"Crab Bait" is headed to the vet today.
 

He slept most all of yesterday, had a fair appetite but not what we have learned to be normal for him. We skipped his walk since he seemed under the weather. Last night, this morning, he had some breathing issues, it's like occasionally he can't breathe through his nose. He breathes through his mouth and it's almost a look of terror in his eyes when he has these episodes. So Robyn popped him with the inhaler per the vets previous direction and we'll be at the vets when they open at 9am.

He's had this condition since we first got him to varying degrees. When we first got him 8ish months ago he was on antibiotics for about a month. We're going to try to get his dental evaluation done also today and hopefully his dental work will be done by next week.

His nasal discharge when he sneezes is clear so if it's an infection, it's certainly not as bad as when we first got him. He is such a stronger dog than when we first got him. Then, 1/4 mile wore him out....now, it's 3 miles. He'll recover from this ailment.

My hope is that by having his teeth thoroughly taken care of, his nasal issue will be a thing of the past for the most part. Best guess, 10-12 years old, 5ish pounds.

I've only been here at YT for a month. Your information has helped to some degree in this mornings decision to rush him to the vet for his nasal issue and finally do what needs to be done with his teeth. Robyn is a cancer survivor who has not returned to work, my work is sort of seasonal or intermittent.

Prayers for your little Crab Bait. I hope they find out the cause. Sometimes not knowing is worse than actually knowing. If you know whats wrong, you can at least treat it accordingly.

Well wishes being sent your way!

Good luck to you & Crab Bait.

sending many prayers.

Sending good thoughts

Praying for Crab Bait...

Hope that all goes well for him. He might have an oronasal fistula which should be repaired by a dental specialist. Since money is funny, maybe it is something that could be put off but yes, the teeth should be taken care of. The problem with those fistulas is that they can aspirate when eating, so I personally would want my pup repaired.

Keep us posted! :)

Sending prayers

Hope that all goes well ,at the vet.

I am keeping Crab Bait in my prayers and sending positive thoughts.

Thank You ALL!
The bad news is, the vet said due to his noisy lungs that even after this new course of antibiotics he would have less than 50% chance of survival if he was put under anesthesia for dental work. She was very confident that x rays and blood work would not change that diagnosis or survivability of anesthesia. He does have arthritis as well.

The good news is, his temperature is normal, 101.6 and he has a strong heart. He's still eating and drinking plenty. When we got him he was 4.6 pounds, today, 8 months later he's 5.3 pounds. He didn't seem at all lethargic at the vets. He's not fat, his muscle tone is good.

She recommended a non anesthetic dental cleaning. Essentially, the teeth that are ready to fall out, fall out during the cleaning, is our understanding. Due to his age and condition, extractions are highly discouraged. If we insisted on extractions or anesthesia for our dog, we would have to go to a different vet since they recommend against it. They do not want to hasten his demise. He is old, possibly older than 12.

So, no walks for the next few days, a week, for him. He's scheduled for the non anesthetic dental cleaning, 21 Jan. He is always kept inside except to potty and go for walks. When he has good days, he'll go for a walk. When not such good days, he'll stay at home. Same as it's been for the last 8 months.

We'll just keep him as active and comfortable as possible. :(
When we got him, I felt that good food coupled with exercise would increase his perkiness. It has helped his stamina and muscle mass/tone, so he has been able to walk further. As to his spunkiness around the house, I think it's helped just a little. He is still as attentive and loving as the day we got him when he is awake. LOL He sleeps a lot more than I. LOL

I'm not asking for any advice on this one... For the most part, he's comfortable. It's just these occasional nasal/bronchial episodes that worry us a bit. The vet has spoken. He's old.

I understand that you do not want advice and I DO understand opting not to do a dental on an older pup; but I don't think you should block your mind that way. We should always be open to learning.

What does concern me greatly is the non anesthetic dental. I really am surprised that your vet would suggest that for a pup with "noisy lungs" whatever that means. Did you get a diagnosis on that?

I really, really hope you will take the time to read about the non-anesthetic dentals. You don't have to take anyone's advice, but we would all be remiss if we did not offer you things that some of us are aware of. It is also for other people who come along and read these threads.

Personally, I would do a consult with a board certified dentist...none of them want dogs to die during dentals and sometimes it really is necessary to avoid them; but unless you do a consult you would never know. I had a pup years ago who simply had to take antibiotics in his last two years because he was such a high risk.

Anyway....here is a link about the non-anesthetic dentals. My biggest concern with your pup is that the vet is concerned about the lungs yet is willing to do a procedure that is very high risk of aspiration.

Dental Scaling Without Anesthesia | AVDC - American Veterinary Dental College

praying for the little one

:thumbup:
So sorry to read about Gucci's teeth issues...but Ladyjane is right & she has a lot of experience w/older pups going through dental cleanings & teeth pullings. Those loose teeth NEED to come out & anesthesia free cleaning can't do it. Dental health is so important, I believe it will prolong their life. I think vets sometimes say they can't do it if they're not comfortable w/doing it themselves...please ask to be referred to a specialist, get a 2nd opinion from people that specialize in high risk patients.

Oh I am sorry he's feeling down...I realize at his age you don't want to do anything that will or could harm him. That being said, getting an opinion from an actual dental specialist may not be a bad idea. Then you can make an educated decision for him. My thoughts, my prayers are with him...hoping all turns out well...which ever way you decide to proceed.

I'll call tomorrow about a dental specialist opinion, I'll make additional inquiries. Our appt for the 21 is with a dental specialist that visits this vets office once a month for these type of appts. The vet that saw Gucci today is the vet who would have extracted his teeth if he was a viable candidate for the procedure. BUT, I'll ask more questions tomorrow.

Thanks for your support and even the recommendations aren't that unreasonable. I'll read that reference material.:thumbup:

Today was pretty reasonable, $66. The dental specialist will evaluate CB prior to beginning the procedure... She will decide if he is a candidate for the non anesthetic cleaning at that time. The estimate is just north of $200 but meds and at home supplies are additional.

I'd gladly pay the 600-800 if the risks weren't so high... it wouldn't be like pulling teeth! pun intended! We'd hate to roll the dice and lose him.

Here's the biggest thing that I see. He came to us in such poor physical shape that 1/4 mile walk was a struggle most of the time. Now, 3 miles is very doable MOST of the time. I'd say we're doing something right.:animal36 Thanks!

Here is a link to the thread about my George's dental :

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...ds-dental.html

I will tell you that it was well over the $800 when all was said and done because he had some extensive work done but he is doing fantastic. His teeth look better than they ever have before after a dental. He is also eating better (I am sure he was hurting before and that is why his appetite was not as good). He looks terrific! He was very high risk and I was terrified, but I am SO glad now that I did it. The specialist was excellent...very thorough and explained things so well...she really made me feel confident about going through with it. She told me that she will not put a pup under if she thinks they will not make it. That sold me. :)

Here is a link to specialists :

AVDC Veterinary Dentist Directory | AVDC - American Veterinary Dental College

Two of those are less than a block from our current vet, I'll call.

Awesome! I doubt a consult could be too terribly much. I think you will be impressed even if you chose not to do it...I know I was.

I would certainly feel better, if you got the second opinion...I'll pray for your little man...

Wishin the best for lil 'crab bait' :) I hope the dental specialist can help, glad for the cooperative support and resource sharing. Keep us updated :yorkiej:

I'm so thankful for the great amount of knowledge here-in my opinion ladyjane is an expert on all things pup! Wishing the best for CB!

I think you are doing a great job with this little guy, he is benefiting from his walks and getting stronger every day. As for his dental , good luck :animal-pa

I called, they are closed on weekends. I'll shoot for monday.

Gucci seems better yesterday afternoon and this morning.

So, with older dogs, does it benefit the pup to switch food occasionally? He likes what he has now but because of what I've read here, I'm thinking of trying Orijin? dry. free feed... Robyn will still feed him diced chicken... there's no way I could stop her! LOL

That is another important element, now that the vet has recommended against anesthesia, Robyn would really have a tough time changing her mind and allowing it. I'll gather the info and present it to her though.

One of my Rainbow Bridge babies had a dental when she was sixteen years old because of a tooth infection. Because of an enlarged heart, we had to stop the yearly dentals when Ashley was close to eleven. The dental helped her so much, and we were so glad that she had it. I strongly believe that dental health helps our little ones to be much healthier. I hope you have positive news from a dental specialist.

I agree.... it's up to the pros to figure out how it'll be done. We don't want to risk losing him by attempting to improve his health. A vet has spoken against anesthesia due to his health...... I'll get a second opinion but realistically.... how would you feel IF you were faced with the same... then just found someone that would use anesthesia... and your dog died... ? Yep, that's where I'm at.... and in this case, it's not my decision alone... so what if I do get convinced to go the anesthesia route, I, in turn convince Robyn and then he dies on the table.... I lose my old pup and Robyn would NATURALLY blame me. I wouldn't blame her for that... That would take some time to repair as well.

He'll get some dental work, we just don't know exactly how yet... 21 Jan, we'll know more.

Thanks for the comments... I appreciate them.

My vet recommended against anesthesia for George because of the problem he had when he had his last dental with her and because of the discovery of collapsed trachea weeks after at A&M....BUT not against a consult with a specialist.

I don't know what your pup has that led your vet to recommend against anesthesia. My concern is why he/she would suggest a highly risky procedure in place of it. With a dental without anesthesia there is a higher risk of aspiration and if lungs are already compromised then that is really a frightening scenario to me. If you provide Robyn with all of this information I think she will totally understand. Besides, you are only going for a consult...at least listen to what a specialist has to say. I have no idea of the health of your pup nor do I know if he can withstand anesthesia; but my guess is he could .. I have seen and heard of many others who were ill and had it. My son just had a 15 year old done at the specialist...I just did not post about it because I wanted to simply get George's story out for you to read and also the links.

I appreciate the links, I'll explore that route.... but...... whew...... they are all "practicing" medicine.... we're not taking this lightly or going for the cheapest route... I'd just yank his teeth myself if that was the case... so back off a bit... Thanks.... :)

Was a full blood panel done? I'm wondering why your vet would say anesthesia is not good for him w/out looking @ blood work. Blood work would give a good indication of how all his vital organs are working & give the vet an idea of how the dog would handle anesthesia. Senior dogs need this done every 6 months anyway.
I know the what if's are scary & there is def some risk involved every time they go under. But, tooth decay is scarier & periodontal disease can cause harm to the major organs & bring on disease.
A 2nd opinion wouldn't hurt & honestly, visiting a reg vet & a specialist is like night & day. I've been to a cardiologist when Momo was a puppy & they were able to take care of the issue on 1 visit. It was expensive, but my repeat visits to the vet (4 different ones) w/no answers for months were more costly & stressful for both of us.