do dogs need full sedation for every dental cleaning?

[Anonymous]

My dog just had extensive dental work and teeth pulled etc. Pomeranian. Adopted her with bad teeth.

Anyway, all that is done, but now I am wondering about maintenance. Her heart rate slowed with anesthesia and its got me wondering if every single cleaning, even a maintenance clean, requires FULL sedation each time. I will ask the vet, but I was just curious about what others have experienced.

[Anonymous]

I think so, but it might be dog-dependent. I would daresay that if your dog won't let you brush her teeth for an extended period of time without moving, putting a sharp pick at the gumline to scrape isn't going to work, either.

If your dog is completely patient and still with prolonged tooth-brushing, they still might jerk away from a sharp probe, right?

[Anonymous]

Heart rate always goes down with anesthesia. Did the vet say it had gone too low?

What zoo vets do is train as much as possible for cooperation, to avoid freaked-out animals and too much sedation. The most effective training method for these types of situations is clicker-training with treats. Research it. As your dog grows older, she will become less resistant to sedation, so it’s worth her while to try!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Heart rate always goes down with anesthesia. Did the vet say it had gone too low?

What zoo vets do is train as much as possible for cooperation, to avoid freaked-out animals and too much sedation. The most effective training method for these types of situations is clicker-training with treats. Research it. As your dog grows older, she will become less resistant to sedation, so it’s worth her while to try!

Yes the vet said it went unusually low and she had to take extra measures because of this. And she took extensive notes on what to do in the future, etc. This is why I am wondering if there is another option.

So do they not have twilight anesthesia for dogs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Heart rate always goes down with anesthesia. Did the vet say it had gone too low?

What zoo vets do is train as much as possible for cooperation, to avoid freaked-out animals and too much sedation. The most effective training method for these types of situations is clicker-training with treats. Research it. As your dog grows older, she will become less resistant to sedation, so it’s worth her while to try!

Yes the vet said it went unusually low and she had to take extra measures because of this. And she took extensive notes on what to do in the future, etc. This is why I am wondering if there is another option.

So do they not have twilight anesthesia for dogs?

I’m not a vet, but not as far as I know, because dentistry is performed at nerve-rich locations, and it’s too dangerous for everyone concerned for the dog to feel something just when the dentist’s fingers are in their mouth…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Heart rate always goes down with anesthesia. Did the vet say it had gone too low?

What zoo vets do is train as much as possible for cooperation, to avoid freaked-out animals and too much sedation. The most effective training method for these types of situations is clicker-training with treats. Research it. As your dog grows older, she will become less resistant to sedation, so it’s worth her while to try!

Yes the vet said it went unusually low and she had to take extra measures because of this. And she took extensive notes on what to do in the future, etc. This is why I am wondering if there is another option.

So do they not have twilight anesthesia for dogs?

Vet here. The clicker training isn't for true dental cleaning.

They need full general anesthesia b.c light sedation will not be enough to clean subgingivally- it hurts like hell. It's a deeper cleaning than your 6 month scale and polish. They also need dental xrays and they won't hold still for that either. Esp for a small dog the views are tricky and it can take a while to get a diagnostic view.

We also need GA so we can protect their airway from a the water needed. They have to be intubated to prevent aspiration which can be fatal.

Look I'm going to level with you. You got a breed of dog known for terrible teeth. The poor creature will need extractions sooner or later. Get used to having dentals under GA. If the dog responded poorly to one type of anesthetic agent there are other protocols they can use.

[Anonymous]

Oops sorry I meant MORE extractions in the future.

Do as much as you can for preventative care but there's only so much you can do with a toy breed.