Teeth Cleaning - Very nervous!

[Sarah00]

My dog has terrible breath. I know all dogs have “dog breath” but this isn’t the same. We have two toy poodles who come from different litters but the same mom and dad. Buster the older one has perfect teeth and what I consider normal breath. Scrappy has rotting fish breath. Honestly, it smells like rotting fish. It’s terrible. I’ve tried a million things, we brush, I buy the mint bones, I bought the doggie mints, nothing works. Well the last time we were in for our routine checkup the doc (who is great and I trust) suggested that Scrappy get his teeth cleaned. I've heard stories about healthy dogs dying while under the anesthesia.

Have any of you had your dogs teeth cleaned?
Do you have any words to make me feel okay about this decision.

I made the appointment but I just don't know if I'll be able to go though with it if it means that he could potentially not wake up. I just won’t be able to handle that if it does happen.

Thanks
Sarah

[robinh]

I have my dogs teeth cleaned fairly regularly. I try to get it done every 12-18 months. It's stressful leaving them in the morning, but their breath smells so much better when I pick them up.

I recently had my 13 year old dachshund's teeth cleaned and the only thing I did different with him was they used gas instead of a sedative. The vet recommended it since he's a senior. I have an appointment for my bichon next Friday and will get my other dachshund and yorkie's teeth done within a couple of months.

[chocolatepuppy]

I've had one of my dogs and both of my cats teeth cleaned. They did fine. They were 7, 7 and 8 when I had it done. It's hard to leave them and we do worry. Pawsitive thoughts headed Scrappy's way.

[CathyBogart]

I'm a vet tech, and I do up to 3 dental cleanings per week. Anesthesia does carry risks, it's true, but it is much safer now than it was even a few years ago. All of the patients whose teeth I clean have a second person whose job it is to constantly monitor their vital signs, and we note ANY change in heart rate, mucous membrane color, blood pressure, capillary refill time, etc, and let the doctor know so that she can respond to any problems before they become bad.

That said, the only time I have even seen an anesthetic emergency was a very sick cat who was going to die without surgery....and he pulled through fine.

Dental disease in pets can lead to kidney, liver, and heart disease, so we try to have our clients get their pets teeth cleaned annually (we offer a special discount during the winter season) AND take care of the teeth at home. Once your pup has all of the stuff causing the "sewer breath" cleaned out, the regular maintenance you are doing should keep them nice.

You can also ask about C.E.T. rinses and chews, which have Chlorhexidine in them. Chorhexidine kills oral bacteria and prevents them from returning for several hours....so it's great for maintaining clean teeth.