Senior dog anesthesia is a calculated risk
More often than not, when I tell people I’m a veterinarian, their first reaction is to tell me that they love animals, but could never have worked in veterinary medicine because dog euthanasia is too sad. While I obviously wish all dogs lived forever, euthanasia is not where the biggest gut-punch lies for me. Losing a patient under anesthesia is what I lose sleep over.
A decade ago, I lost a patient named Teddy under anesthesia. Teddy the Pug would probably have been considered over 100 in “human years,” which, of course, was a concern as we considered anesthesia for an elective procedure. By this point, he had more rotten teeth than healthy ones, so it was my professional opinion that the benefits outweighed the risks for Teddy having a complicated dental procedure involving over a dozen extractions. I can say with confidence it’s what I would have done for my own dog.
Avoid it: Skip elective or cosmetic procedures
Every anesthetic procedure involves a risk/benefit analysis. In older dogs, the risk is higher, so we need to make sure the benefit of what we’re trying to do is higher as well. Cosmetic or elective procedures may not be worth it.
Explore whether local anesthesia may be a possibility. Of course, for lifesaving procedures, or procedures where the quality of life improvement warrants the risk (like with Teddy’s dental), anesthesia may not be avoidable and can be under the guidance of your veterinarian.
Should I get my 10 year old dog’s teeth cleaned?
If everything is normal, then the risk of anesthesia for an older pet is the same as for a younger pet. The reality is that dental disease worsens with age and most pets need dental cleaning when they are older. This means that the average age of pets getting dental cleanings is typically between 9-12 years of age.
The veterinarians advice on surgery in your older pet
Is my dog too old for surgery?” This paradigm is prevalent, but it’s a myth we must dispel. Age is not a disease, and your dog is never “too old” to receive the quality care he or she needs, even if it involves a surgical procedure that requires anesthesia.