“We have never gotten over the loss. Our vet was traumatized as well.”
What began as a “routine” care decision for our beloved dogs veered into irrevocable loss.We raised our two adorable West Highland white terriers in a house of love, spoiling Duncan and Dooley beyond measure. Rather than serving them dog food, my wife prepared special meals every day — chicken and rice or hamburger and noodles. Born from the same litter, they ate with us, slept with us and traveled with us. We raced to their rescue after skunk sprayings, possum gashes and a terrifying coyote attack. But like most pet owners, it never occurred to me to consider their dental care — and I worked as a dentist for nearly 40 years.When the dogs were 11 years old, Duncan developed a benign cyst on his shoulder, and needed it removed. Our vet recommended that she clean Duncan’s teeth while he was under for surgery, and, oh, why not bring Dooley in for a cleaning, too?Sedation for canine dental care is a relatively common practice done to keep dogs still during the procedure and for the safety of the dental staff. Both dogs were anesthetized, but Dooley never woke up. My wife couldn’t forgive herself for putting Dooley under anesthesia just to get his teeth cleaned, and we have never gotten over the loss. Our vet, traumatized as well, vowed to stop elective cleanings under general anesthesia.
Since then, I’ve made it my mission to inform people about of what’s needed to control their pets’ oral health and how to avoid problems like infection and abscessing that can require invasive treatment or tooth extractions under anesthesia.Most people aren’t aware that the exact same progression that leads to decay and periodontal disease in humans also happens for dogs; only the bacterial species is different. Inflammation causes the gums to swell and bleed, then comes breath odor, loose teeth and, finally, abscesses that typically require a tooth to be pulled.But just like with humans, there’s a preventative solution for these problems — daily oral care. We know how important that is for us, but for some reason we haven’t gotten that message with our pets.Stop brushing your teeth for one day and you feel the effects. It’s gross. Now imagine not cleaning your mouth for weeks or years, and you begin to understand what dogs experience.