Post-Dental Whining

[cgs]

Percy got his teeth cleaned today. Anesthesia, no extractions. I picked him up around 1pm. I had planned to leave him there most of the day to recover, but ended up there with my little dog because she wasn't walking or doing stairs, but that's another story.

 

As we left, he pooped outside on the way to the car. At home he was whining and restless so I took him for a short walk. He tried to poop twice more, but nothing came out, so that was weird. When we got home, I expected him to flop in his bed and sleep, but he stayed "sitting" (up on his elbows) panting and whining. After a while, I called the vet and she said that he probably just feels disoriented (dysphoric) from the anesthesia, and as long as his breathing isn't distressed, he should settle eventually.

 

He's been home about 3 hours now and he stopped panting a while ago, but is still whining. He has short spurts of lying all the way down and being quiet, but then gets back up on his elbows (is there a word for that?) and starts whining. I went upstairs to my desk for a while and he usually follows, but didn't. After a while, he started rooing, so I came back down to sit with him. Now he's just whining on and off. I offered him a little kibble to see if he was hungry since he wasn't allowed to have breakfast, but he didn't want any.

 

Is this normal? When should I expect him to feel better? The vet is open until 7pm. It's 4pm now. So I have some time to wait. He does seem better than when we first got home since he's not panting, but this whining is hard.

[XTRAWLD]

It's normal - anesthesia is no joke, and it will take a while to get out of his system depending on when he was sedated. Should be good in 24 hours. Whining can happen, he's been through an ordeal, don't expect too much too soon right now. He probably won't want food for a while, anesthesia can make them nauseous. Let him eat and drink at his own pace, just monitor his movements (no unnecessary trips up and down stairs! he's been sedated just recently!) He needs to be still and quiet and he'll come around soon.

[Roo]

It's the anesthesia. My terrier had a similar reaction, only her whining and crying was nearly constant and lasted well past midnight. She didn't want to eat or drink anything until just before bedtime (and even then it was only a couple bites and a couple laps), but she was mostly back to herself the next morning, and she slept like a rock for most of the next day.

[Time4ANap]

As posted above, all of that is pretty normal. You may find he won't want food until the morning. I had to put a leash on Rocket to get him outside after his dental. I asked if he wanted to go outside and he was so confused that he ran into the guest room and peed.

[KF_in_Georgia]

My boy had a canine tooth removed under anesthesia after he broke the tooth up by the root. When I brought him home, he "squeaked" all night. Not a full-throated whine, but just a closed-mouth squeak. And this is my silent dog: the one that never barks or whines.

 

Perfectly normal after anesthesia.

[cgs]

Thanks. This all makes me feel better. He has yet to eat or drink anything. I asked the vet tech when I could feed him, figuring he'd be ravenous since he couldn't have breakfast. She said nothing about how he might not want to eat. I put some oatmeal in his bowl, so that's there if he wants it.

 

He seemed better and we went for a walk and he was happy to go. Now he's back to whining and panting again. He had stopped panting hours ago. I don't think it's from the walk because it's not hot and it was short and slow.

 

I'll look forward to him feeling better and sleeping a lot tomorrow.

 

He just stopped panting and put his head down.

 

His teeth look awesome! Some were so gross. One was all gray and I thought it was dead and for sure they'd pull it, but is a beautiful white now.

[BatterseaBrindl]

It is very scary when this happens but he'll likely be back to normal soon...

 

Breathe .....

[tbhounds]

IMO it’s not the anesthesia but, the pre-meds they gave. Find out which drugs they used-see if he had an opioid. If so, because he didn’t have anything painful they could have reversed it (with naxolone)—-avoiding all of the post op whinning. Food for thought.

[cgs]

They should be calling later about his fecal results (fingers crossed for no worms) so I'll ask then what they used. I was going to ask anyway, but forgot. It just seems like I should know what they gave him.

[Remolacha]

How is he feeling this morning?

[cgs]

He's better. Not whining thank goodness. He started rooing from his crate at 2am last night so I slept on the couch. He ate breakfast, but not as voraciously as usual and hasn't been asking for a walk. I normally walk him around 9:30 or 10, but I haven't walked him and it's 11:30 now and he's just flopped next to me. Normally he'd pace around and start nudging me for a walk if it's getting late in the morning. I'm taking advantage if his lethargy and will walk him later.

[Remolacha]

Glad he is feeling better! It will probably take 24-36 hrs for him to get completely back to normal.

[cgs]

Good to know, thanks.

[cgs]

Can the anesthesia cause very loose poop? It's pretty bad today. Could be the stress also I suppose. I forgot to ask what he was given, drug-wise. I'll have to call again.

[XTRAWLD]

Can the anesthesia cause very loose poop? It's pretty bad today. Could be the stress also I suppose. I forgot to ask what he was given, drug-wise. I'll have to call again.

Mmhmm, plus the stress. He also hasn't really eaten much. Give it another 24 hours.