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Part 2 of what happens when your dog or pet needs a dental. Your pet may need dental treatment and this series of videos shows you what happens when your pet comes to our clinic for their dental examination or treatment.
Step 4 - PRE-OP HEALTH CHECKS - Following admission to our hospital if blood tests and IV fluids have been agreed upon, the vet will then collect the blood sample for immediate analysis in our hospital laboratory. Next a patch of fur is shaved from a foreleg, then the area is cleaned and anaesthetic gel is applied to numb the area. We recommend intravenous (IV) fluids to help protect the health of your dog. This requires placing a catheter into a vein, securing it to the foreleg and attaching the IV fluids. The catheter and tubing are then secured under bandaging to prevent the equipment being removed by the animal. Step 5 -The Dental Procedure - Your dog is then carefully anaesthetised. This means a state of unconsciousness is reached and your dog will feel no pain. Your dog is then intubated, which means that a tube is placed into the trachea, and they are maintained on oxygen and anaesthetic gas. If x -rays were deemed necessary your pet will then be moved into the imaging room. The x -rays are then reviewed by the vet. In this case the vet can see that Tinkerbell's heart is enlarged due to cadiac disease. Monitors are then attached to measure a variety of physiological parameters, which may include heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen and concentration, expired CO2 concentration and body temperature. However the machines are only a part of the monitoring process, trained VAs will also manually monitor and record various parameters. Once the vet is satisfied that your pet is stable under the anaesthetic the procedure will begin. As with human dental checks the mouth is first examined for build up of tartar, tooth chipping, and the gingival pockets are probed to determine if there are any abnormalities. Seriously diseased teeth should be extracted. Each individual tooth is then descaled. This removes the accumulated calculus and tartar from the teeth and gingival pockets. The teeth are then polished using an abrasive paste to ensure the tooth surface is smooth to prevent further tartar and calculus build up. The procedure is then repeated on the other side. Further painkillers may be given towards the end of the dental cleaning. Once the dental is finished, your pet is taken off anaesthetic and woken up. It takes time for the anaesthesia to wear off so your pet is settled in a cage to sleep it off and is then monitored until awake. The examination was performed by Dr Seems Tsang and thanks to Tinkerbell the dog.