Yes this is a great idea! I still haven't called to make the appointment. :rolleyes: I really hope my vet takes care credit because I know it will be god awful expensive! :(

Thank you very much. :hug:

So should spay and teeth removal be two seperate surgeries? I don't know if I can go through having Bailey put under twice. :cry:

Thank you for all of the great info by the way... I had seen you post that in another thread. :thumbup:

That's what I'm wondering now too. I think I'll talk to my vet about it. He does all of the right things routinely, but he is the one who suggested combining the tooth removal with the spay, so I'm confused too. :confused:

I am just concerned after reading so many threads about some pups not doing well with surgeries.
I almost lost my 2nd Yorkie during a minor surgery to remove a lump on her head, and she was a bigger Yorkie and 4 years old at the time. They had just put her under when she started having problems. Her heart stopped. Thank God the Surgical Tech responded so quickly and was able to bring her back.
I did some research on and offline and found that Yorkies as a breed, generally can have problems with anesthesia. I am trying to reach as many people as possible to alert them to this problem. I don't want to see any more posts about pups being lost during surgeries. I'm not saying don't have surgeries or dentals, I just want owners to know that there are safer options and procedures that are available and can be put in place easily by your vet, if they are aware. Yorkies cannot be treated the same as other dogs. I think it may be in their genes, like a throw back to their original wild ancestry. They fight harder to not go under, but when they do, they go too far. They have to be closely monitored the entire time they are under. Isoflurane and sevoflurane are better choices for anesthesia bc they are easily and quickly reversed.
A spay can take 30-60 minutes, depending on vet experience, size of the dog, and problems encountered during the procedure. A dental normally lasts 15-30 minutes. The less amount of time they are under, the better: ie: safer and less toxins for the liver to have to remove from the body at one time. I'm not saying it can't be done, I'm saying that it is safer not to do it at the same time.
You need to consider the insult to the body, too. Your dog will have enough pain from the spay to deal with, and you want to add pain from a pulled tooth or 2 to that? I know there are pain meds, but you don't want your dog feeling so good that she runs around too much and tears the incision.
One more point: Animal surgery is different than human surgery. Humans understand why things are happening, dogs don't. Dogs bodies and psyche go into a fight or flight mentality, where people can do positive thinking and reasoning which helps recovery.

One last important point: If you take your dog home after surgery and it is still groggy, do not let them sleep for too long of a time. Wake them up every 10 minutes or so, until they become active and awake on their own. Some anesthesia can be left in their body, and still be a danger. Massage can be helpful in stimulating bloodflow, helping the circulation and evacuation of the anesthesia.

This is good ... let me know what he says. Would you have talked to him about it before reading this thread?

No, it wouldn't have come into the conversation at all. I'm very glad you brought it up. Thanks!

You have to do what you feel is best, however, I believe in removing baby teeth at the time of spay/neuter - unless there is a medical issue that would advise more caution.

Marcel had a standard neuter and 7 baby teeth removed - the entire procedure took about 35-40 minutes. If you have a healthy pet, a skilled Vet, and have asked all the right questions - I see no reason to not have baby teeth removed concurrently.

If a dog has liver issues or other underlying health issues (which should have been uncovered by pre-op full blood panel) - then you may want to more closely consider time under gas. Otherwise though, it seems much more risky to me to plan for another surgery just for teeth removal.

[btw, funny this all comes up bc I'm currently in the process of writing an Anesthesia sticky - should be done today]

That would be very helpful! Thank you! Every time I think about surgery, I have to go back and research the blood tests to run and the type of gas to use. That would save a lot of people the search. :)

Finished it: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...ml#post2645482

:thumbup:
Ellie does have high bile acids.
She was spayed and we talked about a dental at the same time.
The vet said she would if Ellie was doing well.
It was the vet's call and she was more than willing to try both at once if Ellie was okay. She ended up doing the dental also and called mid-spay to ask if a liver biopsy should be done. Ellie was monitored very closely and it went okay.

If your vet is comfortable with doing both at once, then I would let them.
They should be closely monitoring everything the whole time though.

If it's just puppy teeth then it's not that much longer at all. Puppy teeth come out super easy :)

Just made Bailey an appt for the 16th for her full blood panel. Then we'll schedule the spay after that. :( You guys think I should do an EKG beforehand also or just make sure she's hooked to an EKG during surgery?

Checklist
 

Here is the letter I handed my vet before the spaying/dental procedure. It is a collection of "best practices" from a zillion YT spaying threads.

Too bad the vet read it and said "Someone has done too much reading"....:eek: Needless to say, that guy is fired.

Probably would get better results by discussing these items with your vet in advance though.

Quote:

Dear Dr. ABC: Thank you for taking great care of London today, as always. She is coming in primarily for spaying, and secondarily for dental cleaning, microchip, nail clipping, and heartworm prescription. Please call me to discuss the procedures in detail before any anesthesia or procedure begins. I can be reached at home ###-###-####, or cell ###-###-####. Her heat cycle began yesterday, so let me know if that will be a problem. Here is my wishlist for the procedures, based on my understanding of best practices for small breed dogs. If you recommend something different, let’s discuss. Spaying - Start an IV and catheter just in case there are complications - Only use Isoflurane or Sevoflurane anesthesia, because these are the safest - If pre-anesthesia is needed, use Propofol - Procedure to be performed on a heated table or with a heated blanket. This is important for small dogs - Use a heart rate monitor / EKG - Have a second person in the room monitoring London’s vital signs, besides the person performing the procedure Dental Cleaning - Ultrasonic dental cleaning has risks for small dogs. Let’s discuss whether this is appropriate for London. May need to consider hand-scaling only, or a combination of hand-scaling below the gumline and ultrasonic. After-Care - Please provide detailed written instructions for London’s care at home. - Do you recommend a painkiller and/or antibiotics? There are pros and cons to each. Thanks for the wonderful work you do. It is comforting to know London is in hands of an experienced and highly recommended vet. I look forward to speaking with you to discuss her care.

Good for you! :) I still haven't scheduled Kandi because she's in her heat cycle.

I have no idea about the EKG. Hopefully someone else will have the answer for you.