How safe is ketamine/atropine anesthesia for my dog's dental cleaning?

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!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I personally don't think age is a major risk factor for anesthesia. Most of the problems or deaths under anesthesia are unpredictable and can happen to any age. Doing blood work and checking for any underlying issues like a heart murmur before surgery is great. Anesthesia is monitored closely by the veterinary nurses: blood pressure, oxygen levels, EKG, animals are intubated and are on oxygen and on IV fluids. There are health risks to leaving diseased teeth in the mouth as well. Overall if Angel is a healthy senior I think she will do fine! Good luck!

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.

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. : )