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My dog has an enlarged heart. Is teeth cleaning safe for her?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Pomeranian | Female | unspayed | 8 years and 1 month old

I have already discussed this with my Vet but I would like your opinion on this subject. Dolly has an enlarged heart . Should she get teeth cleaned?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Levi Gordon, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on May 27th, 2017

Hi,
Sorry to hear Dolly has this heart issue.
Anesthesia is always risky, even for perfectly healthy pets. It puts a lot of responsibility for the heart to maintain adequate blood pressure and anesthesia is generally more risky with any heart issues than normal anesthesia. I would recommend that if the teeth just need a general cleaning, to not undergo the procedure and just maintain good dental health by brushing with doggie tooth paste and giving dental chews.
If the teeth have a major issue such as a fracture or extraction that is necessary to address, it becomes balancing the risks of leaving a tooth inside that should come out, versus the risks of anesthesia. To fully assess the heart you can get an echocardiogram performed by a cardiologist and consult with them about anesthetic risks. Although if the teeth are fine otherwise, I'd say just maintain vigilant dental health and Dolly will be fine.
Hope this helps!
-Dr. Gordon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Debi Matlack
Veterinary Technician
Published on December 8th, 2016
She should have pre-anesthetic bloodwork to check her organ functions to evaluate her ability to tolerate anesthesia. She should also be put on antibiotics for a period of time before her dental to keep the bacteria from her mouth from getting into her bloodstream and further affecting her heart. You may find that once she heals after the extractions her health and attitude will improve greatly. There is no way I know to do this without anesthesia. Try to do anything to her teeth with her awake could be more harmful by stressing her out and result in someone getting bitten.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Stacey Anstaett, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on June 20th, 2018
That's a tough one. I would recommend that she be evaluated by a cardiologist before undergoing anesthesia for her teeth. Her teeth probably are causing her some discomfort, but its hard to gauge how increased her risk of anesthesia is without knowing more about her heart.

It is hard for me to weigh in on the importance of the dental without having done an exam and seeing how bad her teeth are, and assessing her overall health on exam. I recommend that you have a very honest, open discussion with your vet regarding how bad her teeth are, and what your vet recommends regarding whether or not to undergo anesthesia for the teeth at this point in her life. Some vets hate this question, but I actually don't mind it..... and that is, "what would you do if it was your dog?" Its ok to ask that question.

I hope thats helpful. Best of luck with Cody!!
Thank you for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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