Laser Teeth Cleaning In Vic,are You Interested?

[Rebanne]

I'm not doubting the laser, but what I am doubting is that anyone can do a thorough job on a dog that isn't completely anaesthetised.

me too, just cause your dog lets you check it's teeth at home or in the show ring, getting the mouth wide enough, for long enough, to do a proper job would be very difficult.

[Crisovar]

I think people are really underestimating the jaw tone of a dog. When a dog is under GA, they lose jaw tone, which allows you to open their mouths quite wide to get the scaler, and thus your hand, inside the dogs mouth. Jaw tone is something which is used to assess the depth of anaesthesia - if a dog is light, their tone is stronger and there's a lot more resistance to open the mouth. So a dog that is just sedated, will still have jaw tone and make it very difficult to open their mouths.

You could even try it now - try forcing your dogs mouth open as wide as you can to allow easy access to the very rear molars (you'll probably need to grab the tongue too, to get it out of the way) and see how long you can hold it open for.

I'm not doubting the laser, but what I am doubting is that anyone can do a thorough job on a dog that isn't completely anaesthetised.

These were my thoughts as well, not to mention the risk to fingers and equipment.

I don't see how the molars could be done very thoroughly at all.

[InspectorRex]

This is what I am hoping Dr Salter will clarify when he speaks to the Vet who is doing this in QLD.

If he does not think it is safe and thorouh then we will know.

[Alibi]

If its anything like the ultrasonic scaling does it need water to to stop it from heating up? I certianly wouldnt want my dog under a light sedation with water going into its mouth, and at a risk of going into its lungs.

[Golden Rules]

Collies are especially obliging when having things done to them. My beloved Maggie aka Ch Colbeau Go Get Em legal, had a blocked tear duct and most would have to have a GA for this. Not Maggie, she sat there and let the Opthamologist prod and probe etc all under a local anaesthtic and he had a Vet over from Germany and she was so amazed that my Collie just said there that she recorded it on her camcorder to show the Vets 'back home' as they would not believe her.

Sorry, just a little OT, but here in Perth there is a vet that specialises in Opthamology and she rarely needs to use a GA on her patients for blocked tear ducts.

I would say a lot has to do with the person's skills with this particular procedure, rather than the dog.

[InspectorRex]

Melt- that is what I am hoping Dr Salter will find out, ie the procdured MUST be safe to do.I would not want one of mine undegoing a procedure that was not deemed to be safe either.

GoldenRules- the Vet Opthamologist I use generally would give a dog GA to unblok a tear duct as would the normall GP vets.

[Cordelia]

I always have pre-bloods with a GA but my breed and several others are extremely sensitive to GA's.

Other breeds with a sensitivity to certain anaesthetics are also more likely to be highly sensitive to sedatives.

Why doesn't your vet just use Isoflurane like they do with Greyhounds etc?

My great Dane is only ever anaesthetised with Iso as it is one of the safest and brings them out quickly if need be.

Why is anyone having their dogs teeth scaled every 6mths (you suggest that your friend has more than one dog).. why would the whole lot of her dogs have to get their teeth done if they are on an appropriate diet??

[InspectorRex]

Thanks Cordelia for the name of the GA that greyhounds etc use. Luckily my girls teeth are hand scaled on a regular basis but at least I now know the name of the GA.Much appreciated

as to why my friend has her dogs teeth"cleaned" every 6 mths via this way-It is the dogs being shown and the geriatrics. I don't know the exact diet her dogs are on but she is 100% confident in the Vet's opinion

EFS

Edited May 2, 2010 by InspectorRex

[stormie]

Almost all vets would use ISO on every patient - its the standard gas and has been for a long time now . It's Thiopentone that sight hounds shouldn't have - the induction agent. And the latest with the anaesthetists is that its actually preferable to give more of the IV anaesthetic than the gas.

[InspectorRex]

Yes know all about Thiopentone as an !@@! Vet used it on my Ch bitch in 2005 and caused a skin slough and forgot to advise me of this and it burnt 4inches of her skin She could not even weight bear on her front leg and I had to carry her in and out to the toilet

She had to have daily change of Jelonet and the like(like for human burns) and she had complications from this and died from osteomylitis, only aged 7.5 years.

( The head of the Vet practice was furious and the practice bore all the Vet costs and the vet at fault was given marching orders, as he said even a Vet Student would have known the Thio had sloughed and immeditely flushed the skin thoroughly)

Is Isoflurane an IV GA or gaseous GA?

[stormie]

Iso is gaseous.

Thio is a great anaesthetic and even with all the 'fancy' ones out there, the specialists still say it's probably one of the best/safest. But yes, it can burn if its injected outside the vein but you usually know if thats happening cause not only does the skin fill up but you're patient doesn't go to sleep!!

[InspectorRex]

Thanks Stormie.You are very knowledgeable

I have still not had a reply back from Dr Salter , he is very busy, but I am thinking the procedure used by the Vet in QLD is maybe not considered safe and thorough??

Will let you know if I hear anything.

[Clyde]

Thanks Stormie.You are very knowledgeable

I have still not had a reply back from Dr Salter , he is very busy, but I am thinking the procedure used by the Vet in QLD is maybe not considered safe and thorough??

Well that's what the last 3 pages of posters have been trying to tell you.

[InspectorRex]

Ok Dr Salter has just phoned me.

In his very knowledgeable opinion (after speaking with the Vet in QLD) he does not believe this to be a thorough way of doing a "scale and clean" on a dog. The Vet who does this does it with ultrasonic scaler and not laser .

He went on to explain that when he does routine dentristy with GA he normally does pre-bloods and IV fluids are administered during the procedure as standard practice.

He understands that certain breeds like Collies do not blend well with GA's so he takes that all into account.

After speaking thoroughly with him today our Collies will have a Dental check-up in doggy dental month(August) and if they need a clean he or Dr Coles will be the only ones we will entrust to do it.

Have had too many 'mishaps' with GP Vets