Can a dog get sepsis and die after a professional dental cleaning?

I'm so sorry this happened. Unfortunately despite everyone's best efforts some patients do not respond well to treatment. Yes, sepsis is a strong possibility as is heart failure. Dental infections often migrate to the heart valves and cause sudden death. Without a necropsy (autopsy) I cannot tell you for sure what happened. Again, so sorry for your loss.

I am very sorry your Missy passed. It is safe to say the the teeth cleaning under anesthesia 6 months ago was not the cause for this, especially since her pre-surgical exam and blood work did not show any abnormalities. Seeing that she was fairly old, there is a possibility she developed a heart condition in the past few months, or she also may have had a sudden blood clot that was fatal. The only way to find out would be to send her to a pathology lab for a post mortem. Again, I am very sorry you lost your baby. At least she did not suffer with a long painful condition.

I'm so sorry this happened. It is not likely an overdose of anesthetic. If that was the case he would have passed away during the dental procedure. It is more likely that he threw a blood clot post-anesthesia. The only way to know for sure would be to have a necropsy (autopsy) done on him.

I'm very sorry for your loss. With the lab changes you described, sepsis and cancer certainly were possibilities. A UTI would have to be quite severe to cause sepsis. If you were accustomed to monitoring for signs of a UTI, I highly doubt that you would miss one severe enough to cause sepsis. Again, I'm sorry for your loss and hope this helps you to find some closure.

Dental disease can cause severe infection in the mouth and throat which could potentially be inhaled into the chest as well as affecting the kidneys and heart. You should have him examined by a vet, he may require urgent treatment if he has developed a pneumonia

That is a good question. Some dogs have pain and infection but lose the infected teeth and then the mouth heals. Others have pain and the infection can spread to the heart valves, liver and other organs and they can get ill and sometimes die from the complications. With improvements in anesthesia safety it would be best the have a blood panel done and an EKG to make sure the heart is ok, then have the teeth cleaned and any loose ones extracted. If a dental isn't done another treatment is called pulsed antibiotics. With this you give 5-7 days of antibiotics monthly. This keeps the infection under control so the side effects of periodontal disease are checked. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Cocoa.

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.