Getting dog's teeth cleaned by vet- at what age would you stop?

[Cody & Duchess]

My dogs are starting to get up there in age, oldest 11. Vet recommends getting her teeth cleaned. Had a Sheltie, who has since passed on at age 14.5, had his teeth cleaned at 13. When I was working with rescues looking for a new dog - they expressed concern that I did such a procedure at the age of the dog. At the time, my Sheltie only looked old due to a little arthritis. At what age would you think the risk of the procedure out weighs any preventative benefit? Thanks

[Liz P]

What age is not a good question. The better question is, despite what underlying health concerns would you do a dental? Age itself is not a disease. It's the problems that come along with age such as live kidney failure, heart disease, etc that increase your risks associated with anesthesia.

[gcv-border]

My experience is as indicated by Liz. ^^^

 

One dog is almost 18, and really needs her teeth cleaned - and has for the last 4+ years. Based on bloodwork results, my vet didn't think it was a good idea to anaesthetize her for the procedure.

[Gideon's girl]

Same experience, if there are no underlying diseases that make anesthesia a risk, I'd do it regardless of age. I do feed rib bones to prevent the need for teeth cleaning though.

[GentleLake]

I'd be inclined to try some good raw bones to see if that's clean the teeth up, too. Beef or lamb ribs, lamb or pork necks, duck or small turkey necks would be my choice. Frozen will be even better.

[Sue R]

I'd be inclined to try some good raw bones to see if that's clean the teeth up, too. Beef or lamb ribs, lamb or pork necks, duck or small turkey necks would be my choice. Frozen will be even better.

I sometimes can get chicken backs in big boxes. They have a lot of bone and make excellent chews for cleaning teeth. I expect necks might be more manageable for an older dog. Raw bones can really clean up a mouth that's basically healthy but needs cleaning to stay healthy.

 

When Dan came home after five months away at training, he had some nasty brown plaque build-up. After just a week or two, with bones twice a week, his mouth was nice and clean again.

[GentleLake]

It's also important to get edible bones, meaning ones that can be completely chewed and eaten.

 

Bones like marrow bones are not only not edible and therefore not providing the tooth and gum stimulation needed to clean teeth, but they're also very likely to cause fractures that will cause you more trouble than you started out with.

[Gloria Atwater]

Agree with the above, it's not the age that matters so much as the dog's physical - and mental - condition. If there's reason to believe that he might struggle with the effects of anesthesia, or if he's becoming stressed by visits to the vet, then I'd consider stopping with the teeth cleaning. I don't like putting an elderly - as in over age 13 - dog under anesthesia unless it's strictly necessary, but again, it depends on the condition of the dog.

Good bones can do wonders for cleaning teeth and unless his mouth is in too poor of condition for chewing bones, I'd say give bones!

[BCjetta]

We rarely, if ever, have problems with old dogs under anesthetic. In the 12 years I've been a tech I think there have been 2 dogs that had anesthetic and afterwards did poorly. In both cases owners declined pre anesthetic bloodwork and when the dogs came back in not doing well, we did blood and both had kidney failure. The vet thinks that the stress of the anesthetic on the body tipped the kidneys over the edge in those cases. We always use IV fluids on the older ones, and the anesthetic drugs we use now have an easier and faster recovery than some of the older drugs.

[GentleLake]

I don't like putting an elderly - as in over age 13 - dog under anesthesia unless it's strictly necessary

 

I don't like putting any dog of any age under anesthesia unless it's strictly necessary.

 

And if teeth cleaning can be accomplished by another means -- like feeding raw bones -- then it doesn't warrant the risk of putting any dog under, imo.

[Shetlander]

I agree that it depends on the health of the dog as well as the condition of the teeth. I have been lucky that my dogs ages 15 1/2, 11 1/2 and 9 all seem to be doing ok with their teeth right now. The oldest had her teeth cleaned along with one extraction some years ago. That is the only cleaning for any of them. Quinn's teeth are a bit of a wreck with his hard chewing of nylabones apparently, but he is currently not in need of dental care. Some dogs and breeds have terrible teeth and seem to need a lot more dental work. Periodontal disease can affect general health in humans and I would think dogs as well.

[Liz P]

Bones can make teeth look healthy, but if there is already disease under the gums, they can't actually make them healthier. I've been fooled plenty of time looking in a mouth and thinking it wasn't going to be that bad, only to find major disease on dental radiographs.

 

When we are talking about teeth, it's not just dental health. Bacteria from infected teeth seed the blood stream, causing damage to internal organs. That must be taken into account when considering risks vs benefits of anesthesia for a dental cleaning. If your old dog has rotten teeth its body is constantly being bombarded by infection. Not healthy.