Help please, Sedation or Geneal Anaesthetic

[PuddinAforeDinner]

One of my dogs requires a dental scale and polish and have been given the choice of having the procedure done under either sedation or GA.

Apart from the obvious differences, price, recovery from GA and of course dangers from having a GA, what other things should I consider.

I am not worried about the cost as we have insurance that covers this, the main thing is I don't want my dog to be stressed or in pain.

Has anyone else chosen to have this procedure done with sedation alone?

[Arudonto]

Sedation is not a good idea for dentals so I am surprised that you are been offered it as an option.

I would most definitely get the dog put under Ga for a dental for safety reasons.
As when given a Ga the airway is intubated and partly sealed(a tube put down allowing the animal to breath and then swabs packed in the mouth)meaning the airway can be kept clear of water and other fluids used during the dental and the mouth can be properly examined and cleaned without stressing out the patient.

Sedation would not allow intubations so theres a risk of water and fluids being inhaled into the lungs.
I also think it is quite cruel to use sedation in this manner, as the dog may still be aware of what is happening to some extent,and having your moth wedged open and different loud instruments used in it must be very stressful.

Was it the vet who gave you this option?or a practice staff member?
Im finding it hard to comprehend.

If the risks of a Ga are of hugh concern then get preop bloods done to check the dog is healthy(ie no underlying liver or kidney issues)
In good veterinary hospitals there will be someone monitoring the dog while under anaesthetics so any issues can be spotted and dealt with very quickly so the risk of complications are quite low.

[moosemama]

I've never been offered sedation for a dental and would think, in addition to all the things Arudonto mentioned above that it would be better for them to have a GA than to be partially aware.

One of my old dogs was fear aggressive towards people and had to be sedated as soon as he arrived at the vets, prior to a GA, for any inpatient treatments. I know from experience that the sedation didn't always take fully and he was often still really groggy but aware of what was going on around him and unable to respond.

I'd go for the GA and just pay extra for all the pre-op checks if you're worried.

[Aked]

Agree with all Arudonto said, I have never, ever heard of a dog having a dental under a sedation. Also you can never see the full extent of the state of the teeth while a dog is conscious, and it isn't until you are "in there' that you can really tell if any might need extracting. What would they do then if your dog was only sedated?

Its all a bit odd tbh!

[affafantoosh]

Vet here. Never ever do dentals under sedation. Completely bizarre.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

I had this conversation with a client recently for x-ray weighing up sedation versus general anaesthetic. Under sedation their airway is not protected, whereas under GA they are intubated and the if way is very good. Often sedation drugs drop blood pressure more than anaesthetics do so can carry greater risks if you have other factors like kidney disease.
Finally the quality of dental possible under sedation will be much poorer than under GA.
Bizarrely often the sedation drugs are more expensive than a pre-med and GA.

[noddingoff]

Another vet here - agreeing with all of the above posters.

[PuddinAforeDinner]

Thanks all for your responses.

I haven't had this done yet as he came down with a nasty stomach bug which took a while to get over. We then went on holiday (he came too) so have waited until everything settled down.

I have just phoned the vets to clarify everything and they do indeed do a scale and polish under sedation. They only use GA if they find a tooth needs extracting.

On the advice given here I shall now be changing my vets. I am so grateful for all your advice, I would never have known any different were it not for the great people here on MN

[Aked]

Glad he is feeling better, and I think you have done the right thing:)