Advice please re Dental Op

[White Bryony]

Maddie is booked in to have a GA Scale & Polish on 25 August.

I have been putting it off because I am anxious about her having a GA but she need her teeth doing.

The Vet has asked me if I want pre-op blood tests and intravenous fluids during the GA.

I have decided against the blood tests (I probably would have gone for them if she had been older) but I am unsure about the intravenous fluids ... is the op long enough to warrant them?  If they will help her recovery then I will go for them ... has anyone any experience with this and what do you suggest?

Thanks xxx

[Mybuddies]

I must admit, every time one of mine have had an op and had the iv fluids I have seen a huge difference in how they came around ,  Heidi was under anaesthetic with iv for 2 1/2 hours due to various problems and came home never looked back infact you would never have known she had any surgery

I would not of thought a scale and polish would take too long and believe the length of time they are under to knock them about a bit,   Does she need any teeth out ? as this will lengthen the time

Our vet charges approx £35.00 for the fluids so not too bad 

On the other hand like humans, each dog is bound to have a different reaction to anaesthetic

[jennyspin]

Our Jessica, who's nearly nine went in for a scale and polish a few months ago and we had to have some removed as well. Due to her age she did have the extra tests done to check that everything was working properly prior to the anethetic. I'm sure your Maddie will be fine, you couldn't tell that Jess had had anything at all done within a few hours of coming back from the vets. Good luck and best wishes from us here. 

[fizzyntiffy]

We weren't given a choice re the iv fluids, they were standard.  She was a bit groggy that afternoon and evening but was fine the next day even though she'd been spayed at the same time.

Hope Maddie gets on ok with her scale & polish, Tiff had the breath of an  after hers 

[bracken]

My Lucy ( age 11) had 2 teeth removed and a de scale and polish a few months back, she was under around an hour, but i wasn't told about any pre op tests or drips we paid £350 so maybe they just stuck it on the bill.

her teeth look super now   Maddie will feel a new lady  

[saffysmum]

I do this myself as I can't face putting my older girl under a GA for her teeth.  I bought a tooth de-scaler at a show and about once every 6 months, I scrap her teeth down.  It is gross!  but if it saves her from having a day at the vets, then I just get on with it.  I just make sure I watch round the gum area as it can bleed easily.  As soon as we finish, Ruby gets a drink and a tooth friendly bikkie so she soon forgives me.  My other two are bone crunchers so their teeth are sparkily white and fresh.  I just wish Ruby would eat bones!

[Sheryl]

When Lyla went for her spay we were offered the choice of a pre op blood test.  I decided to go for it, even though she is only 2 years old.  For me, it gives me a base line to work from for the future and also, I decided that if there was anything there they needed to know about before the op then better safe than sorry.  Kali is going for a scale and polish next month but is only having sedation.  Wishing Maddie well for the 25th xx

[bracken]

I do this myself as I can't face putting my older girl under a GA for her teeth.  I bought a tooth de-scaler at a show and about once every 6 months, I scrap her teeth down.  It is gross!  but if it saves her from having a day at the vets, then I just get on with it.  I just make sure I watch round the gum area as it can bleed easily.  As soon as we finish, Ruby gets a drink and a tooth friendly bikkie so she soon forgives me.  My other two are bone crunchers so their teeth are sparkily white and fresh.  I just wish Ruby would eat bones!

My Lucy only underwent sugery at 11 because she has cancer of the mouth (which is terminal  )and they did a biopsie so did her teeth at the same time otherwise I won't put her though the GA at that age.

[cockerlover1]

How old is she ?? i would only have pre - op bloods on an older dog really. If she is in good health i would not go for IV's as they are not under long and they are not needed. I think your vet is maybe going down the extra money route if she is an healthy dog.

[Liz F]

Hi

Please see below my recent post re teeth cleaning

Diesel had his teeth cleaned last Friday, even though hes only 3 I had full bloods and fluids, it was an extra £35 but I think worth every penny.

The result is fab his teeth are brilliant white and he was fine with GA and  wanted his dinner as soon as he got home
(greedy boy)

 


Hi
Has anyone had teeth professionally cleaned by a vet? If so what did you think? any problems? how long does it last?

Diesel is 3 and his teeth are looking a bit mucky.  On the other hand Olli is 2 and his teeth are beautifully white.
They are both fed Royal Canin Cocker 25 and no rubbish, I use plaque off and brush teeth and yet Diesels teeth require cleaning?.
Olli chews constantly on rawhide and toys designed to clean teeth, were as Diesel just buries them in the garden or hides wherever he can and doesnt seem interested in chewing (has always been this way) maybe this is why Ollis teeth are so clean.

Vet says this is just the case with some dogs and has suggested having Diesels teeth cleaned

Any experience of teeth cleaning welcomed (positive or negative)

[Sheryl]

The thing about having bloods taken is that at least you get to know if there is anything going on that isn't obvious.  I know that to my eyes, Lyla appeared healthy but that didn't mean that something wasn't just starting or that something may have been wrong that didn't necessarily change the way she acted.  If she ever has to go for anything else, I would get the same done again, just for the peace of mind and to see how things have changed.

Meant to say that what the vet nurse told me was that they check things like clotting factors as they have been caught out before where they have had trouble stopping an animal bleeding and pre knowledge would have made all the difference.  I know that the scenario is unlikely but I am paranoid with the girls

[pinkcarys]

I might be saying the opposite to everyone else but if they offer pre-op blood tests then I would go for them. Whenever I have surgery I have to undergo the usual blood and urine tests to make sure I'm healthy enough to have the op so if offered I would want my dog to have them too. If, God forbid, anything happened during the op, I would be devastated and I know I would question whether a pre-op would have prevented any complications.

I always take operative risks very seriously whether it is me, family or doggie family. I was once told I had a less than 1 in 1000 risk of developing a heamatoma and I guess that was my lucky day as I did. I had to have two very serious ops in 48 hours, blood tranfusions and then developed MRSA    The problem is that although the chances of finding something in the pre-op are low, if you don't do it an it misses something the statistics don't count for anything.

Don't mean to be a negative worry wort, but I just couldn't pass on something that could potentially pick up on a problem.

[Rats and Dogs]

The liver and kidneys process the anaesthetic, so it is always best to have the pre-op blood test done just to make sure your pet is healthy enough to go through the op. I would get it for any age of dog, as I know a little dog who went in to be neutered at 6 months old, and it was discovered he had a liver problem, although was showing no signs. I had bloods done on Dougie when he got neutered, and although it does add to the price, I think it's worth it for peace of mind.

[White Bryony]

I have changed my mind about the blood tests and am going to have them done as well as the intravenous fluids.

Its not cheap at a starting price of £150 for the teeth (could be more if the vet needs to do more than a scale and polish), £45 for the blood tests and £25 for the intravenous fluids.

Also, last night we found a little lump in her side, about the size of a big grain of rice and hard, will get this checked out at the same time.

Wish it were this time next week and it was all over as I am quite anxious now

[Rats and Dogs]

I'm glad you have decided to go ahead, and I'm sure all will be fine, but I can understand your anxiety - when Gari was getting a dental, I was a wreck, especially as I was there and could hear the drill!

I wish it was standard to include the bloods with every op, but so many people would object to paying an extra price, so everyone is asked instead, and it is amazing how many people refuse. One of the vets said to me, it would be ideal if all dogs had blood tests every 6 months, as things can change so quickly, but very few people would ever go for it, as they would think the vets were just trying to make money. I got Gari checked every 6 months, and discovered his kidney disease just as it was beginning, and was able to get him straight onto renal food, whereas if I'd left it, he could have gone into renal failure before I saw any signs.

Good luck with the op, and I hope the lump turns out to be nothing.