WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUR PET HAS A COMPREHENSIVE ORAL HEALTH
ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT AT SHEPP VETS
1. Admission – an appointment is made for you early in the morning to drop your pet off after an overnight starve.
2. Pre-general anaesthetic blood test is recommended in all patients as we are able to pick up sub-clinical disease before it shows obvious signs.
3. Intravenous catheter and premedication. An IV catheter is placed in your pet to allow access for medications and fluids. Premedication relaxes your pet and includes pain relief. Fluids support your pet’s blood pressure and helps in the recovery process.
4. Anaesthetic. The induction anaesthetic is given IV and your pet is intubated to receive oxygen and gas anaesthetic.
5. Monitoring. Throughout the procedure the oxygen saturation, heart rate, respiration, ECG (heart rhythm), blood pressure and temperature is monitored by an experienced nurse. Your pet is wrapped in a Bear-hugger warmed air circulation blanket and fleeces to keep them warm.
6. Dental x rays are taken to visualize the roots as your pet can’t tell us which tooth is sore! All teeth are probed and abnormalities noted on a dental chart.
7. Extractions and nerve blocks. If teeth are removed nerve blocks are performed first so a light anaesthetic is needed and your pet recovers quickly. Sutures will be placed in the gum so that the mouth heals very quickly and no empty sockets are left for food to accumulate in after a surgical extraction.
8. Cleaning and scaling. A plaque-revealing liquid is applied to the teeth which are then ultrasonically removed above and below the gum line. Some pets need Doxyrobe application to deep pockets to help save the tooth or Sanos sealant to seal the gum margin and reduce gingivitis.
9. Post extraction pain relief is sent home with you for up to a week.
10. Discharge appointment. This is made for later in the day when your pet is fully recovered so that we can show you the x rays and explain what needed to be done.
11. Post-dental check. 2 weeks after the dental a free dental check is booked to ensure the mouth has healed well. We also discuss measures to help reduce the dental disease in your pet.