I don't know if you're in a big city or a small town). If the major drug store chains where you are don't have it, they often can get it overnight. If Mason needs a tooth removed, you could get a script from your vet, but just not fill it unless Mason has a problem. (A Greytalk thread about Amicar--including dosage info--is here.)

 

Finally, if Mason has been taking a fish oil supplement, discontinue it until he's safely past all this stuff. Fish oil can act as a blood thinner.

 

And that's it. That's the scary stuff you don't want to read or have to think about. But I lost a girl during orthopedic surgery. The amicar and fish oil wouldn't have made a difference, but the potassium might have--and I'll never know.

[MaryJane]

As stated above, get Amicar and discontinue fish oil.

 

I would also check to see who will be doing the cleaning - whether it is the vet or the dental tech.

Edited February 14, 2014 by MaryJane

[Guest grey_dreams]

Sending best wishes for Mason's dental and easy recovery after the extraction

 

 

 

At the risk of scaring the bejeebers out of you, please print the article at this link and give it to your vet: http://greytarticles.wordpress.com/medical-first-aid/anesthesia-surgical/high-potassium-during-anesthesia-causes-greyhound-sudden-death/

 

Wow, thank you so much for sharing that. Definitely going to print it out and give it to my vet!

[Time4ANap]

Good luck Mason! milk it for all it's worth afterward (lots of ice cream).

Edited February 14, 2014 by Time4ANap

[Busderpuddle]

Prayers for Mason............

[Guest Lillypad]

Thanks KF_in_Georgia for the heads up on that article, I printed a copy for my records. The very best wishes for Mason, you will be the envy of all with your bright pearly whites. As for me, I better pull out that toothbrush and get at Lilly's teeth, been slacking lately, LOL. Best wishes Mason.

Edited February 14, 2014 by Lillypad

[Batmom]

One of the vets on FB asked a greyhound vet board about the high potassium thing. Evidently, nobody in that group has experienced it or heard of it except for those two hounds.

[Charlies_Dad]

Good thoughts!