Anaesthetics/Operations

Your pet may need further, special care. In this case the vet or nurse in charge of your pet will explain things to you separately.

General information

• Dental treatment of pets is very different from that in people. Because we have to do everything under anaesthetic we have to do a lot in one day so as to avoid lots of anaesthetics. Also the teeth are sometimes difficult to remove and a lot of painstaking work is often needed to get the teeth out cleanly
• You may be shocked at how many teeth the vet has taken out. We do not take out normal teeth. However, if the teeth are loose, painful or infected at the roots they are best removed. Your pet will be much happier to be out of pain and much healthier to be rid of the infection
• Many pets end up with no teeth at all and eat soft foods perfectly well

What to expect

• Your pet may be uncoordinated from the anaesthetic – don’t worry, this is normal
• Your pet may have blood in the saliva for the first few days, this is normal
• You might see a shaved patch on the leg where the anaesthetic was given
• Your pet may have a plaster or a bandage on the front leg which you can take off after 24hrs
• The fur around your pet’s face may be a bit damp – this is from the water sprayed out by the descaler

Taking care of your pet

• Confine your pet in a quiet, warm place for the night following the anaesthetic
• Don’t let your pet overdo if for the first few days, short lead walks for dogs are fine

Feeding

• Unless the vet or nurse has said anything different, give a small amount of your pet’s normal diet or a small meal of white meat, fish or cooked eggs
• Don’t worry if your pet does not feel up to eating
• Leave a water bowl down with just a small amount of water in it
• Your pet will probably not be up to eating biscuits or other hard foods for 5 days to a week if he/she has had teeth out

Medicines

• Make sure you give all tablets exactly as on the label
• If you have trouble giving pills try hiding them in a treat, cheese (especially Dairy Lea), ham & chicken have all worked well for some pets

Caring for the teeth

• Your pet’s teeth will be sparkling clean and beautiful after they have been scaled and polished today! However they won’t stay like that without care. The vet or nurse will tell you about brushing at the check up. For dogs where brushing is impossible the daily use of logic oral gel will help a lot to stop tartar, plaque and bacteria coming back

For more information, please contact us.