Last year I scheduled a dental cleaning for Oakley (he was two)..and he had blood work taken however a day before his procedure is when we ended up at the emergency vets for his near death obstruction….so needless to say his 90$ blood panel ended up being pointless! This year however (oakley is now 3) I noticed Oakley having plaque or tartar buildup and his breath has been awful...I admit I'm not the most religious of brushers and when we do we use an enzymatic toothpaste. I read dogs and cats can develop dental disease as early as three and that dental disease is also a big cause of pet deaths and health complications so naturally while I tried to be preventative I realize now we might be at the maintenance phase.
One of superstition I cautiously scheduled Oakley for a dental cleaning and am being extra careful not to repeat last years incidents! This Thursday Oakley will go in for his procedure..wanted to know if there is anything I should know about the procedure, any recovery issues or sensitivity...experiences and such? It's a huge deal to do something like this because we are very well known at our vets office and emergency vets...when I called to make the appointment the receptionist said "oh, we were just talking about Oakley. A dog came in and ate a couch and needed surgery and we said, ""that's such an Oakley thing to do!""
Oakley doesn't do well separated from me, nevermind at the vets while in the presence of strangers...warnings and concerns over making sure they don't tie his leash up as he's previously come running out to me with a half tied leash, reminders that if they must muzzle him that he can and will get the muzzle off then proceed to eat it, reminders that he can chew through a bungi coated IV line with a cone on by swinging the line to catch it between his toes, efforts to please securely lock the crate because he can escape and will commence with visiting the cats and trying to eat the dogs...and on and on...luckily, the vet will call us when they are ready for him because he can't be dropped off early, and I'll be home and ready when they call ( and they WILL call!) You are all either laughing, relating to my reality, thinking I'm exaggerating or that I must be annoying my vets staff but I promise almost all of these things have at one point happened at my vets office or while a patient at the animal hospital...he can leave quite an impression!

Needless to say, he's difficult and anxious which is making me wish the week could already be over with..fasting this skinny piglet will be a nightmare, I have visions of him slamming his food bin back and forth like a banshee and smacking the stove with his hands to draw attention to this injustice from exactly 8:05 until we leave around approx 11...oof

http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/chealsie508/409ECF80-CB0B-4981-96F5-45CC337F8FF2.jpg

Aw, it's so worrying when we have to let them out of our hands, isn't it? I'm sure your vets will be fine - somebody on here suggested you take the vets cakes or/cookies. I did…and Butu was fine..my vet described him as "a bit naughty", which, given she is a phlegmatic Scot, probably translates to "the Basenji from Hell"...Keeping everything crossed for you and Oakley....

I hope things go well for you and Oakley today. Even with a well behaved Basenji it's always stressful to go to the vet's, even for routine procedures. My guy knows the way and figures out where we are headed well before we get there, and he's not a happy camper about it. Other than crying and making a fuss in the car, he's good once he's there and behaves himself on the table.

Sleep late, then go for a long walk to take up some of that hungry-waiting time. Good luck, he should be fine!

Eeefarm, so jealous, Oakley surely won't behave (at least not to my standards)..we live two minutes from our vets office but the minute we pull into the parking lot his tail will surely uncurl and his wrinkles will furrow deeply..he may whine and whimper but he will inevitably look up at me with eyes of betrayal! Lol
Sleeping late is something I've considered, only problem being Oakley will wake me up to eat….he does his every morning! After he eats he is perfectly capable and willing to lay back down..And as for the walk, also a good idea but it won't happen. Currently we are in the middle of a two day snowstorm and he temp on my way into work this morning is 9degrees; I barely got Oakley to suit up to go out!!

I'm sure he will be fine..I just hope it's nothing too traumatic for him; after the last ER stay he has becomes weary of the vets office, as it's the only time he's ever been left somewhere without his mom...either way, it is going to happen so we will each have to suck it up and get it done....

Maybe I will bake something to bring when I get home, at least as an "I'm sorry" for whatever stunt he decides to pull while there.

My girl, Bandit, has a note in her file that she can't be awake in a cage or she FREAKS out. She will try to chew through the metal bars, half sedated, and they will take her out and someone has to sit with her on their lap until I come get her.

I am like you. I drop her off right before whatever, and they call me RIGHT when she shows signs of waking up so that no one has to be stuck up front with a sleepy basenji on their lap, trying to work!

She's never had to be crated, except as a tiny pup, hence the FREAK out session!!!!!

My Vets and I have an agreement that I MUST be at their office within 15 minutes of a call to come get my Basenji… LOL As far as the procedure for teeth cleaning... if they do not have to extract any, it is pretty easy on them. A bit sore gums for a day or two... soft food recommended. I always did white rice and boil ground turkey/chicken or beef... if they have to do an extraction, then a bit more sore for 3 to 4 days, but they heal quickly.

Good to know Pat…I would be highly suspicious to be truthful if he "needed" an extraction...but I also had no clue whether to expect him crying or whining as he milks whatever can out of me..if I should be feeding him hard kibble or even how long before I should begin brushing...I'll probably soften his kibble since he has such dietary restrictions with the protein levels and him having a sensitive tummy to switching diets (that surgery recovery last year did a number on him!)

It's a good agreement to have, I will not be going to work specifically so I can be within five minutes if I get a call (and I will)..it's silly to baby him but if he's making a fuss then he wants his mom and I feel I should be there to get him if he wants me to...the day will be hard enough for him having to process being without me, disliking confinement, strangers poking him and being surrounded by other dogs (of which we are currently in the care of a behaviorist for fear aggression; which he's only ever showed with dogs)..I want him to be able to handle these situations but it's a lot to throw at him at once...I will feel much better when it's all over with...

Vickilb: I am lucky enough that Oakley is no longer that way, as a pup the separation anxiety and confinement anxiety made him as you described…luckily he now accepts the crate but only in situations that are expected, I.e.- routine going to work in the morning..but if I unexpectedly came home then left again, or went out on a weekend.. he'd be upset and at most tear the blanket off his crate or try to pull something into his crate.

So glad those days of hurting himself and destroying things bc of his crate anxiety are over! I used to cry when I came home and saw him/his mess. I feel for you!

Some "never before seen" mild pics of his puppy anxiety disasters: I laugh now but I came home and cried when I saw these scenes.. Since he was only a pup I hadn't yet developed the necessary sense of humor to own a basenji..

Hope all goes well for you and Oakley for the dental visit. Love the stories you have, maybe one day you will have enough for a book.

Jolanda and Kaiser

In my experience, basenjis wake up a little rough from anesthesia no matter how good they are. I'm a tech and I have done dentals on them in the past and I make sure the vets I work with know this so they can be prepared. The last one I worked on was very good even for a B at the vet and while I was recovering him he nearly latched on to my face.. I have recovered well over 100 dogs in my career and that rarely happens! No one ever said B's follow the rules!

My Cody was always an angel at the vets and the vet even told me that he's the only B he's worked on that he fully trusts. Even he woke up rough after his back surgery and the vet called me to say "you were right.. we had to give him something to calm him down." I couldn't pick him up right away because he had to be hospitalized for a few days. Elliot has never been hospitalized and if he does have a dental someday I'll be the the one doing it ;).

All that being said.. where I work we make sure to keep records of who can't have towels in their kennel, who can't be dropped off, who needs to be picked up ASAP, etc. I'd rather a client tell me these things beforehand than be surprised by a dog eating the towel in the kennel! It's refreshing to hear so many people help out their vet by telling them this info and by not blaming the vet/staff for their pet's behavior. You wouldn't believe how many people blame us for their pet's behavior! Also vet techs LOVE LOVE LOVE when clients bring them snacks and we are the ones who have to deal with the bad behavior most of the time. One of our clients brought us cupcakes today and it was awesome ;).

I didn't know that about basenjis..I only go by what I hear, and I didn't trust his original vet who neutered him so I doubt he told me all the things I like to know but oakleys had two stays at our vet hospital under the care of my favorite person ever, Dr. Thomas…she is so in tune to what I need to know and how crucial the little behaviors are because in my current work to try to help him with his many issues..my behaviorist needs that information and as his mom I need to know what situations not to out him in because the last thing I want is for him to fail...he is difficult.undoubtedly...she didn't report any aggressive behavior at any point and didn't have any issues regarding anesthesia. But he has chewed through his leash and ran to me, escaped his crate and went to visit the cat ward, chewed a hefty bill in IV cords and was on anxiety sedative medication while on his extended stays. He is naughty, will ALWAYS be naughty. It he is still worlds better than he used to be.

I'm a little nervous about the anesthesia because the combination he was put on at the ER isn't available at my local vet; so even though they are aware as a sighthound he is more sensitive to how much and the type..it's still a change which could elicit a different reaction..good to hear that they don't mind hearing all the "cautions"..it's sick how many Oakley has but in the vet setting the list runs long and I feel funny having to lecture on them (but that won't stop me from doing it!)...I will ask them to write them in his folder because three times already I've had to tell them when they call that Oakley can't be dropped off at 8am..and that he is a "call when ready" patient..would it irritate them if I wrote it down for them to put in his folder? Lol

Placed an order at my local bakery for cupcakes and that will help pass the morning time for Oakley and I before his intake...

I might have to secure them in the truck though, don't want to tease the poor boy; he will think he is so famished by that point!!

Ps: I've heard lots of vets say they aren't fans of the breed..clearly not all but most aren't a vets dream..and Oakley embodies that stigma…lucky for me my vet knows how much he means to me so hopefully that eases the "ugh" response

@stash:

Hope all goes well for you and Oakley for the dental visit. Love the stories you have, maybe one day you will have enough for a book.

Jolanda and Kaiser

Stash: I believe at only three I have enough to fill a book, it would be similar to the "Bad Basenji" book but I'd title it as
"A first time basenji owners survival guide- you think you know but you have no idea"

I'm sure that at the end of this journey (hopefully a very loooonnngg journey) I will have a great memoir for him, it will certainly be comedic!

We don't see enough of them in my area to have much of a stigma.. but the 3 that come to my hospital (including my own) are all very easy to work with. One of my vet co-workers has owned a BRAT before and knows the breed pretty well so I am lucky ;).

Honestly.. we don't always tell clients how naughty their pets have been while in the hospital. If they were naughty to the point of trying to eat us we will say something and suggest a behaviorist or if they attempt to chew through something, etc. Just general didn't sit still or maybe needed to be muzzled for mild snapping we don't always get into. If someone like you asked because they are truly trying to better their dog I will 100% give all the details! I want clients like you and Oakley!! I'm so tired of people who simply don't care!

I'm sure all will go well for him and he will come home with shiny teeth and fresh breath! I did 4 dentals today on 3 older dogs and an older cat (one being a boxer who we have noted is sensitive to some anesthesia so we just adjust them) and all was well. Things can happen but if you trust your vet like you seem to I would not worry! Oakley is lucky to have you for a mom :).

@CrazySenji:

We don't see enough of them in my area to have much of a stigma.. but the 3 that come to my hospital (including my own) are all very easy to work with. One of my vet co-workers has owned a BRAT before and knows the breed pretty well so I am lucky ;).

Honestly.. we don't always tell clients how naughty their pets have been while in the hospital. If they were naughty to the point of trying to eat us we will say something and suggest a behaviorist or if they attempt to chew through something, etc. Just general didn't sit still or maybe needed to be muzzled for mild snapping we don't always get into. If someone like you asked because they are truly trying to better their dog I will 100% give all the details! I want clients like you and Oakley!! I'm so tired of people who simply don't care!

I'm sure all will go well for him and he will come home with shiny teeth and fresh breath! I did 4 dentals today on 3 older dogs and an older cat (one being a boxer who we have noted is sensitive to some anesthesia so we just adjust them) and all was well. Things can happen but if you trust your vet like you seem to I would not worry! Oakley is lucky to have you for a mom :).

Thank you, I prefer to know even the things people don't think are big, I request my dog walker (friend who happens to own her own dog boarding and walking business) to write me notes because it's super important I know if he was off or in a mood, snapped or even side glanced one of her dogs…I think I know Oakley pretty well, and with confinement anxiety and separation anxiety (both much improved) and fear aggression that at maturity has led to dog to dog issues; throw in some food aggression over high value items such as people food and I have a boy that's a mixed bag...he always has had the confinement and separation issues but truthfully the aggression parts developed after maturity and really only progressed after a series of unfortunate and concurrent break ins to my home by a family member...I didn't know until after the fact other than a few suspicions regarding oakley's behaviors when I came home from work a few times..it really changed him and made him leery; not a cop-out for his behaviors but I believe it had a profound impact on him in a detrimental manner..that coupled with his traumatic recovery issues after his gastrointestinal surgery..he truly hasn't been the same! But he gets better all the time and has made great progress. The hope is that when I do have a significant other in my life that Oakley can accept that and ultimately be somewhat (more) reliable so that I can start a family...

As a side note: I know I tend to come off as cynical when it comes to the reputation of this breed but from where I stand my dog just happens to embody many of the negative prevalences that accompany this/certain breeds…aggressive,anxious...not good with (insert here)....I researched basenjis and visited breeders for years; and while I knew the naughtiness I could be getting I still believed I was going to get this puppy and have a great,well behaved dog..but what I got was more than the dog I researched..I got an Oakley- and I made so many mistakes..I've learned copious amounts and really feel "broken into" the breed...I can confidently say that while I don't think Oakley ever intended to be a good boy or the next Canine Good Citizen..I contributed a lot to his portfolio of issues, so I am 100%committed to making him a better dog. He is so great, so funny and entertaining, goofy and animated. Anyone who meets him loves him and that's what is so special to me, I love him despite all his faults.

We will get through tomorrow. Thank everyone for the advice and shared experiences, especially hearing from a tech standpoint is helpful...I will update tomorrow...

Tomorrow will be a glass of wine day for sure, at least once he gets home..lol

SO…it didn't go awesome. I dropped him off at 10:30, got a call at 11:47 that his teeth cleaning was done and that he wasn't ready to go home but they needed me to come down because while Oakley was just coming out of anesthesia they noticed him spinning as though he had to poop, and ignored my note that the breed wakes up rough from anesthesia and to "use caution"... And opened the door to take him outside and he bit the techs hand...she assured me that it wasn't an aggressive act and he was still so totally out of it..but that they needed me to come down to help them safely get him out of his crate so they could clean him and the crate of poop...I was there in two minutes flat and he was still totally zonked, shaking etc...I could tell when I got there he was going to be fine with me so I took him out and cleaned him up myself...apologized to the tech and took a look at her hand (he has long primitive teeth as you all are aware!)...I feel bad but at the same time that's the reason I wrote the note...

His ER vet never had a problem but they also used a much more sensitive combination of anesthesia...so either this combo created a rough wake up or the ER vet never had a problem bc she gave him sufficient time to wake up before invading his space..either way, no food today at all and no water til 5..and then little bits at a time to make sure he can keep it down. He is home, crying and whining, very restless and is still gaining his sea legs....he is however licking his bum constantly...is that combined with his poop coming out of anesthesia a side effect? He just keeps licking it....

Poor pup, nothing normal at my house..he's having a rough go at it right now...I feel bad and guilty...glad to have him home. He did the best he could given all the craziness; I can't be mad at him about the bite. I truly believe it wasn't intentional..but either way it's going to hurt that tech for a few days....oof

My poor boy...anyone break the rules and feed them the same day? I'm worried not feeding him for such a duration will cause him to get sick; his belly doesn't do well without food in for extended times??

AHH! Why did they not listen! That's so frustrating! There are things you can give them so they wake up more slowly and smoothly. Most don't need it but basenjis often do! I'm glad he's home and that the procedure itself went well.

We tell people to pick up food before midnight, they come in around 7 for blood work and pre-anesthetic exam, dental around 10-12 depending on how many we have, home by 4:30-5 and tell them to offer a small meal and a small amount of water when they get home. If they still seem hungry offer a bit more but not too much at once.

I have never had to withhold food even when they were put under early afternoon for a procedure. Again, I would just do bland "mush" type foods and just a little at a time