Yes, unfortunately the dog has to be anesthetized (I doubt I spelled that right). Poor Reece has bad teeth because his previous owners had him on soft food his whole life. His teeth are pretty bad for only a year old. I'm trying to put it off a month so he can get settled in before I go leaving him at the vet When I got Harley, the vet told me that he'd have to have his done. I decided to try a DentaBone just in case. It worked like a charm on him. I took him back to the vet and they thought I had his teeth cleaned at another clinic. Reece's case is a bit different though and he'll have to have his done. I'm going to be really worried that day about him but I know its best for his health. Bad teeth can cause other problems as well. Here's a link that explains a little bit about it: http://www.peteducation.com/dental/d....htm#profclean
I saw it being done to a golden retriever a couple weeks ago at Reece's first vet visit. The women were nice and I'm sure everything will be fine but I'm still a worry wart. I think you can pick them up the same day.