Here are the details. My dog is almost 13 years old, a mixed breed, likely part min pin and part beagle. She’s still active. She currently weighs 21 pounds, with her regular weight fluctuating from around 19 to 21 pounds over the years. She does have a little trouble with harder foods, such as dry treats, but otherwise seems to still be eating well. After a recent visit to the vet, she was given a clean bill of health with the exception of her teeth. The vet said she has problems with tartar and gingivitis, and recommended a full dental cleaning under anesthesia with possible extractions. I’m concerned that if she was to undergo anesthesia and have extractions done at her age, that this may trigger a decline. What do you all think of this situation? Should I set her up to see the vet dentist, maybe have the cleanings but no extractions? Thank you for any advice you all may have on this situation.
If the cleaning requires anaesthesia then you might as well have the extractions done, because that’s the major risk.
I, personally, would not put any dog that age under general anesthesia, unless it was life or death. IANAVet.
My 48-pound hound mix will be 13 next month, and had a dental cleaning with anesthesia a couple of months ago. Luckily she didn’t need any extractions, but I wouldn’t have thought twice before agreeing. Bad teeth can really screw up an animal’s health, and can also be painful. That said, though, my girl is still in pretty good shape; I’d have no reason to worry about triggering a decline. You know your dog, but I also think you should ask your vet’s opinion.
Yes, definitely.
Dental issues can contribute to poor health and pain and have a big impact on quality of life. Having a dental under anesthesia makes for a rough couple of days, but life is a whole lot better after that. It usually does quite the opposite of triggering a decline- it takes away something that was bothering them and they’re happier for it. Practically every old dog who comes into rescue has a dental. It’s very routine and better to get done before the problems become too serious. A full cleaning and a couple possible extractions at 12 could save you from having to do a much more serious and involved set of extractions when she’s 14.
Don’t worry about your dog missing the teeth she loses if she loses any, btw. I’ve had plenty of completely toothless dogs and cats who quite happily eat dry food and treats. Their mouths heal faster than you would think and they’ll come home with medication for the pain. Also, extractions are done on teeth that already have issues, so it’s a couple days of pain and then it heals and they’re good as new vs. leaving the problem tooth in and letting them be in continuous and ever-worsening pain.
Good luck to you and your dog. I know it’s terrifying putting them under anesthesia and it really sucks that they can’t tell you what hurts or how much or what their preference is on the matter.
I inherited my mom’s 13 and 15 year old cats, and at first I thought the older one, Sassy, wasn’t eating much because like us, she missed Mom. But eventually I noticed her yelp while eating on two different occasions and eventually figured out that duh, she was in pain. And given she was a cat, it had to be pretty bad pain to show it.
I consulted with the vet and we decided that if her bloodwork came back good, we’d have the 2 teeth that were bothering her out. The bloodwork was in fact excellent, so we went ahead. She came through surgery with flying colors.
The cat lived another 2 years, and was happier for the painful teeth being gone.
So what I’m saying is, if it were my dog, and a checkup showed it was otherwise healthy, those teeth would come out.
If you doubt your vet’s advice, like if you suspect a money motive or something, you can always go to a different vet for a second opinion.
But yeah, better to have it done than not, if necessary.