Our first priority is patient safety. We perform a pre-anesthetic exam on all patients and use modern anesthetics and equipment to monitor your pet. A team of three (veterinarian, dental technician and anesthesia assistant) perform the procedure. Your pet will receive IV fluids before, during and after the dental to make sure we maintain your pet’s blood pressure and help the kidneys process the anesthetic gas. We use plenty of blankets and a heating pad to maintain your pet’s temperature. We even put socks or booties on your pet’s feet to prevent heat loss. We use intensive anesthetic monitoring throughout the procedure just like you would receive if you were going in for surgery. Our Anesthesia Assistant monitors several organ functions during the procedure like heart rate, blood pressure, CO2 levels, ECG, and respiratory rate to make sure your pet is healthy and stable.
Laboratory work is very helpful in assessing organ function and anemia (making sure your pet has enough healthy red blood cells to supply oxygen to the body) before anesthesia. Based on the lab test results, we may adjust fluid levels or pre-load fluids before the procedure to help the kidneys and other organs stay happy. These results also help the doctor decide the best drug therapy for pre-anesthesia medication. We strongly recommend blood work on all patients undergoing anesthesia. For pets over 8 years of age, we require it.
Dental cleaning is an important part of pet health. We scale and polish the teeth, then apply a fluoride treatment. We measure pockets below the gum line to check for tooth bone loss. We take dental x-rays to look for problems that aren’t visible to the naked eye like the health of the tooth root or infection. The doctor performs an examination of the mouth, teeth and gums. The procedure is very similar to your own dental cleaning and oral exam. In fact, you’ll notice the same type of equipment when you look at the pictures below. The cost of a basic cleaning including anesthesia, IV fluids, fluoride treatment, dental x-rays and daycare is $395.