Bloodwork Before Dental

[MattB]

Charlie is booked in for a dental - his teeth are very clean but he's got some recession and the vet says it's painful for him and he needs one of his big back teeth removed.

 

Anyway, so he's booked in and the vet suggested that due to his age (8) he should have pre-anaesthetic bloodwork done. This seems like a lot of additional money - last time, with our other hound, same practice but different vet said unless there were specific concerns they didn't need to do tests before anaesthetic.

 

Absolutely happy to pay, but just wondering if anyone knows what pre-anaesthetic bloodwork usually consists of, and why is it important. Is this something I should do? (I'm just a bit against the 'optional extra' status of something they're saying is important).

[Hubcitypam]

I had to do that for Buck, I think it was $120 They call it seinor (spelling) blood work.

Edited April 15, 2018 by Hubcitypam

[tbhounds]

Your vet is practicing good medicine. I would always run preoperative bloodwork. Wouldn’t it be a shame if you didn’t find an underlying health condition and you proceeded with an elective procedure? Results could be tragic.

[oldrunners]

Yup, my vets require it before senior dentals.

[MattB]

So what sort of things are they testing for?

 

I don't resent paying at all - I would just like a greater understanding of what it is (and if it's important I don't know why they don't describe it as standard)

[MaryJane]

They need to check the kidneys and liver because if the results are a little off - they may need to take additional precautions during the dental. If the tests are a lot off - the dental will get cancelled. They also need to check platelets which might be low and if so, the dental will also probably get cancelled until a reason for the low platelets can be determined (sometimes a tick disease) - platelets are one part of what stops bleeding so if teeth are being removed, that is important. In my pinion, the tests are needed to determine whether the dental can proceed safely (although other things can happen)

[cgs]

My vet requires pre-denatal blood work for every dog, not just seniors. Maybe that's a ripoff? I don't know.

[cmc333]

My girl is having a dental Monday and I got her bloodwork done this past week. He checks to make sure all the levels are okay and that nothing makes a change in the anesthetic protocol. I had it done even though Smylis is only 5 and he doesn't require it till the dogs are 8 years old. Hate paying the money, but the peace of mind is worth it.

[NeylasMom]

I've never heard of pre-anesthesia blood work being optional for a dog at any age, but maybe standards are different where you are (I think maybe you are in the UK?). I believe we do a smaller panel that includes only the major things like what MaryJane described, different than a full CBC which you might do annually or if your dog is sick, so it should be slightly cheaper.

[DesiRayMom]

IMHO every hound over 8 should have bloodwork checked yearly. Catching a problem (kidneys/liver/etc) early is way better than not.

[Rickiesmom]

I would definitely do it. I had a dog who had bloodwork done two months before her spay, and the results were fine so the vet felt it didn't have to be repeated. She went into acute kidney failure post-op. The cause was never determined but I will always wonder if something would have changed in her bloodwork that would have alerted to a brewing issue and always want bloodwork done as close as possible to any procedure date now,

[racindog]

Yes. Although it seems I rarely agree with vet extra's THIS is IMO one case where the vet is indeed correct. It is HIGHLY recommended that the pre-op bloodwork get done. It is important and worth the added expense.

[mom2four]

Our vet does bloodwork on seniors before any dental or surgery. It's a good practice. If nothing else they have blood values of your dog when it's still relatively young and healthy and can refer back to this as your dog ages. Money well spent.

[MattB]

Thank you all. Much appreciated.

 

Of course we'll get them done!

[cmc333]

I've never heard of pre-anesthesia blood work being optional for a dog at any age, but maybe standards are different where you are (I think maybe you are in the UK?). I believe we do a smaller panel that includes only the major things like what MaryJane described, different than a full CBC which you might do annually or if your dog is sick, so it should be slightly cheaper.

I live in the middle of the Ozarks, which is still in the '70's. A lot of things considered "normal" by vets near large cities are not considered "normal" around here. Different strokes for different folks - I'm just glad most people get their dogs rabies shots here.

[PatricksMom]

Your vet is practicing good medicine. I would always run preoperative bloodwork. Wouldn’t it be a shame if you didn’t find an underlying health condition and you proceeded with an elective procedure? Results could be tragic.

Yep, think about it less as pre-dental (although that's important, you don't want to miss something before you put them under) and more as something you should be doing annually anyway, to catch problems before they get too severe. I start running a full senior panel when I first get them (they're not actually senior specific, just more comprehensive).