My Golden will be 14yrs old this year. Recently the Vet mentioned that she need a couple of decaying teeth out. I asked about the risks of such an elderly dog having an anaesthetic, and all he would say was that they were much safer than they used to be.
Obviously he can't give any guarentees, but I'm very worried that such an old dog, who has aged such a lot in the last few months, would come through the operation. On the other hand I'd hate to think she was suffering discomfort from her teeth. :( :(

Any suggestions on the option to take?

liberty

Hello Liberty,

I would always go for the option to try. :) If she is uncomfortable with her teeth, then definately, but if she is showing no signs of it, ie. rubbing her face on the floor, not crunching biscuits, eating food slowly and drooling etc, then I would wait and see.

There are anaesthetics out there these days, which are much, much safer than before. There is one which can be used that has an antidote, this will bring them round again almost immediately, therefore reducing the risk of problems in coming round.

If you do go for it, I would definately recomend you have a blood test done to make sure all the vital organs are working well, this will show if there is likely to be any problems.

manda
X
:)

I wouldn't have her anaesthetized at her age unless it was an emergency or her teeth were so unbearable for her that they were affecting her quality of life.
If she's struggling soften her food.
Lara x

Hi Liberty

I can understand your dilemma - I too have an older dog and would be reluctant to subject him to a general anaesthetic unless it was absolutely necessary.

As far as I'm aware there is always a slight risk with any G/A whatever the age of the animal.

You don't actually mention if your dog is showing any signs of discomfort. If she is having difficulty eating then maybe you could change her diet to something a bit softer to make it easier for her.

Hope this is of some help - there is no real easy answer here.

Minx

Hi Mandata, Lara and Minx

Thanks for your posts, the more I hear about it, the less I want my old girl to have a Anaesthetic. I'll keep my eye on her, just incase she does show signs of discomfort.
Tonight however, she stole our flatcoats rather substantial hide bone, and was knawing away very happily, so she can't be too uncomfortable :D

liberty

Hi Liberty

We had Mars who was 14 yrs at the time operated on for a infected sore removal from her hind leg. She also had some plastic surgery done on removing some warts on her face ! We didn't ask for them to do it but they did FOC as she was under ! It was Jo Ingelis from Vets in practice who did it, lovely chap !! They made sure her blood tests were all A1 before they went ahead and she came round after the Op a lot happier for having it done ! She went on for another 9 months before we had her PTS but I am sure the OP did in fact prolonged her life in a positive way as she was not in discomfort from the infected leg.

I would do what you think is best but as you say if she has pinched a chewy then she sounds not too bad :)

Lucy

Liberty,

Decaying teeth can abcess and the infection can run through the entire body. Dogs do not show pain like humans, so I would not wait until your Golden is obviously uncomfortable - it might mean that an op at that time would be much more risky and post-op recovery more difficult.

If the teeth are truly decaying, rather than just full of tartar and worn, I would have the op.

Stacey

Hi Stacey

Thank you for yor post. I must admit I hadn't considered her having abcesses, and the consequences. :(
Oh dear I don't know what to do for the best now, they are full of tartar and do look decayed. Maybe my Vet can tell if there are any abcesses present, although from personal experience I know they're not always visible.

Regards

liberty

I always work on the basis (unless a complete emergency) that the healthy they are when having a GA the better. Wait until the dog is very ill then you have more of a problem. As someone else has said once infection sets in, especially in older dogs, the risks increase.
Bec

Hi Liberty - sorry I am so late for this one, but I wondered if you had made your decision yet ?

I was in the exact position until this week as you, except my dog is younger than yours at 11 1/2, had at least one infected tooth and had a grand mal seizure last summer and I was terrified of a G/A inducing another one, I agonised for the last 6 mths ( in fact I posted on here previously for advice also). After a lot of research into bacteria from tooth decay and calculus build-up/periodontal disease, the facts could not be ignored, very harmful bacteria from her teeth could be attacking her internal organs and her teeth could also be giving her pain ( although the only sign of this was bad breath and being head shy on one side when cleaning teeth).

We went ahead this week, the G/A delivery was smooth as was recovery ( the above poster is correct, depending on the agent used G/A these days is the same as used for humans it does not hang around in the body or tissues for very long), turns out she had exposed nerve, a wobbly tooth and 3 of them came out. She handled it all beautifully and then last night at midnight had a very violent seizure, worse than the last one - very likely to be G/A induced added to stress of the vets, pain from the teeth out of whatever it is that countless blood panels and a referral to the RVC in Cambridge could not find - it is unlikely we will know. Had I known this would happen - I would have probably chickened out of the op- but then the way I see it, I would have been failing in my day-to-day duty to provide the best care for my girl as possible, I had to balance between day to day comfort and exposure to harmful ( and the kind of damage tooth decay can do is cause all sorts of kidney problems and seizures as well) - or have her be uncomfortable, possibly in a lot of pain, but have her protected from potential seizure - which may never have happened.

I wouldn't wish the decision on anyone and I hope you have been able to make yours - but I would still say, if you have a fit and healthy 14 year old ( without underlying complications as far as you know) have the full bloods done and then make sure they call you to tell you that everything is in normal range, then you know she is in best possible shape to handle the G/A and I would go for it.

Believe me , my husband and i have been through hell and back in the last 24 hours, staring at her all night to make sure she does not have another one, making sure she is sleeping and not rigid ( in fact I came on here to post for advice for post-ictal dogs) and I have plea bargained my way to anyone I can think of to not force me into the position of pts as thats where I was a few hours ago, but deep down the decision to make sure her teeth were comfortable was the right one.

All the very best
B & T
PS) Where in Sussex, we are too!

Hi

Thanks for your post; I haven't decided what to do yet, I can't make a descision at the best of times, let alone on something like this :(

However I've got her an appointment at the Vets on Monday, see what he says; well I know what he's going to say. She had all the blood tests done for her last op (yup her teeth) but that was 3 or 4 years ago; so I'll make sure they're done again and come back normal before making a final descision. Thanks again.

Hope your girl makes a full recovery, let me know how it goes.

Regards

liberty

P.S. We're near Gatwick,where are you?

Thanks for your kind words about my little one. It is a horror, I really feel for you but the pre-op bloodwork is very likely to pick up on anything that is out of the ordinary and also gives you that mid-stage where you can back out for further consultation.

You know the statement you have to sign giving them permission to operate, I usually make sure that on there, it says you expect a call after the bloodwork has been tested and your vet has called you personally to say that they feel confident knowing the dogs history + these results and can see no reason not to go ahead. This is what my vet does for me , we discussed this over the past few months and agreed on a suitable time - it didn't protect me, but that is only because there is something wrong somewhere, but I did have every option to step back from the situation and re-think but I did do everything possible to minimise distress and pain and potential triggers that I could ( for example, my girl didn't get the usual pre-med injection as that is a known seizure trigger, but I was always between a rock and a hard place and the seizure might never have happened for all I know, but her teeth could still be hurting & infecting her.

I think I am known as a neurotic owner at the vets but thats okay, it means that when I call and mention her name, they know who she is and her history and how I expect her to be treated, they also know I put my life in their hands every time I put her in their hands and that deserves respect, so if you feel at all unsure, say so and have them explain, I wouldnt be happy with " ga is better these days" - why is that, how is that, and so on. You know I usually put up with bad or shoddy service from restaurants, shops or whatever , dont want to make a "fuss" or look silly, but not where my dog is concerned!

Good Luck to you both, I am sure your baby will do well, someone's doing something right having a happy healthy 14 yr old Goldie - do let us know how you go if you can.

Best Wishes
B & T

( we are near Worthing, not too far!)