What do Dogs Experience during a Dental Cleaning? Forever Pet Dental in Vancouver, WA

I recently had my teeth cleaned under anesthesia. Many people wonder what the experience is like for a dog getting their teeth cleaned under anesthesia. And now I can tell you.

I live in Vancouver, Washington and so went to Forever Pet Dental. I chose to go there because they are specialists in pet dentistry and I liked their flat rate fee which seemed more reasonable than even at my regular veterinarian office. What I found out was that they take very personal care of the animals who come to their clinic and have very high standards. Now that my teeth are pearly white and my gums feel really good, I can sit back and tell you the WHOLE STORY.

If you have been following my blog you'll know that I went to Forever Pet Dental a couple days in advance to have my blood drawn so they could check for any conditions that would affect the anesthesia and cleaning. This was not mandatory, but I thought it was a safe thing to do. Turns out I was A1 healthy!

Cleaning Day
It was hard for me to get up early for my 8:30 a.m. arrival. I almost didn't notice that I had to skip breakfast. When I arrived at the clinic I was greeted by Shannon, who directed me to a "circus cage" on the wall across from the door. I just walked in. It was kinda like my crate, no biggee!

Here I am in the cage at the clinic. They had a cushion and blanket in there.

She asked my owner questions about how I was doing, made sure I did not eat anything for breakfast and then had her sign papers for my procedure. She answered ALL her questions while I listened in. They talked about some ear problems I had and they agreed that the doctor would check my ears. And then she sent my owner away until 3:30 p.m.

I really wasn't scared but wasn't sure what was going on, either. At least I knew Shannon and Dr. Myers from when I had my blood drawn.

So I waited a bit and Dr. Myers came in. They took me out of the cage and gave me the most thorough physical I have ever had. They typed a lot into the computer. I was hoping it was all good stuff. They did tell me I had Grade 1 Periodontal Disease. Yuck! They also told me I was a good girl and that I was pretty. That always helps! BUT THEY DIDN'T GIVE ME ANY TREATS!

Here I am getting my physical exam. No treats, afterwards. :(

The Procedure Starts

Soon they gave me a shot. It was given on my backside. I felt like I was one one of those rogue bears that had to be darted and sedated so they could return him to the wild. Wow! I got woozy and kind of sleepy as the sedative shot took effect. I finally laid down. WHAT WAS IN THAT COCKTAIL??

After that I can't remember what was real and what wasn't. I had a dream... or was it? Here's what I remember about that weird time when I was under anesthesia. Remember, it's what I REMEMBER!

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I had a shot, fell asleep and awoke to some harp music playing in the background. I was kind of woozy but saw what I think were two huge extra-terrestrial dogs, one an Irish Setter and the other a Golden Retriever. They had landed in Vancouver in their flying saucer, caught me and had beamed me up.

I saw a bright light. The extra-terrestrial dogs were staring down at me talking a language I didn't understand. The prodded me and looked at my mouth, my teeth, my ears. They were using some sort of instruments I had never seen. They were weird looking. I was concerned but they didn't seem to want to hurt me. 

There were all kinds of machines, dials and sounds in the flying saucer. But they kept me on a metal table with a pad. I didn't get to investigate. It smelled weird in there too.

Then I heard music and voices speaking English, and all of a sudden, I wasn't in the space ship any more!

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"Wake up, Cinnamon, Wake up," they said. It was Dr. Myers and Stephanie checking on how I was feeling. I just wanted to go back to sleep. I felt woozy.... drugged. My mouth and jaw were a little sore, but other than that I was just really sleepy.

They kept checking on me and pretty soon I felt like standing up. I was back in the circus cage in the clinic. I stood up but swayed a little. Whooooo! I was kinda dizzy!

At one point I heard them call my owner on the telephone to tell her I could be picked up early, that I WAS DOING REALLY WELL!

I started to think.... "What about treats?" I was coming out of the fog and getting my land legs back. I still was a little confused. I had been given an antibiotic and something for pain. Did I dream about the extraterrestrial dogs or was that real?

Ready to Go Home
My owner came in and I looked at her, sleepily, from the cage. I guessed I was going to have to walk out on my own power... no wheelchair at this clinic! I was let out of the cage while they went over everything at the desk. I kind of wandered around in a daze and stood by the back door thinking that was a good way out! (actually it just led into the house).

They looked at my exam information, information about everything that had been done during my procedure, and focused on what to do when I went home. I heard that I could eat SOON!

I think the most upsetting thing was that I found out I was 4-5 pounds OVERWEIGHT! I didn't like that one bit!

And, they gave my owner medicine for my ear. It turns out I did have some problems causing itching and redness.

I got x-rays and photos to take home, my "Physical Exam Report Card," Discharge Instructions and recommendations. I was amazed at the invoice... a whole page of things that had been done and drugs that had been given... all for that $169 charge. The ear cleaning and lab test were extra as well as the pre-op blood test. But that was more than fair!

Here's my teeth before the cleaning. They aren't very nice to look at and my gums were sore.

Here's the same teeth after the cleaning - all pearly white!

I found out that brushing and things like Greenies would help keep my teeth clean.
Notice how alert I was at this point! Do you think the bag attracted my attention?

Home Again
I felt like I had missed a good part of the day. It was morning when I got to the dental clinic (early morning) and now it was late afternoon. Weird!

I sat up in the car's back seat and watched outside all the way home. Once I got home I was hungry and my owner gave me half of my kibble, with a little water to soften it. I went outside a couple of times and even checked for squirrels. A little later I was given the other half of my dinner. My tummy felt just fine.

Then I wanted to go upstairs and sleep on my cushy bed... and I did. Ah... home! No more dentist, no more extra-terrestrial dogs. Just home sweet home!

Here I am all fed and getting ready to have a good night's sleep.

The Next Day
The next day I felt absolutely great. I played with my toys, had a regular breakfast and was full of spunk and energy. The dental cleaning was behind me AND I DID VERY WELL! I was surprised when Shannon called to find out how I was doing. And, I was doing marvelously.
 

Here I am the next day. Good as new and sporting my beautiful clean teeth!

Thank you Shannon and Dr. Jacqueline Myers.  I love my new pearly white teeth. You're the greatest!

Love, Beautiful Cinnamon

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Forever Pet Dental
Jacqueline Myers, DVM
Address: 615 SE Chkalov Drive, Suite 14
Vancouver, WA 98683
360.859.3790
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