• If you're a past member of the board, but can't recall your password any more, you don't need to set up a new account (unless you wish to). As long as you recall your old login name, you can log in with that user name then select 'forgot password' and the board will email you at your registration email, to let you reset your password.

Dental cleaning and anesthesia

anniemac

Well-known member
Elton needs a dental cleaning but I really wasn't worried about anesthesia until I talked to a friend. Her cavalier is younger 3 maybe? But her vet will not do a cleaning without having an Echo from the cardiologist here.

I know Tennessee has a murmur but at a young age maybe a grade 1. Elton doesn't have a murmur but he didn't need to be checked by a cardiologist when he had an MRI. Is this normal practice or just because Tennessee has a murmur? I am looking at getting a dental cleaning scheduled and wanted thoughts?
 
Hi,
Leo has an anaestetic last month for dental work. The vet did blood work on him first. Leo is the same age as Elton and the vet said he has a grade 1 murmur....hardly audible were her very words.

There was no need for an echo first. I was very worried but despite the cleaning and removing 15 teeth her was fine afterwards.

Good luck
Mel X
 
Luke had dental work in December. He just got blood work before, no echo. I don't know if it would have been different if he hadn't but his heart was checked in June. He didn't have an echo in June though, just an auscultation with a cardiologist. Maybe though you could find a cheaper echo at a clinic on cavalierhealth.org
I used his regular vet. I trust them, and would want to use someone who knows him whenever possible. What I was told by a tech who just does dentals at another vet is that if they are doing scaling while awake, you really don't want that. They're just taking your money. Really, you need to get below the gum line, which most dogs are not going to let you do while they can feel it. They aren't going to sit there and hold their mouths open nicely and allow it to be done.
 
None of my dogs has ever had an echo before anesthesia for teeth cleaning, just blood work. Even Oz, who has a grade 1 murmur (like Leo's - barely audible)just had blood work done and was fine. I use their regular vet for all except Riley. Riley went to a veterinary dentist at the clinic where her neurologist is because she does not react well to anesthesia and I wanted her neurologist right there in case she had difficulty coming out of anesthesia. He (the neurologist) had one of his techs stay in the room while Riley was having her teeth cleaned to monitor her - what service! And she woke up just fine.
 
My old dog has a grade 3 heart murmur and has had two dentals. We didn't do an echo, or any bloodwork. I think the vet needs to be aware there is a heart condition though, so the vet can use the right medication for sedation.
 
We had Pippin at the vets today for a check up to decide whether he is stable enough to have a dental as he had a fair bit of plaque on his back teeth but the teeth themselves are ok no bad ones.

After listening to his heart, she said no way would she put him under anaesthetic (he has a grade 2 murmur and is on 1.25mg of cardisure daily) as although his heart is fairly stable she feels it is starting to dilate. She said maybe just sedate him. She started to try pick off some plaque and he was so good that she took him into the back and got them to do the dental to remove the plaque while he was wide awake with no sedation and he just sat in her arms not a move out of him.... He is so good and so gentle, although at home he is our little trouble maker:)

He is back for another check up in July and maybe another doppler scan depending on whether hi heart is still stable. Not sure if Elton would be able to have his dental while awake ( I know my other two dogs wouldn't! ) but maybe he could just be sedated rather than put under anaesthesia...?

BTW Pippin is 9 years old.
 
Dogs with murmurs can have dentals -- it depends not on whether they have a murmur but the overall state of their heart. My vet won't do Leo any more and would try to avoid any procedure needing anaesthesia but okayed the two girls, who have very mild murmurs and no other problems.

Murmur grade is not always related to how severe MVD is. Rod's website has lots of info on this: www.cavalierhealth.org in the info on MVD.
 
I agree Karlin, a locum vet told me before xmas that Pippin would be fine having his dental done under anaesthetic judging by listening to Pippins heart, but I was wary so waited for my own vets opinion and she said his heart sounds stable, murmur is no higher but she was basing her decision on the scan he had done by her two years ago and the overall state of his heart at present.
 
Back
Top