Question:
I have an 8 year old female yorkie that has never had her teeth cleaned. Her
vet said they should be done because she has a bit of infection at the gum
line. Can anyone tell me if this is a dangerous procedure or if it seems to
be painful. She is so tiny only 7 lbs and we are concerned about her being
under anesthesia. up til now her teeth were always fine.
Answer:
make sure you find a vet who uses the _latest in anesthesia.
I'd tell you what that is, but I'd probably get mixed up.
My 14 year old Granny recently had a tumor removed with laser surgery
(and her teeth cleaned while she was out).
Took her in at 9, picked her up at 2, and
she was perfectly normal.
When I was interrogating the vet ahead of time, he said it's an I.V.
drip that is instanly reversible once the procedure is over. Someone
here can probably give you more concrete information.
The vet will test the anesthesia to be sure it is safe for your pet. I have
had my GSD's teeth cleaned several times and it doesn't seem to bother him.
A friend of mine has MinPins and she had the teeth cleaned on her male and
he is very small too. He did just fine. Infections of the mouth and gums
can be very serious to dogs and possibly life threatening. Everything I
have read says that the anesthesia used is very safe now.
Constant tartar in a dogs mouth causes him to ingest toxins with each
swallow. Let it go on long enough, and you're looking at kidney, liver, and
even heart valve damage.
Get her teeth cleaned-- it is perfectly safe, and necessary.
When you have a clean mouth, begin some sort of preventative maintenance--
bones, toothbrushing--- something!
Vets now use an anesthetic that is very safe and wears off quickly. The
infection in the gum is much more dangerous than the anesthetic. Gum
disease can cause tooth loss and serious health problems. Recovery is just
a few days of soft food and pampering!
