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What vets are selling is not the $100 dental cleaning people get. They do the procedure under general anesthesia and all the associated procedures brings the co

What vets are selling is not the $100 dental cleaning people get. They do the procedure under general anesthesia and all the associated procedures brings the cost well over $1000. But the worst part is the huge risk to animal: something like 1% of cats die during cleaning under general anesthesia. This is a totally unacceptable risk to your pet for a cleaning. If it's actually for a serious dental condition, then you can weigh the risks. But it's pretty sad that vets push such a risky procedure.

seattle_spring 3y ago
> something like 1% of cats die during cleaning under general anesthesia Pretty damning if true. Surely there are a wealth of sources that corroborate this figure? Eta: also, it's important to know the early mortality rate of untreated animals versus those that do receive dental cleaning every year. Is it less than the claimed risk of the treatment itself?
- wodenokoto 3y ago
  The argument is not that it is unnecessary to clean their teeth, it is that it is unnecessary to put them under general anaesthesia in order to clean their teeth.
  - Yiin 3y ago
    Depending on a cat, cleaning their teath while they're conscious might stress the fuck out of the animal, resulting both in quite uncomfortable for the cat treatment to keep them in a place and difficulties for the vet to get to the back of the teeth. Whoever does dental work for unsadated cats 99% only reaches for front teeth, and not actually potentially problematic areas.
  - RugnirViking 3y ago
    I struggle to imagine the process of cleaning an animals teeth while they're concious. They would be near certain they are about to die. Then imagine doing that 5 or so times a day with animals you've never met before.
- barrkel 3y ago
  Our cat came back unable to meow after being put under. It was a couple of years before he was able to make a high pitched squeak, and he can't do it quietly - it's just a hoarse whisper if he isn't going for it full throat.
vel0city 3y ago
I'm on a Banfield membership plan for my dog that's like $50/mo after tax, so $600/yr. The plan comes with routine checkups with some basic lab work, "member rates" at their nation-wide clinics for any non-routine care, all shots included, and one dental cleaning a year. So even if the cleaning was 90% of the cost (I imagine its probably less) that's like $540/yr. The dogs we had which we didn't do dental cleanings, their mouths were often in pretty rough shape by the end of their lives. Even with us trying to brush on regular schedules and giving good feeding, our geriatric dogs would often end up with lots of bad teeth in the final years of their lives. Meanwhile the dogs we've had which we've done yearly cleanings pretty much never had oral issues throughout their lives even well into very old age. Just my own personal anecdotes, but unless I see something reputable to change my mind I'll probably continue on yearly-ish cleanings. I definitely do agree its probably way too much stress on a cat though. We did one dental cleaning with our cat and decided it was way too much stress on him and decided we wouldn't do another cleaning unless something got really bad. He's lived just fine without any dental issues for over a decade since that cleaning, so I imagine its probably pretty unnecessary.
- WirelessGigabit 3y ago
  Makes me wonder what you fed/feed your dogs. My parents always had GDs and they would get kibble. A certain amount and some water poured over it. And of course the occasional potato. But never ever have any of those dogs had their teeth cleaned. I wonder if dog teeth problem are a result of diet? Too much candy? Not enough chewing on sticks?
  - vel0city 3y ago
    Pretty similar diets, pretty much exclusively kibble. Not usually with water poured on it. Plenty of chewing toys and sticks. By their mouths being in bad shape I mean losing a few teeth at the age of like 13 or 14. But that led to a bit of a downhill spiral, because then they also would stop eating as well, they'd develop other issues, etc. They were all extremely geriatric.
    - WirelessGigabit 3y ago
jghn 3y ago
What they do at my vet is do an oral exam & any indicated work if/when the animal is put under anesthesia for another reason. For instance one of our dogs has been needing 1-2 surgeries a year for the last couple of years (mast cell tumors) and has wound up with a variety of tagalong dental work. It's not perfect but seems like a happy medium. In particular it scales a bit with age as older animals are going to be more likely to need such surgeries.

seattle_spring 3y ago

> something like 1% of cats die during cleaning under general anesthesia Pretty damning if true. Surely there are a wealth of sources that corroborate this figure? Eta: also, it's important to know the early mortality rate of untreated animals versus those that do receive dental cleaning every year. Is it less than the claimed risk of the treatment itself?

wodenokoto 3y ago
The argument is not that it is unnecessary to clean their teeth, it is that it is unnecessary to put them under general anaesthesia in order to clean their teeth.
- Yiin 3y ago
  Depending on a cat, cleaning their teath while they're conscious might stress the fuck out of the animal, resulting both in quite uncomfortable for the cat treatment to keep them in a place and difficulties for the vet to get to the back of the teeth. Whoever does dental work for unsadated cats 99% only reaches for front teeth, and not actually potentially problematic areas.
- RugnirViking 3y ago
  I struggle to imagine the process of cleaning an animals teeth while they're concious. They would be near certain they are about to die. Then imagine doing that 5 or so times a day with animals you've never met before.
barrkel 3y ago
Our cat came back unable to meow after being put under. It was a couple of years before he was able to make a high pitched squeak, and he can't do it quietly - it's just a hoarse whisper if he isn't going for it full throat.

vel0city 3y ago

I'm on a Banfield membership plan for my dog that's like $50/mo after tax, so $600/yr. The plan comes with routine checkups with some basic lab work, "member rates" at their nation-wide clinics for any non-routine care, all shots included, and one dental cleaning a year. So even if the cleaning was 90% of the cost (I imagine its probably less) that's like $540/yr. The dogs we had which we didn't do dental cleanings, their mouths were often in pretty rough shape by the end of their lives. Even with us trying to brush on regular schedules and giving good feeding, our geriatric dogs would often end up with lots of bad teeth in the final years of their lives. Meanwhile the dogs we've had which we've done yearly cleanings pretty much never had oral issues throughout their lives even well into very old age. Just my own personal anecdotes, but unless I see something reputable to change my mind I'll probably continue on yearly-ish cleanings. I definitely do agree its probably way too much stress on a cat though. We did one dental cleaning with our cat and decided it was way too much stress on him and decided we wouldn't do another cleaning unless something got really bad. He's lived just fine without any dental issues for over a decade since that cleaning, so I imagine its probably pretty unnecessary.

WirelessGigabit 3y ago
Makes me wonder what you fed/feed your dogs. My parents always had GDs and they would get kibble. A certain amount and some water poured over it. And of course the occasional potato. But never ever have any of those dogs had their teeth cleaned. I wonder if dog teeth problem are a result of diet? Too much candy? Not enough chewing on sticks?
- vel0city 3y ago
  Pretty similar diets, pretty much exclusively kibble. Not usually with water poured on it. Plenty of chewing toys and sticks. By their mouths being in bad shape I mean losing a few teeth at the age of like 13 or 14. But that led to a bit of a downhill spiral, because then they also would stop eating as well, they'd develop other issues, etc. They were all extremely geriatric.
  - WirelessGigabit 3y ago

jghn 3y ago

What they do at my vet is do an oral exam & any indicated work if/when the animal is put under anesthesia for another reason. For instance one of our dogs has been needing 1-2 surgeries a year for the last couple of years (mast cell tumors) and has wound up with a variety of tagalong dental work. It's not perfect but seems like a happy medium. In particular it scales a bit with age as older animals are going to be more likely to need such surgeries.