14 year old and dental Barney is almost 14 and he had his dental yesterday. He was placed under general anesthesia and monitored throughout the procedure. Xrays revealed that he had broken roots (not teeth themselves) in two of his smaller upper premolars and one front top incisor. Those teeth and the broken roots were removed and the area was closed with dissolvable stitches. He woke up without a problem and came last evening after a day stay in the hospital. He's a little foggy still, but otherwise he did great. I'm sharing this because I know so many people worry about dentals in their pets, especially older pets. I want to be one of the people that has the other view. I took him for just a cleaning and he was not that bad on exam, but knowing those fractured roots could later cause an abscess when he is even older made me feel very happy about the decision to take him. My husband was initially very concerned as many on YT are. I discussed the pros and cons with him and a trusted vet and decided it really could benefit Barney. He has some metacam for the soreness in the mouth to take for a week, and he's eating well. By this evening I expect him to be 100% back to himself. Age is not a disease...and taking care of things early can save a lot of stress and money later. As they say, a stitch in time saves nine. I hope this gives some reassurance to anyone on the fence. Know your vets, their protocols and procedures and your dog and you'll make the right decisions! |
Great post! :thumbup::thumbup: Dental health is so important to our pets, and I know it can be so worrisome when your pet is older. But just think about how you could be prolonging their lives even more! |
Great post! So glad he did so well. It's a great reminder of how everything can generally look fine on the outside, but when they get in there - that there are actually concerning things going on. |
So glad to hear Barney did so well! We also have a senior poodle (12 yrs old) who recently had a dental. Prissy was under a general anesthesia and did very well. We were so glad that we made this decision for our little girl. Great thread!! |
Glad he is ok. :) Pam |
Barney is awesome. Lisa (lisaly), her 3 Rainbow Bridge girls had annual dentals well into their senior years. She has written that she believes this was a factor in their longevity. |
Thank you for pointing out the importance of dental's even in our older dogs. I'm happy that Barney did so well and he's very luck to have a level headed owner willing to do what she knows best. :) |
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Great point and great post! Thanks for sharing! |
Thanks for sharing!! I have been looking for the encouragement to move forward with my 13 year old yorkies dental work. I know that it will make him feel better and hopefully prolong his life. This post makes me feel as though the good benefits of going through with the dental outweigh the bad risks from the anisthesia. One thing that concerns me about my vet is that they don't close the wound after the tooth is extracted. His reasoning is that if there is an abscess or infection under the tooth they want to allow it to drain out. Does this sound right? I would imagine that food would get trapped in there. I'm sure all 4 of his back molars will be extracted which will leave a fairly large open wound. |
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Thanks I will be asking a lot more questions when I call on Monday for his bloodwork results. I may have to get a second opinion or find another vet if it still doesn't seem right. |
Thank you for that post. I'm going to be facing that question in the coming years, and your experience gives me a good reference point! Thanks. |
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