Dog Teeth Cleaning Anesthesia-Free: Buyer Beware!
Written by Jan on July 6, 2008 – 2:42 pm
Anesthesia-Free, or Non-Anesthetic, teeth cleaning for dogs (and even cats) is becoming more and more commonplace. As people grow fearful of “putting their dog under” just to have teeth cleaned, and ever more fearful of vet bills sometimes topping $1000, these services offer an attractive alternative. Even veterinarians who have called these procedures “animal cruelty” and “unsafe” (which they sometimes are), are adding anesthesia-free dental care to services offered. Whether any service is humane, safe and effective depends exclusively on practitioner skill and kindness towards animals.
Any health service provided by practitioners without specific training or experience requirements, and with no certification, can be risky. Is the practitioner safe? Is he/she knowledgeable and experienced? Can he safely handle dogs? Is he insured for damage to himself and your dog? All these are questions you must ask. This video, and all the additional information at Dogs4Dogs.com/doggydental2, will answer your questions. Help your dog have a safer teeth cleaning procedure, whether at your veterinarian’s office or at your groomer’s or pet shop. Want even more info? Check out my 15-page chapter, “Death by Teeth,” in my book, Scared Poopless. To learn more about what you can do about anesthesia risks, see our chapter, “Anesthesia Anxiety.”
Remember, there is no completely safe or stress-free way, inside or out of a vet’s office, to have your dog’s teeth cleaned. But because periodic scaling, ultrasonic cleaning and polishing, along with a thorough check for broken teeth, infections, tumors and lesions, is essential to your dog’s health, I hope you’ll read up and ask questions.
Please do not trust your dog with anyone without checking them out first. And don’t presume that your groomer or shop owner has. Chances are, he/she doesn’t know any more about dental care, or safety, than you do — especially if she hasn’t studied the subject. Your dog’s health and safety are in your hands alone.
Wishing you and your dog all the best in life,
Jan Rasmusen
www.Dogs4Dogs.com
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July 18th, 2008 at 6:39 am
excellent video & great info! recently i was told that rupert needed his [first] cleaning by my regular vet who does it under general anesthesia. because rupert has severe allergies, i also take him to an allergy specialist who had told me she will never put a dog under anesthesia unless absolutely necessary. i had her do the cleaning. she asked me to be present & i too was only a few feet away from him during the procedure. it was quick & painless & rupert was absolutely fine throughout.
December 9th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Although anesthesia has some risk (although very little in a healthy pet when done correctly), don’t forget that there is risk involved with anesthesia-free dental procedures, even when done by a talented, experienced practitioner.
In my mind, the largest risk comes from potential aspiration of bacteria-laden water into the lungs from the sonic scaler. That water has plaque and chunks of tartar in it, and a pet can inhale it in a flash if they wiggle at an inopportune moment, potentially leading to pneumonia. This could happen even with an experienced dog handler like myself, even if I am prepared for this and am trying to prevent it.
When a pet is anesthetized for dental procedures, they have an endotracheal tube with an inflated cuff that prevents this. And, of course, there is no wiggling.
I believe there are some skilled practitioners of anesthesia-free dental care out there (and some appallingly unskilled ones as well), but I’m not convinced it is safer than skilled anesthetized dental care.
March 19th, 2009 at 11:44 am
I appreciate your position, however, for the last five years of my Bichon’s life I have had a gal come to my home to provide non anesth dental cleaning. She is very good and concientious. I have been happy with the service she provides. She charges $100 for the cleaning. A fraction of the cost of the dog going under anesth.
I am not able to afford the high price for anesthet dental cleaning. I had my vet do it at one time and was very disappointed in the results. It cost 500 to have it done. She was at the vets all day with no food and I wasn’t able to pick her up until 4 p.m. that day. At 9 pm that day she was still stumbling around drugged. I found this very upsetting. After 9 p.m. that day she threw up. I am sure from the anesth and an empty stomach all day not to mention the stress of being caged for the day.
All I know is that it has worked well for me. I am a groomer and constantly tell my clients that non anesthetic teeth cleaning is the way to go (unless of course there is a concern which must be addressed by a vet).
Affordable teeth cleaning is a better alternative for the pet and can be done more often. Especially now with the economy as it is people are trying to make ends meet…this way there pets won’t suffer in the meantime. I think it is a positive alternative.
These are just my thoughts. All the best!
April 18th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
In September of 2008 we lost our dear Tinka, a darling black pekingese who was just 5 years old, to the non-aesthetic dental procedure. I don’t know that I blame the service that did it as Tinka had some breathing issues. Yet none of us, including our vet, knew how serious any procedure might be to her. Looking back on it I have no doubt that Tinky had some serious issues, more serious than we nor her vet even knew.
It was an awful, painful experience for all of us. I have no doubt the 2 girls who did the procedure are tortured by it. And I have no doubt that some other stressful procedure was likely to claim her. After all, she had had this very same procedure done by the same people just 7 months before, and she was fine. Yet as the girls have never really spoken with me since losing her it leaves me with questions. Questions at this time I most likely cannot face.
Someone asked me recently in light of what happened if I would not recommend aesthetic-free dental treatment for dogs and cats. I don’t know that I can answer that question. I can say that I fear anesthetic dental cleaning at the vet. I’m sure what you say above is so true, Dr. Lisa, that there is risk with the non-anesthetic type as well.
I don’t know if this information helps anyone. Maybe it is only self-serving, to get over the pain of losing Tink. If it is the latter, I apologize to anyone reading this.
E.
April 21st, 2009 at 10:32 am
Erica, your story is so sad and so touching. Non-anesthetic cleaning can be stressful. So can cleaning with anesthesia. So can foregoing dental cleanings. There are no completely safe medical practices, just as there are no completely safe drugs. Everything has risks. We can only evaluate beforehand the people with whom we entrust our beloved pets. Sometimes trust is justified; sometimes, not. I wish the field of non-anesthetic dental cleaning would become certified, with special training required. Dental care is a dilemma. I’m so sorry for your loss. –Jan
April 25th, 2009 at 10:52 am
Jan,
Thank you so much for your kind words and for your comments about risks with any medical procedures for our dogs. For quite a while I blamed myself for even taking Tink in, yet knowing that I was thinking of the best thing for her. Educating ourselves on our pets’ care seems the wisest thing to do as, as you say, finding the best people to care for them.
If you like and have time, we have a website in honor of all of our pups. It is: TinknZu.net
Always,
Erica