Dental Questions

[schultzlc]

I tried out a mobile vet for the very first time today for my girls' annual appointments. Everything went very well, they're in good health, the mobile vet was a much less stressful occassion for them, and the vet van itself was well-equipped.

 

That said, both of my girls could use a dental this spring. Luna's teeth and gums are in decent shape, but she'll be nine in a couple of months, and I'd rather have some work done on her now than when she gets older. Nova's teeth and gums are not as good. In spite of daily brushing, her teeth have been a big challenge for me. In fact, she was prescribed some antibiotics today to help with some inflammation.

 

This vet has worked with greyhounds before, and seemed well-versed on their sensitivities. He could perform the dental procedures right in his motorhome thingy in my front yard. Everything would be done right there, and then my hounds would be brought back into my home to recover, and the vet would be on-call, willing to return should any problems arise. The benefit is that my girls wouldn't have to recover kenneled at a vet office, which would be quite stressful for Luna, and possibly for Nova as well. The downfall is that I would have to witness said recovery. Has anyone ever gone this route before? Any experiences you can share?

 

This is the first time I will have to have my dogs anesthetized, and I am a nervous wreck just thinking about it. Are there any questions I should ask about pre or post-op procedure, about the anesthesia, medications, etc? I want to go into this as well-informed and prepared as possible.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Time4ANap]

Rocket had eyelid surgery to remove a growth last year. In my opinion the vet sent him home way too quickly. As a result, he was completely loopy for several hours and couldn't really comprehend instructions. When I tried to get him to go outside, he ran into the guest room and peed there. The poor boy would be appalled if he knew what he had done. We actually changed vets because of this incident.

 

The new vet had to remove the re-growth of the same eyelid thing a few months later, so we had a dental done and a cyst removed at the same time. The new vet's process is to keep them at least 3-4 hours after surgery. We picked up a hound in much better shape after surgery this way. I personally would not want to have to try and keep two hounds recovering from anesthesia in my house. I felt much better about Rocket being at the vet recovering than I did having him at home the first time.

[3greytjoys]

Mobile vets can be great for a minor visit, but a mobile vet for a surgery requiring anesthesia would be ill-advised, IMO. I would not consider it for our own Greyhounds.

 

Unexpected complications could require a full service veterinary hospital with a staffed recovery room with veterinarians and nurses on site throughout the entire recovery. Urgent complications during recovery won't wait for a veterinarian to drive back to a site, and some post-surgical complications may not be noticed by a non-medical professional. Additionally, animals coming out of anesthesia can be highly reactive and should be cared for only by professional veterinary nurses and vets. (Our vet refuses to allow non-veterinary medical people to sit with animals during post-surgery recovery.) Also, Greyhounds' body temperature should be monitored very closely both during surgery and through hospital recovery. I wouldn't imagine the operating room would be a very sterile environment in a motor home either.

 

 

[3greytjoys]

I'd suggest asking vet at least one week in advance for a 5-day prescription for aminocaproic acid (reduces bleeding). Then begin dosing on the morning of surgery, or the day before surgery and the following 4 days.

Costco pharmacy is usually well priced for tablets, or you can get a beef flavored liquid form from a compounding pharmacy.

[schultzlc]

Thank you all for your responses.

 

I had the chance to talk things over with the people who taught me to care for greyhounds back when I was a child-- my parents. What the said about using a mobile vet was on point with what Time4ANap and 3greytjoys discussed. So, I am going to steer away from that option.

 

This leaves me with two scenarios. First, I could find a vet in my city to perform the dentals on my hounds. Or, I could drive about 1 hour south to Nashville and head to Grassmere (http://www.grassmere-animal-hospital.com/) where I know my girls will be in very good hands. I'm leaning towards Grassmere right now, due to their experience working with greyhounds. But, I am also a little worried about forcing a recovering greyhound to travel in the car for an hour to get back home. Assuming the hound would stay in-hospital for a few hours post anesthesia, is it even feasible to travel that far?

 

3greytjoys: thank you also for your tip on aminocaproic acid. I'll definitely look into that.

 

 

Thank you all for helping me sort through my rambling thoughts. I know that dentals are very common procedures, and most result in a positive outcome, but I am still very nervous to take the plunge.

[krissy]

This leaves me with two scenarios. First, I could find a vet in my city to perform the dentals on my hounds. Or, I could drive about 1 hour south to Nashville and head to Grassmere (http://www.grassmere-animal-hospital.com/) where I know my girls will be in very good hands. I'm leaning towards Grassmere right now, due to their experience working with greyhounds. But, I am also a little worried about forcing a recovering greyhound to travel in the car for an hour to get back home. Assuming the hound would stay in-hospital for a few hours post anesthesia, is it even feasible to travel that far?

 

Assuming they keep the hound for a few hours post op there's no reason not to travel by car. Kili has been popped into a vehicle for extended drives several times following anesthesia/sedation. The first time we were at the referral hospital until about 8 PM following her scope and urinary surgery. She had a rough recovery (which is why I now insist on handling all sedation/anesthesia now for my own dogs) but after that I popped her into the car and drove her the 2 hours home. This fall she was sedated for spinal x-rays and then I popped her into the truck and we drove 5 hours through the mountains. They basically just sleep, so as long as it is long enough after recovery that they're okay to go home, there's not really a reason they can't go for a car ride. It's ideal if you can have another person riding shot gun that can poke their head back to check on the sleepy hound and make sure all is well, just on the off chance of delayed complications.

[SanTanSnuggles]

My Surprise had a difficult time bleeding and coming out of the anesthesia after a deep clean dental. He stayed at vets most of the day. He seems like such a strong guy at seven, but I was glad he was at the vets and not in the home afterward. Every grey is different in how they react.

[ramonaghan]

You know my vote is Grassmere! They'll definitely keep the girls for a few hours afterward. Even when Sweep's had to be mildly sedated for xrays there, they keep her a few hours to monitor her. Don't hesitate to call and chat with them first about your concerns; they are so knowledgeable and will help set your mind at ease (btw, I seem to remember Dr. Clark telling me recently they've never lost a grey during a dental). And if I can help in any way, let me know!

[schultzlc]

Thank you all for your input! The mobile vet did say that he is always willing to transfer records on to another clinic, and I shouldn't feel weird about asking. For peace of mind, I will plan to have their dentals done at a brick and mortar vet.

 

 

You know my vote is Grassmere! They'll definitely keep the girls for a few hours afterward. Even when Sweep's had to be mildly sedated for xrays there, they keep her a few hours to monitor her. Don't hesitate to call and chat with them first about your concerns; they are so knowledgeable and will help set your mind at ease (btw, I seem to remember Dr. Clark telling me recently they've never lost a grey during a dental). And if I can help in any way, let me know!

 

Thank you, Rachel, I appreciate it!