Help Needed! Anesthesia/Dental work and senior bulldogs

[RissaT]

Hello everyone, I have a dilemma and thought this was the best place to get some advice.

My Charlie is 10 years old; he has some kidney disease, arthritis, and is in blood pressure medication.
He is a happy ham. I used to get him for dental cleanings and dental work in the past, but I have limited that since he turned senior.

He has tartar, and I have noticed that one of his teeth is the back is bothering him. There is no pus or infection, but I feel bad he is in discomfort. He eats just fine, and its on soft food.

Now, my dilemma is... whether I risk putting him under anesthesia for cleaning and possibly some teeth extractions or just let it be. I have heard mixed opinions. I also had a close friend lose her bully on anesthesia, and he was just 6 years old.

I don't know what to do

 

[cefe13]

Hi there, I have the same thoughts. It's really difficult to know.

Castor is seven and may have arthritis so vet discussed x-rays. Castor is on some pain killers and for now that works. We really don't want to put him under if it can be avoided. We actually decided against eye surgery a couple of years ago for the same reason. Castor did go through surgery (soft palate) when he was 1.5 and that went just fine, but I don't feel comfortable now as he is getting older.

I look forward to seeing what others say as this is something I have thought and worried about a lot (although not regarding teeth - we have actually never done anything to Castor's teeth for this reason).

 

[Dollys Owner]

Try giving him one frozen beef marrow bone about 4 inches long, once a week, to keep remaining teeth clean. Also some sea kelp ( Ascophyllum nodosum ) about 1/8 tsp twice daily
eg. https://www.amazon.com/Starwest-Botanicals-Organic-Powder-Pound/dp/B004XIS14M/ref=sr_1_13?dchild=1&keywords=sea+kelp&qid=1590957316&sr=8-13

If he gets more pain you'll have no choice but to get tooth out.

 

[Cbrugs]

I recently started giving all my guys ocean kelp which is supposed to help with tartar. I use the brand Lifeline. I also give frozen raw marrow bones occasionally and they have their Nylabones to chew on.


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[helsonwheels]

All rubber toys will remove plaque. I’m laughing what I just typed... but seriously, it truly helps.. I sure wouldn’t risk with anesthesia. Also you can get a quality frankincense oil from DoTerra or Young Living, put a couple drops on your finger n rub his gums. The inflammation n pain will ease up. Also start brushing his teeth with coconut oil. It will remove plaque. I had to get my teeth clean 3x a year cause I have sensitive gums n plaque would form. I eat healthy n all. Never had cavities either. 2 yrs ago I recall an old dentist friend told me to brush my teeth with coconut oil. Dawned on me... to this day I can visit for cleaning even 9months n she keeps saying, you have barely anything to clean.

 

[Dollys Owner]

All rubber toys will remove plaque. I’m laughing what I just typed... but seriously, it truly helps.. I sure wouldn’t risk with anesthesia. Also you can get a quality frankincense oil from DoTerra or Young Living, put a couple drops on your finger n rub his gums. The inflammation n pain will ease up. Also start brushing his teeth with coconut oil. It will remove plaque. I had to get my teeth clean 3x a year cause I have sensitive gums n plaque would form. I eat healthy n all. Never had cavities either. 2 yrs ago I recall an old dentist friend told me to brush my teeth with coconut oil. Dawned on me... to this day I can visit for cleaning even 9months n she keeps saying, you have barely anything to clean.

Interesting- probably be even better if you did oil pulling with coconut oil, then brushed your teeth after with regular toothpaste. ( I mean for humans, not for dogs ) . This article also mentions rubbing a little vitamin E oil on the gums which might be good for dogs too.

https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/features/oil-pulling

I hope you're not serious about you wouldn't risk anesthesia on your dogs if they had severe dental pain. Dental pain can be excruciating- I would definitely risk my dog dying if she was in severe pain from it, which the dog in the original post wasn't. This lady in UK couldn't get a dental appointment in UK because of COVID and was in such severe pain that she attempted to extract her tooth herself with pliers.

https://metro.co.uk/2020/05/20/mum-tried-pull-tooth-when-couldnt-find-dentist-lockdown-12733941/

 

[helsonwheels]

Interesting- probably be even better if you did oil pulling with coconut oil, then brushed your teeth after with regular toothpaste. ( I mean for humans, not for dogs ) . This article also mentions rubbing a little vitamin E oil on the gums which might be good for dogs too.

https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/features/oil-pulling

I hope you're not serious about you wouldn't risk anesthesia on your dogs if they had severe dental pain. Dental pain can be excruciating- I would definitely risk my dog dying if she was in severe pain from it, which the dog in the original post wasn't. This lady in UK couldn't get a dental appointment in UK because of COVID and was in such severe pain that she attempted to extract her tooth herself with pliers.

https://metro.co.uk/2020/05/20/mum-tried-pull-tooth-when-couldnt-find-dentist-lockdown-12733941/

I would be doing what I mentioned way before thinking surgery at 10yrs old. But that’s me. People have the right to do what they want as it’s their dog not mine. You can give suggestions like I did, try it, see how it goes then take it from there. I know as a fact by using CO with toothpaste which mine is natural n organic work perfectly for plaque. I doubt my dental hygienist would have said that if it wasn’t true. 3yrs ago my 85yr old neighbour had top teeth all removed n had mouth issues to this day. Her denture hurts her so bad she stopped putting it in. She saw 2 specialists no one can find anything saying it’s in her head. Go figure. Days her pain is so bad she cries 2 weeks ago she finally found out when they removed her teeth they clipped a nerve. Still in pain.. I saw her over a week ago n I brought her a frankincense bottle. Told her to add 2 drops on her finger n rub where the pain is. Saw her 2 days later she was so grateful she hugged me n kissed me as the oil removed her pain. Cute... She couldn’t believe it after 3yrs of suffering an oil worked.

I understand it’s dog teeth n not human but definitely I would try other alternatives before any surgery. Again that’s me as I’m more on the holistic side as you know.

 

[RissaT]

Thank you everyone!!

my vet advised against frozen bone or anything too hard, as he is a senior and it can actually make it worse.
He doesn't really play with toys anymore. He does have some special senior chewing bones that he chews here and there. I will try the sea kelp, the coconut oil and the frankincense!! I would brush his teeth too, if only he would let me.