Dental-ketamine instead of anesthesia

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by enchilila

Do you know if A&M requires a referral in order to have teeth cleaned? I would think so. I know there is a doggie dentist somewhere near Round Rock that I could check out.

Believe me, when she gets a cleaning, it will be done under general anesthesia with the proper monitoring. The other way is way too scary.

I don't know about A&M but you could call the Small Animal Clinic and ask. (979) 845-2351 I have a board certified dentist here so no need to take that drive.

You can find one here:

Home | AVDC - American Veterinary Dental College

[enchilila]

I found a vet who is not far from my house. I used to take my 17 year old cat to her. I just talked to the office staff about getting Betty Boop's teeth cleaned. It seems they follow the same protocol that I've read on YT. They do pre-op exam and blood work. They monitor the blood pressure. They use isoflurane and propofol. I asked if they used Ketamine and she said they don't use that anymore,

I asked who actually does the cleaning and she said a tech does the cleaning and another tech monitors the blood pressure and anesthesia. The vet administers the anesthesia. She told me the vet never leaves the room. I would hope she doesn't!!

What are your thoughts about vet techs doing the cleaning AND the monitoring? I just wonder why the vet doesn't participate more. Maybe she feels her techs are more than qualified.

[mimimomo]

Originally Posted by enchilila

The vet knows she has tartar build up on both sides of her mouth on her back molars but the impression I got was that there was no big hurry to have her teeth cleaned. I just don't wont the buildup to get so bad that it would cause her to lose her molars. I brush her teeth almost everyday and her breath is still bad. I guess I don't do a good enough job on those back molars.

Good luck with Turbo's cleaning in February. BTW, what toothpaste do you use and do you use anything else to keep the tartar at bay?

I use CET Poultry flavored toothpaste, but recently have been using Tropiclean fresh breath gel bc I'm not sure if Turbo can handle the poultry in the toothpaste since he's intolerant of chicken & turkey. It probably doesn't matter. The last couple of days, I've been using coconut oil. The only reason I did the anesthesia free cleaning was bc it was out of a holistic vet office & the vet checked their teeth 1st & ok'ed the procedure. They just had some brown tartar build up which didn't affect their gums, so no need to go under. It would be a good in-between cleaning. Since his last cleaning was done that way, the next cleaning would better be off under anesthesia.

Originally Posted by enchilila

I found a vet who is not far from my house. I used to take my 17 year old cat to her. I just talked to the office staff about getting Betty Boop's teeth cleaned. It seems they follow the same protocol that I've read on YT. They do pre-op exam and blood work. They monitor the blood pressure. They use isoflurane and propofol. I asked if they used Ketamine and she said they don't use that anymore,

I asked who actually does the cleaning and she said a tech does the cleaning and another tech monitors the blood pressure and anesthesia. The vet administers the anesthesia. She told me the vet never leaves the room. I would hope she doesn't!!

What are your thoughts about vet techs doing the cleaning AND the monitoring? I just wonder why the vet doesn't participate more. Maybe she feels her techs are more than qualified.

My vet also monitors the dental cleaning but does all the teeth extractions himself. The vet tech who is certified & qualified to do the dental cleaning does that & there's also an anesthesiologist to monitor the anesthesia (not a vet tech, unless they're certified/ qualified to do that, which in your vet's case must be).

[enchilila]

Originally Posted by mimimomo

I use CET Poultry flavored toothpaste, but recently have been using Tropiclean fresh breath gel bc I'm not sure if Turbo can handle the poultry in the toothpaste since he's intolerant of chicken & turkey. It probably doesn't matter. The last couple of days, I've been using coconut oil. The only reason I did the anesthesia free cleaning was bc it was out of a holistic vet office & the vet checked their teeth 1st & ok'ed the procedure. They just had some brown tartar build up which didn't affect their gums, so no need to go under. It would be a good in-between cleaning. Since his last cleaning was done that way, the next cleaning would better be off under anesthesia.

My vet also monitors the dental cleaning but does all the teeth extractions himself. The vet tech who is certified & qualified to do the dental cleaning does that & there's also an anesthesiologist to monitor the anesthesia (not a vet tech, unless they're certified/ qualified to do that, which in your vet's case must be).

I use the CET Vanilla Mint toothpaste and she loves it. Does coconut oil help with keeping tartar away?

I know the vet didn't think it was a dire emergency to get her teeth cleaned, but I figure since she has never had a cleaning that it was time to become proactive. I hope I haven't waited too long. I only waited this long because of his past recommendations.

I need to ask if the vet tech is certified and how much experience she has in administering anesthesia.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by enchilila

I use the CET Vanilla Mint toothpaste and she loves it. Does coconut oil help with keeping tartar away?

I know the vet didn't think it was a dire emergency to get her teeth cleaned, but I figure since she has never had a cleaning that it was time to become proactive. I hope I haven't waited too long. I only waited this long because of his past recommendations.

I need to ask if the vet tech is certified and how much experience she has in administering anesthesia.

Honestly, after what he recommended, I would not trust anything he said about dentals.

Dentals without anesthesia are not recommended .. and I would not care who advised it.

Anesthesia for Veterinary Dental Patients | AVDC - American Veterinary Dental College There is a ton of information on that site about dentals.

[mimimomo]

Originally Posted by enchilila

I use the CET Vanilla Mint toothpaste and she loves it. Does coconut oil help with keeping tartar away?

I know the vet didn't think it was a dire emergency to get her teeth cleaned, but I figure since she has never had a cleaning that it was time to become proactive. I hope I haven't waited too long. I only waited this long because of his past recommendations.

I need to ask if the vet tech is certified and how much experience she has in administering anesthesia.

I've read online on health forums that coconut oil removes tartar from people teeth. So I tried it & I'm not sure if it removed any tartar (only tried it couple of x's), but my teeth felt so clean! I want to buy some peppermint oil & make my own yummy coconut toothpaste w/baking soda Coconut oil has many anti-bacterial/ fungal properties & it helps stimulate your metabolism...lose weight while you brush your teeth loll! Need to make sure to rinse the toothbrush in warm water since coconut oil hardens w/cold water...don't want clogged up drains, esp in winter!