When should my older dog with heart disease get a dental cleaning?

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. : )

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!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Buddy. My concern about his bad teeth is that they can become very painful causing him to have a loss of appetite. Without seeing him in person, I can't say what his anesthetic risk is, but if it's not bad, I would recommend having the dental work done. Have him seen by another vet for a second opinion. Best of luck.

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

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Dental cleanings are very important as bacteria in the mouth can lead to many other problems in the body. At 12 years of age, Burt is not too old to have a dental cleaning and being a Dachshund, I would certainly recommend having his teeth cleaned before there are any problems. If you keep up with preventative cleanings, Burt will be under anesthesia less time since there will be less tartar buildup. If you wait and do not have any cleanings done, the dental disease worsens and he may require more extractions leading to more time under anesthesia. It is more beneficial and safer to have him in for multiple preventative dental cleanings to avoid being under anesthesia for long periods of time. My dachshund, when he was still alive, had dental cleanings up until he was 17 years old. He lived to be 20 years old but he was on oral antibiotics for dental disease for the last 3 years and was unable to undergo dental cleanings due to other diseases he was dealing with. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi there and thanks for posting. I would tend to agree with the cardiologist on this one. Having a heart issue does place a greater risk of complication during anesthesia. I would recommend against it unless he dental disease is severe as the cardiologist has recommended. Best wishes to you and Rascal!

Her gums are likely inflamed because she has tartar underneath her gumline. She needs a dental cleaning to scale off all that tartar, then this will resolve the inflammation. I would suggest getting Chia an echocardiogram to see if she can still have surgery despite her heart condition. Many heart disease pets can go under general anesthesia. I would consider getting another vet for a second opinion here and see if you can get Chia's echocardiogram scheduled asap. I hope that your can get Chia's echo and dental scheduled soon. I would suggest using a water additive from your local pet store until then to help flush out her gums and keep the bacteria load down. Best wishes and take care!