# Anesthesia



## jrust28 (Nov 20, 2012)

Hi! I am new to this forum but I have a question. My 9 year old Sandi is scheduled to have her teeth cleaned soon. I am nervous about the general anesthesia. How old is too old for a dog to handle this?


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## Bentleysmom (Aug 11, 2012)

Hi, welcome to the forum! Somebody with more knowledge will be able to answer your question but we had a bad experience recently when my Ky had to be put under and was told the next time to ask for the anesthesia they use that they can give them a shot when they're done to bring them out of it.


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

Your dog is not too old, don't worry. Make sure to have pre-anesthetic bloodwork done on your dog before putting him under. If there are any red flags popping up on the bloodwork, the vet would not put him under.
Also, make sure they use an IV catheter for your dog. Usually, in seniors, IV catheters are standard before anesthesia. 
The vet will also give him an age appropriate anesthetic like possibly Ketamine/Valium and maintaining on Isoflurane ( a gas).
As long as a dog is in good health, there are no worries. Think about it like that. if there would be an emergency with an old dog and he would have to have surgery, he would have to be anesthetized to save his/her life. 

My Golden had two orthopedic surgeries a year ago, at age 8. My lab mix had two surgeries to remove a cancerous growth from his leg, he was 11.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Two of my Bridge boys had anesthesia when they were 12, almost 13 years of age, with no problems. Like Christa posted, we did pre-anesthesia blood work, a EKG and blood pressure check and the vet used a specific type of anesthesia by IV drip.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

cgriffin said:


> Your dog is not too old, don't worry. Make sure to have pre-anesthetic bloodwork done on your dog before putting him under. If there are any red flags popping up on the bloodwork, the vet would not put him under.
> Also, make sure they use an IV catheter for your dog. Usually, in seniors, IV catheters are standard before anesthesia.
> The vet will also give him an age appropriate anesthetic like possibly Ketamine/Valium and maintaining on Isoflurane ( a gas).


This is exactly what my vet used when I had my Great Pyrs teeth done at 10 years old, and Pyrs are very sensitive to anesthesia.


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## goldy1 (Aug 5, 2012)

Agree with everyone who posted so far to get pre-anesthetic bloodwork done before the actual procedure. My vet has done this on both my dogs and cats and it's a good precaution.

Then don't worry because the dental will result in a better quality of life for Sandi. 

And welcome to the forum


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

My 12 year old has been under anesthesia twice in the past week alone. I definitely echo everyone who has said get the bloodwork done first, and if there are any red flags, then you'll know not to proceed.

Good luck.


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## swishywagga (Nov 13, 2012)

Hi, try not to worry, our twelve year old barnaby had his teeth done whilst having a tumour removed 2 weeks ago. We were extremely worried about the anaesthetic but we had the pre-op blood work done to make sure everything was in good order. The hardest part was actually after he came round from the surgery, seeing him unsteady on his paws.The recovery after a couple of days was incredible! Good luck and let us know how you get on Goldie hugs to all x


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## hvgoldens4 (Nov 25, 2009)

Hate to disagree with everyone, but no matter what the dogs age, there is always a risk with putting them under anesthesia. Once the dogs hit middle age, I don't put them under unless it is absolutely necessary, life and death type situation. Unfortuantely, you can never know, even with bloodwork, if a dog will have a reaction to a certain type of anesthesia.

A few years ago, a good friend lost one of her girls during a routine spay to the anesthesia. She was 5. People are die from anesthesia, so this really something you need to discuss in depth with your vet who knows your dogs history.


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## Finn's Fan (Dec 22, 2007)

You can also ask around and see if there are any anesthesia-free dental clinics for dogs in your area. We have them here, and many folks concerned about their elderly dogs utilize this service instead of having their dogs put under.


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## A1Malinois (Oct 28, 2011)

Bentleysmom said:


> Hi, welcome to the forum! Somebody with more knowledge will be able to answer your question but we had a bad experience recently when my Ky had to be put under and was told the next time to ask for the anesthesia they use that they can give them a shot when they're done to bring them out of it.


Wonder if that was dexdomitor. I used that on Lincoln for his x rays but he was only under for 15 minutes. 

OP-I never had issues with any of mine, but have seen some issues being at a clinic now I worry about it. My 5 year old will need a dental in the next year or so. I think yours should be fine as long as measures are taken to ensure blood work is normal etc


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## jrust28 (Nov 20, 2012)

Thanks everyone for your responses! I talked to the vet and they do the blood work before hand to check organs. She has never had issues before so hopefully everything will be ok. I'm a teacher so I have scheduled her dental for Christmas break when I can be home with her after. I attached of picture if my baby at the beach this past October! She loves the sand and ocean!









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## goldy1 (Aug 5, 2012)

It's natural to worry when they must undergo a medical procedure but you are taking precautions so you will worry a little less hopefully.

If a dental is recommended, you can feel good that you are improving her quality of life. I don't know if you have ever suffered with a bad tooth. I have and it's awful! 
Plus - dental health is very important to overall good health. I know in particular the heart/heart valves can be affected by poor teeth and gums.

I think it's great that you have it scheduled for when you can be home with her. Keep us posted!


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## jrust28 (Nov 20, 2012)

Sandi had her teeth done yesterday and she did great! She is back to het normal self today. She did have a UTI so she is on antibiotics for that. Thanks again to everyone who answered my questions. 


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