My dog has heart disease. Is anesthesia safe for dental cleaning?

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

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.

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

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Once dental disease and tartar is present, it is very difficult to remove the smell without a dental procedure to clean the teeth. With the collapsing trachea this does increase the risk of anaesthesia, so you should discuss this risk with your vet. You can try Hill's T/D dental forumula, it works very well at preventing more tartar build-up but won't help what is presently there. It might help with the breath a bit as it has some enzymes present that help. There are also water additive products that help with the smell of the mouth, and you can ask your vet about these products and what is available in your area. I think you should talk with your vet about the risks of anaesthesia, and also try the other methods to see if you can get the dental disease under control. It might be better to have another cleaning now however, before Rudy Sue's collapsing trachea gets worse. I would discuss this aspect with your vet as well. Best of luck with Rudy Sue!

Age is not a disease in of itself. You will need to speak to your vet about whether or not it would be advisable to put her under anesthesia for a cleaning. Without her medical history it is difficult for me to say. If your vet does not feel it is safe, you should speak to them about the possibility of doing what is called "pulse therapy antibiotics" where you give her antibiotics for one week of every month to help keep the bacterial load down in her mouth. Hope this helps. Best wishes!

Oral sedatives are generally not safe for pets with heart conditions. However, there are heart friendly pre-anesthetic injectable drugs that the vet can give such as Midazolam and Butorphanol. Also keep in mind that most pets with a heart condition that are also symptomatic (coughing, exercise intolerance) should be evaluated by a cardiologist and cleared for surgical procedures like dentals to ensure they are good candidates and can handle the anesthesia. The main concern here is the anesthesia and not the sedative used beforehand. On the other hand, if she is not symptomatic (no coughing, exercise intolerance), and she currently is not on heart medications, then she is likely a good surgical candidate b/c her risk of having complications with anesthesia are generally low. I hope that this helps guide you towards the proper care for Chhutki and this dental procedure. Best wishes and take care. : )

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. : )