Bad reaction to anesthesia after dental?

[Susan]

Our 6 yo grey had a dental 3 weeks ago and had to have some teeth extracted. She was fine that day and the next but 2 days later began to vomit and have terrible diarrhea and ultimately we had to hospitalize her for severe dehydration. She lost 9 lbs! She did recover and seems to be fine now, but I wonder about any future dental and what could have caused this bad reaction. We gave her some cooked ground beef and rice after and I wonder if that might have caused the GI problems. We switched to canned chicken and she is now mostly back on kibble with yogurt. Also, what about trying to brush her remaining teeth: I brushed her teeth twice a week,  but the vet said that she just has bad teeth. Any advice for dental care and possible future dentals?

[KF_in_Georgia]

A couple of years ago, my boy (now 7 years old) broke a canine tooth and had to have the roots removed in surgery at the ER. They advised soft food for a week; my vet later changed it to two weeks. I fed him canned food, but I had a hard time getting the calories right, and I think the canned food was too rich for him. He's usually a walking upset stomach--in fact, he had a bad bout of diarrhea in November--but I swore that if I had it to do over, I'd only feed the softened kibble he was used to and thus avoid upsetting his stomach.

Fast forward to this December 17, when the boy and my 11 year old girl both went in for dentals. The boy's teeth just needed some cleaning; the girl had two teeth pulled. She was on chewable antibiotics for a week and pain meds for a couple of days. I fed softened kibble to both dogs, and we avoided diarrhea issues, even for the girl taking antibiotics.

So for future occasions when you need soft food, you might want to stick to the food you're already feeding and just soften the food as necessary. (You also can grind kibble in a food processor, so that the result is something the dog can lap rather then chew.) If the dog needs antibiotics, ask the vet about Forti Flora (or another probiotic product); Jane didn't need a probiotic, but Q did back in November. If your girl was on antibiotics, make a note of what she had and see if your vet is willing to prescribe something different the next time she needs antibiotics.

For toothbrushing, check a local pet store for a finger brush--a soft rubber item you put on your finger and use that to brush. (Or you can try wrapping gauze around your finger.) Don't use a lot of pressure in the area where teeth are missing. (Luckily for me, Jane's two extractions were aligned teeth, top and bottom on the same side of her mouth. And she was willing to take her pills as long as I buried them in a glob of peanut butter on the side of her bowl.)

[NeylasMom]

What did the vet say about what might have caused the reaction?

For future care, daily brushing, a water additive, and raw meaty bones are my suggestions.

[tbhounds]

I would be curious to see the anesthesia protocol used.

[greysmom]

Many vets are unaware that greyhounds can react badly (even more badly than yours did) to regular anesthesia protocols.  You can search through the forum here for greyhound "safe" one used by many.  Your dog will likely be sensitized to anesthesia from now on so be very careful if he does need to be sedated.

I socond not switching their food if you have a dog with a sensitive stomach.  Stick with what you have and either soak and/or soften the kibble, and use a canned food (if necessary) of the same brand and variety.  If you do need a "bland" diet, stay with the protein that works the best for your dog.  Cook it in the most low fat way possible, and rinse and drain it if necessary to get off any excess fat.  Use overcooked pasta or oatmeal instead of rice as those have more nutrients and are easier on their digestive tracts.

You can also ask your vet for some carafate as a stomach protectant for a few days post surgery.

[Susan]

Thanks. Our vet has long experience with greys and has seen this one and her predecessor for almost 15 years. She has had at least 2 dentals before and did fine. She is now back on regular kibble/yogurt/olewo carrot mixture. We did use Fortiflora after she came home from hospital. She usually has a strong stomach, in comparison to our previous grey who had a very sensitive tummy. So this was a shock, not to mention extremely expensive. I will go back to brushing but was nervous after the extractions.