What are safe, effective ways to clean my dog's teeth without anesthesia?

The answer to the frequency of recommended dental cleaning really depends on the dog. Most dogs would probably do best having their teeth cleaned every 6 months the way we do, but that often is not practical. Some dogs develop dental disease very quickly and need their teeth cleaned at least once a year while other dogs do very well not having their teeth cleaned for years. So, I would recommend following your veterinarian's recommendations for frequency of dental cleanings based on how quickly Otis develops dental disease. The anesthetic techniques and monitoring that we use now are very safe, so that is not a concern. It is much more likely that dental disease will cause more health problems. And there isn't any age limit as long as the dog is healthy. I just did a dental cleaning on my 14 year old dog last year. I hope that was helpful and answered your questions. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It is never safe to do a non-anesthetic dental, and it should never be preformed on a dog. I can understand your concern, but Daisy does need that loose tooth removed and her teeth cleaned. PetCoach has a great article about why you should never chose non-anesthetic dentals that discusses if anesthesia is safe, and what happens when a pet's mouth is cleaned under anesthesia. I will link the article below so hopefully some of your concerns will be alleviated. As for her breathing, dogs who have a short snout typically breathe better with an ET tube (endotracheal tube) which is used during a dental procedure. I would recommend having it done if your vet feels it's safe, as it will make Daisy so much more comfortable. https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-s-the-deal-with-anesthesia-free-dental-cleanings/0

Without seeing the condition of Sookie's teeth it is not possible to give you my opinion on that. Generally, if you see lots of tartar, and if she has a bad smell coming from her mouth, she will need a cleaning under anesthesia. Dental disease can cause heart disease and kidney disease, as bacteria from the mouth can enter the blood stream through inflamed tissue which then gets transported to the heart and kidneys and causes infection there. Anesthesia is very safe nowadays and, provided your dog is otherwise healthy, there is just a small risk involved.

No, not at all - especially in a toy breed dog like a Pomeranian, it's far more dangerous to leave the damaged and infected teeth in his mouth. Anesthesia for routine procedures like this is extremely safe, and should not be anything to worry about as long as Poseidon is otherwise healthy. Rotten teeth, on the other hand, are quite painful for him and can also lead to severe bone loss, a fractured jaw, or heart and kidney disease. I would definitely suggest discussing any specific anesthesia concerns that you may have with your vet, but don't let this keep you from getting Poseidon the dental care he needs.

If there is tartar on your pug's teeth, and a bad odor coming from the mouth, he should have a dental cleaning under anesthesia. Dental cleaning without anesthesia is necessary as a lot of the tartar and bacteria are under the gum line causing severe gingivitis and the bacteria to enter the blood stream. I have not met a dog yet that lets us remove tartar under the gum line voluntarily, ie without anesthesia. During the procedure your dog will be intubated to keep water and debris from entering the windpipe and to enable us to deliver the anesthetic gas and oxygen directly to the lungs. So the nose problems do not influence the ability to breathe during gas anesthesia. Brachycephalic dogs such as pugs have a slightly higher anesthetic risk than other dogs, but overall the risk is very low nowadays. Once the teeth have been cleaned you should brush them regularly with a soft brush and enzymatic tooth paste to delay the formation of new tartar. It is not possible to remove existing tartar by way of brushing teeth which is why brushing teeth is useful only after the tartar is removed.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Most vets today will use a "pre-med" (combination of a pain medication and a sedative) which is often a mix of an opioid and a sedative (often hydromorphone and acepromazine, or some mix of this sort), then an "induction agent" which is usually either propofol, alfaxan, ketamine/diazepam, or ketamine/midazolam, and then will use a gaseous inhalent which is pretty much always isoflurane. Any of these drugs are fine, and often the drug that is best is the drug that your vet is most comfortable using. Thiopental is an 'old school drug' which is less favoured compared to these newer drugs, however it can be used completely safely as well. Doing pre-anaesthetic bloodwork will reduce the risks involved by making sure there is no organ dysfunction prior to surgery. I would suggest just asking your vet how the procedure works, and would check about if IV fluids will be used, what monitoring is present, as the monitoring is probably the most important part of a safe anesthetic, more-so than the type of drug that is used. Best of luck with Lucy!

I am so sorry that your pet has dental disease and a heart condition. Unfortunatley the tartar that causes dental disease is mostly underneath the gumline, hence the name periodontal disease. So most of the tartar that we see on the surface of the tooth is not the main issue here. It is the tartar that is touching the gum and underneath the gum that is the problem. This isn't tartar that you will be able to get off with the pet awake, because it will be uncomfortable for the pet. Also, you have a good chance of causing damage to the gum trying to do this in any awake dog. What you are asking is not possible unfortunatley. However, there are a number of heart dogs that can actually go under anesthesia for a dental cleaning, even with a heart condition. I would suggest taking Chhutki to get an echocardiogram of her heart to determine if she is a good candidate for anesthesia and then go from there. If she isn't, then the only thing you can really do here is to do a daily oral rinse and water additive such as this one --> https://www.chewy.com/nylabone-advanced-oral-care-liquid/dp/47912 Dental disease and at home care recommendations --> https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951515 I do hope that your pet Chhutki proves to be ok to go under general anesthesia, just like many other heart disease pets, and can appropriateliy address her dental disease condition. Best of luck moving forward. Take care. : )