Hello everyone.

I have a question on sedating older dogs for surgery. She is a 16 year old dauschund and the vet wants to remove a bad tooth. She is currently taking antibiotics for it.

I am somewhat confused because they stopped sedating her for an annual teeth cleaning several years ago. i have read good and bad reports about surgeries on older pets and was interested what some of the forum pet owners experiences have been.

Thanks in advance,

Mark

Which tooth might matter. Small teeth might be one type of sedation. Major teeth get the full surgical type sedation. Our 10 year old lab got both this year. I was really worried as well since I heard older dogs do not do as well. I Wish you and your pup the best.

I have to assume the vet has been known and trusted. If he thinks it needs to be done and you trust him, it makes the most sense to do it. A bad tooth can basically produce poisonous secretions. The sedation is scary but you can't let it paralyze smart decision making
I say do it.

Older animals are at greater risk from sedation which is why vets are reluctant to do surgery on them unless it’s absolutely necessary. Leaving it in could cause problems eating. Reoccurring infections from a bad tooth could lead to other issues. Speak with your vet regarding your concerns.

My 16 year old dog had some teeth removed a couple years ago under full anesthetic and then last year had a growth removed under anesthetic. Did fine.

Do it.

Bad teeth can lead to heart issues. Your vet may use a different type of anesthesia than typical just to keep your pup light, maybe one that bypasses the liver as it is metabolized. And it may be that your dog is in excellent health regardless of age. Most vets will do a prescreen physical and blood chemistry to be sure your pet’s body functions are all within normal limits before any anesthesia. Discuss your concerns and allow them to address them thoroughly so that you are comfortable. Is this the same vet you’ve always used, or a new associate in the practice?
An infected, abscessed tooth can cause tremendous pain if not addressed, as many people with personal experience know. Removing it may give your pup a new lease on life!

2 months ago our 14yr old rat terrier/beagle mix went in for a teeth cleaning in the early morning. about 1 hr later the vet called and Harley had several BAD teeth that needed to be removed now. Had no indication of her problem. Picked up late that afternoon . 11 teeth removed. she was groggy for about 2 days but returned to her normal self. This vet we have used since since she as a puppy and we trusted him. Best wishes for both your pup and family. ............................drill sgt.

We are dachshund lovers as well and wish both you and your dog the best of luck.

quote:

Originally posted by MP:
Older animals are at greater risk from sedation which is why vets are reluctant to do surgery on them unless it’s absolutely necessary. Leaving it in could cause problems eating. Reoccurring infections from a bad tooth could lead to other issues. Speak with your vet regarding your concerns.

It will also give them time to dig around in there for other problems. If you trust the vet, I'd say do it. It's a quality of life thing.

irreverent,

Its a new associate in the practice. The vet i normally see was in a bad car accident and will be out for a while.
Thats the reason my concern.

And thanks to everyone for their input. I really appreciate it.

Mark

We lost our first pet (cat) to dental surgery. So - we never had our dogs teeth cleaned. He is 12-14 (rescue so not sure) and finally had to go in due to too many problems.

He had half his teeth pulled, but less than a week later and he's doing great.
Turns out a lot more cats die under anesthesia than dogs...

I feel your pain and concern. Old dogs and especially old, large, breeds are somewhat vulnerable to anesthesia problems. Its really somewhat of a crap shoot after dogs reach a certain age/condition. And no one, not even a trusted vet, can predict the future. I wish you the best of luck in grappling with this decision.

quote:

Originally posted by spot1960:
irreverent,

Its a new associate in the practice. The vet i normally see was in a bad car accident and will be out for a while.
Thats the reason my concern.

And thanks to everyone for their input. I really appreciate it.

Mark

I don’t blame you for your concern. This is a new factor, esp when your regular vet was fine with letting everything ride. Request a telephone consult with the associate and ask if your regular vet can conference in- and share your concerns, request the anesthesia plan so you can research to your satisfaction.
Some vets might roll their eyes, but most (if not all) will respect your concern and work harder to put you at ease. I’d also be curious as to who is administering the anesthesia and doing the cleaning. Many cvts are trained and skilled in doing dentals and running the anesthesia, pulling the doc in when it’s necessary for extractions.
These are crazy times for most vets with so many new protocols in place and trying to maintain pet care at the level to which all have become accustomed. I’d hazard a guess that if it wasn’t necessary, they’d be putting if off.
Best of luck.

My wife and I would struggle with this decision as well(one of our greyhounds is nearly 14), but if the vet thinks surgery is necessary(and they do run tests before surgery), I would probably do it.

Good luck.

Sometimes the associate vets (read: baby vets) do a BETTER job of anesthesia than our older colleagues, owing to the fact that the protocols taught today are the updated versions of the "cocktails" we learned over the years.

A great combo for basic dentistry that WE use would involve something like acepromazine and butorphanol to sedate, then propofol (ask Michael Jackson, it's great ) to induce, then place an endotracheal tube, then some isoflourane gas to maintain. They wake up nicely and quickly after that, with the longest lasting part being the acepromazine from the premed. If they need to do an extraction, they can do a local block with lidocaine or bupivicaine and provide comfort for your pet without need for more heavy drugs.

Make sure they use breathing tubes in their dentistry, as you don't want your critter to aspirate any water during the procedure. If they offer digital dental xrays, get them, they are invaluable to tell them what is a good tooth and what is an emerging abscess. Good luck!

Which is worse for the dog, the relatively low risk of problems from anesthesia, or guaranteed continued suffering from the bad tooth?

︽︽︽︽︽ What they said ︽︽︽︽︽

Surgery was this morning and dog is in recovery.
Thanks again for all the advice.

Mark

.

Brilliant outcome!

Our Ollie approves and sends his best recovery wishes.