After A Dental...........

[Busderpuddle]

Ruby will be having her first dental next Wednesday and I am already worried about my girl. Her breath changed to paint peeling in the last couple of weeks, so she went to the vet yesterday who said she looks to have pretty bad tarter and possibly a couple of infected teeth. I knew it was getting to be time.

So I am wondering what you feed them after their dentals and for how long ? She really isn't a good kibble eater anyway, so is it best to switch to rice and chicken ? Canned food ? How soon can I start brushing her teeth again ? I had stopped about a year and a half ago when I had foot pain and could not get up and down easily. Incredible how quickly her teeth went downhill. Hoping to keep up on them now.

Do they tend to bleed a lot or drool ? What did you use for pain ?

The vet and I talked quite a bit about the concerns of anesthesia and greyhounds, so I feel he is up to date on caring for her.

Thanks for any help and advice you share.

[tuff]

Top recently had a broken tooth pulled. He was put on rimadyl and tramadol and an antibiotic. No brushing for two weeks. I fed his kibble soaked in water for about 20 minutes (the other dogs were not thrilled having to wait for their food, lol). I think canned would be fine. He had a little drooling but not bad. He did wander around the house whining the first night, but was much better in the morning. He also had a lot of facial swelling that went down over several days. I usually ask my vet if they can do my dogs as early as possible in the day to allow for more recovery time before they go home. Good luck. I'm sure Ruby will be fine.

[Remolacha]

Val had a dental about a month ago, lost 6-7 teeth (I don't remember exactly) I feed ground raw, so it was easy for her to eat. Rice and chicken (chicken cut into bite size pieces) or canned food would be fine. If she doesn't lose any teeth she should be able to go back to her regular food in a day or two. If she loses teeth, obviously it will be longer, and there may be some bloody drool for about 24 hrs. Your vet will tell you what to watch out for. She may be woozy from the anesthetic the rest of the day, but most dogs bounce back to normal in a day or two.

 

I won't tell you not to worry that's not likely, but it will be fine, really.

 

Edited to add, she was on Tramadol and meloxicam for pain and clavamox antibiotic

Edited December 25, 2015 by Remolacha

[Time4ANap]

Rocket had a dental a little over a week ago. His teeth were in great shape, so he needed no extractions, only some tartar removal and a polishing. I fed him canned food for a couple of meals, then went to a mix of kibble and canned for 2 more meals just in case he had any sensitvity. He inhales his kibble and doesn't chew it, so switching back wasn't a big deal.

 

Your vet should give you instructions when you pick her up based on the extent of the work needed. Brushing may not be an option for a few weeks if there are extractions. Remember that extractions can go pretty deep on some teeth, so the amount of healing time needed is best determined by the vet.

[MaryJane]

If the breath changed that quickly maybe it was not the teeth .... did the vet do bloodwork to check the kidneys. If not, I suggest that you do that before the dental.

 

Also, arrange to get Amiar just in case there is a chance that teeth are going to be pulled.

[Busderpuddle]

I will ask about the Amiar tomorrow. Yes, blood work has been done and she is doing well as far as her kidneys.

I wondered about the breath too. It was getting bad for a while, but got much worse after she went away for 2 weeks. About a week after she came home, her breath became intolerable. It looks like she has one tooth, maybe more, that are infected. I love the place she goes to be boarded, however she almost always comes home with an owie of some sort. The lady that keeps her has tons of acres for her to run on, and other dogs to play with, so Ruby runs around like a fool and gets hurt. Nothing serious usually and she is so happy there that we are OK with it. She also has a healing puncture wound on her butt and ripped of one of her dew claw nails while there. The lady used to raise greys and loves the dogs like crazy. We know she is loved and safe (other than a bump or scrape) while we are away. I did call and ask her about any bones, and she does not give them. Ruby's teeth were bad before and we knew a dental was going to be done soon.

[Remolacha]

Yes, if a bad tooth gets infected the breath can go from "bad" to "toxic waste" pretty quickly

[macoduck]

Regarding Amicar, availability has gone down and price has gone way way up since the manufacturing company was sold. Prices went from around $50 to over $600, with variations around the country.

 

This hit right as my Percy was to get extractions.

 

Dr Couto said that tranexamic acid is a good substitute. You will need an Rx from your vet. I ended up getting mine via a local compounding pharmacy and it took a few days to come in. Cost less than $35.

[FiveRoooooers]

Just before I picked him up in October, Trevor, who was then 10.4 yo, had a dental during which he lost 30 teeth. Yep. His mouth was full of blanket stitches of suture material. He was sent home with Amicar, Tramadol, and an antibiotic. I'd soak his kibble until it was just shy of mush and add canned food that I smashed with a fork. He did well with that and I still soak his kibble now, but not to the point of mush. He still can't manage crunchy treats or hard foods, even Goldfish are tough for him (fish crumbs are ok ).

[Busderpuddle]

Just before I picked him up in October, Trevor, who was then 10.4 yo, had a dental during which he lost 30 teeth. Yep. His mouth was full of blanket stitches of suture material. He was sent home with Amicar, Tramadol, and an antibiotic. I'd soak his kibble until it was just shy of mush and add canned food that I smashed with a fork. He did well with that and I still soak his kibble now, but not to the point of mush. He still can't manage crunchy treats or hard foods, even Goldfish are tough for him (fish crumbs are ok ).

OH POOR GUY !!!!

I am going to go get some canned food for her tomorrow. It may be time to switch her food out anyway. She won't eat it unless there is cheese or rice and chicken on top. The vet said I should try to get more nutrition in her, but she is difficult. I have been trying to avoid canned food as long as I could because the smell makes me gag. Will just hold my breath.