You are all very kind to make me feel better
This time I will start brushing her teeth daily, don't want any more of these nasty surprises.
We don't really have dedicated dentists here either
But some vets will take an interest in teeth and get more training and education on it than others. At my clinic they have one vet that has extra training on dental stuff, one with an interest in surgery and one who has internal medicine as a focus area etc. Most vets do a little bit of everything, but they usually have an area of interest that they are better at and have more training in 😊
Yes there is always a risk with anaesthesia, good point. Luckily it's a very small risk if they use gas anaesthesia and have properly trained vet nurses to monitor the patient during procedures. But dental cleaning without a breathing tube carries a serious risk too. If dirty water from teeth cleaning procedures finds its way into the lungs, then a very dangerous bacterial pneumonia can develop.
Of course if you have been good about brushing teeth every day (unlike me
) and your dog does not have tartar or gingivitis, it makes sense to not do dental cleaning or anaesthesia. But if they do need dental treatment then proper gas anaesthesia and x-rays is the safest way to do it! And the only way to guarantee they are pain-free.
I understand and am happy to hear that people trust their vets, I do too. Every case is different
But it is helpful to know that when it comes to specific treatments some vets know more than others and sometimes it can be useful to check where their area of interest is and what type of training they have after vet school. I will still trust my old vet, but for dental stuff I will follow the advise of those that are more up to date on the best treatment available for that specific area of vet medicine.
Sorry I go on and on
I just did some reasearch and found out that dental problems and pain related to it is very commonly overlooked in pets. Most of us don't realise that our dogs will still eat and behave normally even with painful teeth.
Laurië had really good teeth for a very long time. I guess I should expect some dental issues in a 14 year old dog. Time to start brushing more often!