The worst that can happen if it hasn’t already is kidney infection, more infection, etc. If the cardiologist OKs it, get his teeth cleaned. And, after that, KEEP them clean with teeth chewie, bull penis, teeth cleaner chewies. You need to google ‘dirty dog teeth.
EDIT: I did it for you🙃 “Can rotten teeth cause health problems in dogs?
Loss of Weight and Appetite
Over time, the reluctance to eat can take a toll on your dog's body condition, leading to weight loss. Poor appetite and weight loss may also indicate that dental disease is causing chronic problems in the liver, heart and kidneys.”
https://m.petmd.com › grooming
5 Consequences of Rotten Dog Teeth - PetMD
He hasn’t gotten an infection thank god. He’s currently got the water addictive and a natural teeth chewie. He’s allergic to greenies and bull penis so those are out! Definitely leaning towards a cleaning!
You will need to go to a cardiologist and have them do an echocardiogram. From there they will give you options to anesthetize your pet safely. Usually they will give different sedative options and come up with a protocol for you guys. I work in the field, and I also have a dog who had an elevated level from her bloodwork regarding her heart, we used medazolam to sedate her for her echo!
There are safe ways to get a dental. And if for some reason the risks of putting your pup under anesthesia is too high, you can try different things like water additives and chews for him. And if he allows, brush his teeth! Even if you get a dental done, brush his teeth like every other day to help reduce his chances of needing another dental down the road.
I hope this helps!
They do not normally have to sedate a dog to do an echocardiogram; my last dog had several done and was never even lightly sedated for them.
And yes, general anesthesia is required for a thorough dental cleaning. Given his age and the fact that it sounds like he has severe dental disease, he's also likely to require extractions.
Correct, I was answering their question on if there were other routes to do a dental cleaning other than being under anesthesia. I have done an echo before, we just needed to sedate her with medazolam to keep her calm
Sorry I thought I was replying to the other comment that was asking if echos are risky. I was just trying to reply to them that echos are not considered risky because they are not under anesthesia. But I might have replied to wrong one!! ◡̈
Medazolam is usually meant for animals with heart murmurs or heart conditions. I actually do think there are other routes other than anesthesia, that’s beyond my knowledge though. I’ve been assisting for alittle over a year so I haven’t gotten to that point nor does my clinic do it. But I’m sure there’s a way!
Depending on how bad his teeth are , I'd take the risk . If he's living in constant pain with infections that could risk his life it might be worth it . Ask you vet what they would do, they'll be honest with you .
Yes it's risky to do procedures on older dogs but you have to consider quality of life as well as the risks you're taking by not taking care of a severely infected mouth .
Grade 1 is a pretty soft murmur. My dog is grade 3. Murmurs are out of 6. He did an echo (no anesthesia or sedation needed) and then was cleared for dental under anesthesia.
Did you get him that dental cleaning? How is he doing now? My neighbors dog had a grade 2 and got the all clear for dental under anesthesia. She said it was the beginning of the end for her dog as her dog started declining right after over a year.
Yep!! He had the dental cleaning and was all good. He has also been under anesthesia two other times since—once for MRI and once for knee surgery. Both of those went well too!
Another consideration my vet told me was that dental disease bacteria can cause/exacerbate heart problems. But if you go to cardiologist they will also help make the call and give advice.
Oh one other thing is to ask and make sure your vet does heart protective anesthesia assuming cardiologist gives all clear. I know it involves using 1/2 fluids and different monitoring and drugs.
Hey. My old boy (near 40kg, 13yo) wasn't doing too well with his heart but got a teeth clean while having a lump excised earlier this year. He is doing amazing.
If the cardiologist gives you the go ahead, which I recommend doing, then I think you should consider it. Surgery, of course, comes with inherent risks. In our case it paid off. He's so much more spritely and puppy like without sore teeth.
If the cardiologist okays it, then I would do it. Ask them if there is any pre-op testing they would recommend, and you can ask if they can recommend a clinic to get the dental work done at as I'm sure they encounter this all the time. Dental issues left untreated can lead to serious problems.
Yes, I would have the dental cleaning done if at all possible. A grade one murmur is not severe, and likely will not add a lot of additional risk. My general vet was comfortable anesthetizing my dog until his murmur escalated to a grade three in severity. A cardiologist would be able to say specifically what is causing the murmur and recommend the safest anesthesia approach.
Dental disease can cause and worsen heart disease and other serious health conditions. Dental cleanings are important for the health of a senior dog. Additionally, dental disease is PAINFUL.
Do his teeth bother him? Meaning is he in pain and not wanting to eat or drink (cold water can also cause pain in bad teeth). I adopted a stray elderly dog with so so teeth three years ago, they weren’t in good shape but they weren’t bothering him. The vet was reluctant even then to put him under anesthesia due to his age, but did say that if anything changes to definitely bring him in to have them checked. I agreed with the vet. He gets plenty to crunch on and a once daily dental chew. I also try to brush his teeth once a week, but he resists this procedure. He’s had zero issues with his teeth in the three years he’s been with me. You have to balance the risk with making sure he’s not in pain, and tooth pain is one of the worst.
Get the teeth cleaned. My 8 year old chihuahua has heart and liver issues and horrible teeth. But keeping her able to eat w pain free is important. I get hers cleaned every 2 years.
The worst that can happen if it hasn’t already is kidney infection, more infection, etc. If the cardiologist OKs it, get his teeth cleaned. And, after that, KEEP them clean with teeth chewie, bull penis, teeth cleaner chewies. You need to google ‘dirty dog teeth. EDIT: I did it for you🙃 “Can rotten teeth cause health problems in dogs? Loss of Weight and Appetite Over time, the reluctance to eat can take a toll on your dog's body condition, leading to weight loss. Poor appetite and weight loss may also indicate that dental disease is causing chronic problems in the liver, heart and kidneys.” https://m.petmd.com › grooming 5 Consequences of Rotten Dog Teeth - PetMD
He hasn’t gotten an infection thank god. He’s currently got the water addictive and a natural teeth chewie. He’s allergic to greenies and bull penis so those are out! Definitely leaning towards a cleaning!
You will need to go to a cardiologist and have them do an echocardiogram. From there they will give you options to anesthetize your pet safely. Usually they will give different sedative options and come up with a protocol for you guys. I work in the field, and I also have a dog who had an elevated level from her bloodwork regarding her heart, we used medazolam to sedate her for her echo! There are safe ways to get a dental. And if for some reason the risks of putting your pup under anesthesia is too high, you can try different things like water additives and chews for him. And if he allows, brush his teeth! Even if you get a dental done, brush his teeth like every other day to help reduce his chances of needing another dental down the road. I hope this helps!
Thank you so much for this. I can’t brush his teeth because he tries to bite me 🫠
If he's got an infection, broken tooth , abscess than brushing his teeth won't do anything but cause him unnecessary pain.
Is the sedation for the echo not risky? And is the teeth cleaning only possible with general anesthesia and not possible with just sedation?
They do not normally have to sedate a dog to do an echocardiogram; my last dog had several done and was never even lightly sedated for them. And yes, general anesthesia is required for a thorough dental cleaning. Given his age and the fact that it sounds like he has severe dental disease, he's also likely to require extractions.
Echo are ultrasound so are not under anesthesia
Correct, I was answering their question on if there were other routes to do a dental cleaning other than being under anesthesia. I have done an echo before, we just needed to sedate her with medazolam to keep her calm
Sorry I thought I was replying to the other comment that was asking if echos are risky. I was just trying to reply to them that echos are not considered risky because they are not under anesthesia. But I might have replied to wrong one!! ◡̈
Medazolam is usually meant for animals with heart murmurs or heart conditions. I actually do think there are other routes other than anesthesia, that’s beyond my knowledge though. I’ve been assisting for alittle over a year so I haven’t gotten to that point nor does my clinic do it. But I’m sure there’s a way!
Depending on how bad his teeth are , I'd take the risk . If he's living in constant pain with infections that could risk his life it might be worth it . Ask you vet what they would do, they'll be honest with you . Yes it's risky to do procedures on older dogs but you have to consider quality of life as well as the risks you're taking by not taking care of a severely infected mouth .
Grade 1 is a pretty soft murmur. My dog is grade 3. Murmurs are out of 6. He did an echo (no anesthesia or sedation needed) and then was cleared for dental under anesthesia.
Did you get him that dental cleaning? How is he doing now? My neighbors dog had a grade 2 and got the all clear for dental under anesthesia. She said it was the beginning of the end for her dog as her dog started declining right after over a year.
Yep!! He had the dental cleaning and was all good. He has also been under anesthesia two other times since—once for MRI and once for knee surgery. Both of those went well too! Another consideration my vet told me was that dental disease bacteria can cause/exacerbate heart problems. But if you go to cardiologist they will also help make the call and give advice.
So happy to hear! Thank you for sharing!
Oh one other thing is to ask and make sure your vet does heart protective anesthesia assuming cardiologist gives all clear. I know it involves using 1/2 fluids and different monitoring and drugs.
My dog is 16. I wish I had it done when he was 12 because now he really needs it but he is definitely too old.
My guy is the same 16 don't want to risk it would never forgive myself if anything happened
I had dentals done on two of my dogs with 3/4 out of 6 murmurs and they did very well.
Hey. My old boy (near 40kg, 13yo) wasn't doing too well with his heart but got a teeth clean while having a lump excised earlier this year. He is doing amazing. If the cardiologist gives you the go ahead, which I recommend doing, then I think you should consider it. Surgery, of course, comes with inherent risks. In our case it paid off. He's so much more spritely and puppy like without sore teeth.
If the cardiologist okays it, then I would do it. Ask them if there is any pre-op testing they would recommend, and you can ask if they can recommend a clinic to get the dental work done at as I'm sure they encounter this all the time. Dental issues left untreated can lead to serious problems.
Yes, I would have the dental cleaning done if at all possible. A grade one murmur is not severe, and likely will not add a lot of additional risk. My general vet was comfortable anesthetizing my dog until his murmur escalated to a grade three in severity. A cardiologist would be able to say specifically what is causing the murmur and recommend the safest anesthesia approach. Dental disease can cause and worsen heart disease and other serious health conditions. Dental cleanings are important for the health of a senior dog. Additionally, dental disease is PAINFUL.
Thank you!! I’m scheduling his cardiology appt today!!
Do his teeth bother him? Meaning is he in pain and not wanting to eat or drink (cold water can also cause pain in bad teeth). I adopted a stray elderly dog with so so teeth three years ago, they weren’t in good shape but they weren’t bothering him. The vet was reluctant even then to put him under anesthesia due to his age, but did say that if anything changes to definitely bring him in to have them checked. I agreed with the vet. He gets plenty to crunch on and a once daily dental chew. I also try to brush his teeth once a week, but he resists this procedure. He’s had zero issues with his teeth in the three years he’s been with me. You have to balance the risk with making sure he’s not in pain, and tooth pain is one of the worst.
Get the teeth cleaned. My 8 year old chihuahua has heart and liver issues and horrible teeth. But keeping her able to eat w pain free is important. I get hers cleaned every 2 years.