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Teeth cleaning for senior pooch

Basenji Health Issues & Questions

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DebraDownSouth
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@ZenGrrrl:

Does anyone have experience with "no anesthesia" teeth cleaning? I'm planning to take my 12-year-old in for this procedure but would welcome second opinions.

I posted to this yesterday– Don't do it. The AMVA and the dental association say run from such procedures as you cannot get cleaned under the gums so while (like the spray stuff) it might make teeth above gums and breath better, does not do the job.
Debra
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Patty
last edited by

Excuse my ignorance but what is no anesthesia teeth cleaning, please?
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DebraDownSouth
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Patty, basically they charge less, tout no anesthesia, and basically clean the teeth the best they can, above the gum line.
Debra
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Patty
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No magic then, Debra? Paying a vet for what we can do at home! Or am I being too cynical?
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• • • Sass7656

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Unfortunately for us Maia has never done well with chicken, she loves it and eats it but it gives her diarrhea and seems to mess up her over all health. We did blood work again and her liver enzymes decreased by 30% which is great! Her actual health though is not so good so that is bad. We can get her to eat which is good, but the food control is not great salmon, ham(boiled a few times to remove the salt), breaded cauliflower, Mac and cheese. Whatever we can get her to eat. It’s crazy! We have her booked with a chiropractor to check her nerve function and we are ready to get prednisone going if it is ibd. We are working closely with our vet daily, she currently is on metronidazole and amoxicillin and gabapentin. Thursday I thought we were going to lose her and she has rallied. I hate optimism as I don’t do well with a broken heart but I am hoping for the best right now. She is on 2 billion probiotic per day as well. Every bite of food I can get into her I think, ok 1 more day at least. If I have to spend all day hand feeding her, I will. She is finally sleeping and twitching a little less! She is going up and down stairs ok, not great but ok and she is no longer falling over. We are far from out of the woods but I have seen some small improvements. Thank you all for your words, encouragement, advice and stories of what you have gone through. It is tremendous to me how kind you are. Thank you for taking some time out of your day and trying to help! We so appreciate it. Mai Mai means the entire world to us and every word, suggestion, or story we take into account and thank you so much for being such a loving wonderful community. With lock down and a sick pup we feel quite overwhelmed, so thank you!
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• • • PhocoenaGirl

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My "aging" dogs are fed TasteOfTheWild kibble topped with a bit of wet food (variety of good brands) or a raw medallion (duck or pheasant) and with a fair amount of water so its kind of soupy (vet suggestion). Their weight hasn't changed and my vet is very happy with their condition. He also does a CBC every year on them for monitoring purposes, which I'm happy about.

I'm real skittish now with essential oil usage. A couple of friends who are into that got me started using them on my dogs but mine started having bad reactions (Teddy's allergies went berserk and he scratched off a lot of fur before I got it under control again). I do use a botanical flea/tick spray but even there one has to be very careful - I tried one that had cedar and cinnamon oil in it and it caused weird shedding and scratching.
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Teeth

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• • • Henna420

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Well they actually suggest routine checks at least yearly, cleaning if needed. When I fed raw, my dogs, never a one, ever needed their teeth cleaned. And the vet felt Cara's were fine last year, but who knows in Feb.. she may need them cleaned (she'll be 3). If you make brushing a routine, you may not have to have it done. But because of Arwen's autoimmune disorder, hers have to be cleaned every 3 mos as she reacts to plaque even tho there is almost no tartar on them at cleaning time. 😞

So I had to go look at the stats and info. The only ones I find are like this, examine teeth, clean if necessary. But if 80 percent have issues by 3, then they probably need scaling before unless you are brushing regularly.

http://now.tufts.edu/articles/dental-disease-cats-dogs

::::: Equal Opportunity Bacteria

Some 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats show signs of oral disease by age three, according to the American Veterinary Dental Society. However, problems can start at a much younger age. “I have taken puppy or kitten teeth out of animals that are six or seven months of age, and there is already tartar buildup,” notes Rosenblad, who teaches veterinary dentistry at Tufts and is president of the Veterinary Alumni Association.::::::
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Teething

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• • • Andrew

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Frozen carrots work well also. But usually teething is not a big deal for pups
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Teeth brushing

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• • • nobarkus

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PLEASE DO NOT!!! The AMVA and the dental veterinary society says RUN from ANY VET advertising no anesthesia cleaning. PLEASE, find a vet who knows what they are doing! The teeth may LOOK cleaner, but the MEDICAL issue is below the gums!

http://www.avdc.org/dentalscaling.html

However, performing NPDS on an unanesthetized pet is inappropriate for the following reasons:

1. Dental tartar is firmly adhered to the surface of the teeth. Scaling to remove tartar is accomplished using ultrasonic and sonic power scalers, plus hand instruments that must have a sharp working edge to be used effectively. Even slight head movement by the patient could result in injury to the oral tissues of the patient, and the operator may be bitten when the patient reacts.

2. Professional dental scaling includes scaling the surfaces of the teeth both above and below the gingival margin (gum line), followed by dental polishing. The most critical part of a dental scaling procedure is scaling the tooth surfaces that are within the gingival pocket (the subgingival space between the gum and the root), where periodontal disease is active. Because the patient cooperates, dental scaling of human teeth performed by a professional trained in the procedures can be completed successfully without anesthesia. However, access to the subgingival area of every tooth is impossible in an unanesthetized canine or feline patient. Removal of dental tartar on the visible surfaces of the teeth has little effect on a pet's health, and provides a false sense of accomplishment. The effect is purely cosmetic.

3. Inhalation anesthesia using a cuffed endotracheal tube provides three important advantages… the cooperation of the patient with a procedure it does not understand, elimination of pain resulting from examination and treatment of affected dental tissues during the procedure, and protection of the airway and lungs from accidental aspiration.

4. A complete oral examination, which is an important part of a professional dental scaling procedure, is not possible in an unanesthetized patient. The surfaces of the teeth facing the tongue cannot be examined, and areas of disease and discomfort are likely to be missed.

Safe use of an anesthetic or sedative in a dog or cat requires evaluation of the general health and size of the patient to determine the appropriate drug and dose, and continual monitoring of the patient.

) Periodontal problems affect more than 80 percent of dogs over the age of four, according to Hometown Animal Hospital and Dental Clinic veterinarian Jan Bellows.

University of Penn
http://www.vet.upenn.edu/RyanVHUPforSmallAnimalPatients/SpecialtyCareServices/DentistryOralSurgery/ClientInformation/tabid/814/Default.aspx#AnesthesiaFrequencyDentalCleanings

Need for Anesthesia and Frequency of Professional Dental Cleanings
Need for Anesthesia

In order to perform a thorough periodontal examination, dental radiography, scaling and polishing, gingival curettage and root planing, the pet must be under general anesthesia. Anesthetic gas and oxygen are delivered through an endotracheal tube, thus ensuring pain-free procedures and also protecting the airways from aspirating fluids or debris. Owners of pets naturally are concerned when anesthesia is required for their pet. However, anesthesia-free dentistry performed by untrained individuals is inappropriate for several reasons, including:

Significant safety concerns for the patient and operator.
Insufficient cleaning of inaccessible tooth surfaces.
No debridement of periodontal pockets.
Oral discomfort and serious pain.
Accidental aspiration of debris that can result in pneumonia and death.

Furthermore, it is illegal for anybody but licensed veterinarians or supervised and trained veterinary technicians to practice veterinary medicine. Although anesthesia will never be 100% risk-free, modern anesthetic and patient evaluation techniques used in veterinary hospitals minimize the risks, and millions of dentistry and oral surgery procedures are safely performed each year. The American Veterinary Dental College adopted a position statement on companion animal dental scaling without anesthesia.

Anesthesia is essential for veterinary dental procedures, to ensure that the procedure can be completed successfully.

Fear of general anesthesia is a natural concern voiced by many owners when a dental procedure is recommended. However, the risk of chronic oral infection, for example, is far greater than the risk of an anesthetic complication.

\

btw… have dog with CUPS, an autoimmune issue. I have to have her teeth cleaned every 3 mos. I wish I didn't know so much about it. 😞
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Teeth Cleaning

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• • • BDawg

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What about those mint-flavored rawhides, bones, biscuits? Do they work?

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Teeth cleaning for senior pooch

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