dental cleaning for basset hound?

Question

I have been procrastinating on this for two years and my vet has told me that the benefits outweigh the risks. I'm just so nervous b/c I've heard the horror stories. She has been under anesthesia before, just not for a few years (she is 7 and has Addison's Disease that is under control).

Answer 1

Ok, this is how we approach dentals, so maybe you can ask your vet about some of these things. First we run labwork to make sure the dog doesn't have any other underlying problems that need to be addressed first. Then, all patients receive an IV catheter, safe short acting anesthesia to induce (we use propoflo), are intubated and maintained on Isoflurane gas anesthesia. Heart rate, temperature and O2 levels are monitored, as is blood pressure. They receive warm IV fluids throughout the procedure to maintain hydration and blood pressure. They are on a heating mat to maintain normal body temperature. The teeth examind by the veterinarian and cleaned by a Certified Veterinary Technician. They are cleaned, polished (very important step) and sealed. The pet is then monitored and placed in a warm cage with blankets and extubated when ready. No pet is just placed in a cage and left unattended until fully awake and comfortable. Afterward, we call the owner and let them know how the pet is doing, set up a pick up time, and when they come back we go over detailed homecare instructions and any medications. The next day we follow up with a phone call to make sure the pet is doing well. We just really do everything we can to be safe and to minimize risk. You must understand that no anesthetic procedure is completely without risk, but complications are very rare for us. Dental disease is not just bad breath--it serves as a source of infection and pain in the animal. Hope this helps! :)

Answer 2

Oh SCREAM. How could you even consider contributing to the Bank Balances of people who put two perfectly good breeds together...... a bassador is A MUTT (even spellcheck hates it!) and although I can't speak for breeders of Labs, I sure can as a now retired breeder of Basset Hounds. I'm appalled. Of course they will be good with children (or should be provided the two partners are of good typical temperament for their breeds) They will be prone to the illnesses of Basset Hounds, and of Labradors - end of. If you haven't already bought this puppy - please DO NOT. Go get a well bred Labrador, or an equally good example of the Basset Hound. Edit - Well I can only say well done if you are rescuing this poor unfortunate dog. As for him being in Rescue to start with - I rest my case!!!! How very sad. One can but hope this was a mis-mating, but given he's being called a Bassador, maybe this was a designer dog who ended up in the wrong home. Be aware that he may come with a lot of 'baggage' and the Basset part may make retraining difficult. Hopefully the Rescue Centre will talk you through any problems he has.

Answer 3

Ask what type of anesthetic is being used. Vets can use a gentler anesthetic or do a very light sedation. Sodium pentobarbital (and other phenobarbitals) is pretty harsh. Dogs usually come out much quicker if they are given a pre-anesthetic sedative and a light anesthetic. You'll also want to make sure your vet does a full blood workup before the cleaning to make sure all is well. If the teeth are pretty scaled up, you'll also want to make sure you get a before and after antibiotic, as tooth bacteria can travel through the bloodstream and affect your dog's heart and other organs.

After, if you brush regularly with dog toothpaste (once a week or more) and give hard bones to chew, you may be able to avoid ever having to do a full cleaning again.

Answer 4

I had two of my 9 year olds in for MAJOR dental ((with extractions) this spring. They both came through with flying colors. One was spayed at the same time.

While there is ALWAYS a risk with anesthesia, as a rule dental procedures are pretty safe and defenitely beneficial. Bassets can have pretty grody teeth.

Another 9 year old will be having her teeth done in a couple of weeks.

Answer 5

Our Bassets, Barney Fife & Briscoe Darlin', had teeth trouble all of their lives. Each year the vet cleaned their teeth, & pulled a lot of them too. They were old , but still having it done. Plus, I had to brush their teeth daily, both of them. Bad things can happen that come from tooth neglect. I have a friend who was in your position. She procrastinated about taking her dachshund for years. She tormented herself. She asked the vet if he would allow her to stay in the room with her while he perormed the procedure. The answer was no, so she put it off longer. One day, I saw her & asked if she ever took Chloi to have her teeth cleaned. She said in a light & cheerful way, "Oh, yeah. That was a couple of months ago. She did fine!" - like it was nothing. I thought "all those years of worry for nothing". Anyway, there are risks if you don't do it too. I hope everything goes well for your Basset & you !!!

Answer 6

I just went through this with one of my 9 yr olds.
I too was concerned about it. She got a hematoma so had to have surgery anyway. She did fine.

There is a new product out that I'm going to try on another of my mix breeds. It's called Plaque Off. Some of my Yahoo groups are saying that this works over time and the tarter comes off of their teeth.

The Homeopathic cure for tooth tarter is Fragaria. The groups say that this also works.

Since your's has Addison's, I think I'd try the remedies first.

Answer 7

Ask your vet to conduct pre-anesthetic bloodwork prior to going under anesthesia to make sure her organs are working properly. The cleaning of the teeth can help get rid of infection and can even add up to 2 more years to their life! It's more of a good idea than a bad idea to get them cleaned than not!

Answer 8

I had to take my 6 yr old english springer to have her teeth cleaned. The procedure was fine, but she was super loopy afterwards. She was disoriented and didnt snap out of it for almost 2 days.. I didnt like seeing her like this, but it was something that needed to be done... oh and be ready to whipp out 150 dollars...

Answer 9

Why don't you clean them yourself?
I give a raw bone, like a chicken neck or a ham bone (must be raw) and that is pretty good for cleaning teeth.
Also I freeze baby carrots in ziplock bags in different shapes and they go at them on hot days not realizing they are cleaning their own teeth. Also you can buy beef or liver flavored toothpaste and a toothbrush and do it yourself, like a kind of treat.