That's really a question to discuss with your veterinarian. And possibly the response might differ depending on the dog in question. The risk probably depends on a lot of different factors.
For me, I had my shih tzu, at 15 years old, have his teeth cleaned and an extraction of some roots that were fused to his jaw cause a previous veterinarian was too lazy to take out the roots on his teeth that were removed on a previous dental he had done. I was very very upset to find out that those roots were left in. I was furious. And it wasn't from years ago when doctors didn't know better. He also has a heart murmur, but a cardiologist did testing and convinced me that it wouldn't be a problem. Everything went well. But it's definitely his last time having a dental cleaning.
What's more, I've also heard of dogs at 17 years old being put under anaesthesia to have their teeth cleaned. But maybe it was really necessary. Who knows. Perhaps it might be a good idea to setup an appointment with your veterinarian to really discuss your concerns at length. From there you might be in a better spot to make the best decision for your dogs. It's definitely worth the $50 or whatever just to do a consultation with an expert. They should really be able to address your concerns and discuss things in depth and thoroughly. |