Teethcleaning procedure and lingering effects

[Rebecca bratter]

My almost 2 year old moyen aussiedoodle had her first deep teeth cleaning yesterday.  I wasn't happy about the whole procedure and the fact that they use anesthesia for it, although I do understand why.  I know there are places where they offer teeth cleaning w/o anesthesia but our vet plan did not offer that option.  We chose to have them use light sedation with our baby.  

Everything went fine and she is fine but she was totally disoriented after she came home.  They had her there all day, she went in at 7:30 and we picked her up at 3.  She was exhausted and kept fighting it, couldn't hold her head up.  Her appetite was fine, she ate her dinner no problems.  She couldn't relax at night even though she was exhausted, I had to put her on the bed next to me, and then she passed out and went to sleep.  Now it's the day after, she doesn't want to eat and she is constipated.  She is still wiped out and not entirely herself.  She is a bit out of it and not very playful, she's normally crazy playful.  She just wants to follow me around and lay at my feet. She obviously hates the vet and when we picked her up she went kind of nuts and was doing a weird winey thing and jumping all over me and terrified they were going to take her back in the operating room.  

Is this normal and will it all wear off.  I'm a little worried because she's really not herself. Thanks for any reassurances. 

[Sue]

I do believe that the anesthesia can take a while to fully wear off. It has happened to Kramer in the past too. Once it's totally out of their system they will be perfectly normal.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Different animals and humans react in different ways to anesthesia.  I had a cat once who came home from his neuter surgery just limp as a rag doll. It was terrifying! But within a few days he was back to normal. Also, I think the entire experience can be emotionally upsetting for them which might be why she is clingy and  was unable to sleep until she was close to you in bed. Give her a few days to detoxify the drugs and realize that she is not going back to the vet's.  Let us know how she does!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's normal. Their mouths are sometimes also sore once the anesthetic wears off, which might contribute to not wanting to eat. I'm guessing she will be 100% back to normal tomorrow. 

[Rebecca bratter]

ok, thanks everyone for the responses, they all make perfect sense.  Just got her to eat but she's still acting wacky.  Hopefully she'll be fine by tomorrow.  Poor baby.  

[Rebecca bratter]

Thank you, I think so too!!  I'm so glad you told me that about the age for teeth cleaning, I wish I would've posted here before we took her in.  She is our first dog so we didn't know any better and let me tell you I did not want to do it.  Now I'm mad at myself for not being better informed, I could've just waited a few years,  We go to banfield which is not the highest quality vet but we have had no issues and the coverage is good for puppies.  Now that she's 2 this was our last appointment with them, we are switching to healthy paws so we can choose our own vet.  they told us the teeth cleaning was covered and that we had to do it before she turned 2.  I guys we got suckered in, darn.  I will certainly add raw bones to her diet, she will be over the moon.  So do you get the bones from a butcher?  They still have meat on them?  Do I need to be concerned about the bone splintering?  Thanks for the tips.  

[F, Calla & Luca]

I am sure she will be OK soon. Once when Luca had anesthesia he was like a zombie and didn't even seem to recognize me. Teeth cleaning without anesthesia is sadly not very effective.

[Rebecca bratter]

Exactly! Madiba didn't seem to recognize me either only her dad who,took her in.

[TYoung]

I have no idea personally with my doodle (she's only 14 weeks old)...but last summer I was present when my brother in law took both his dogs in for a deep cleaning dental appointment.  Neither dog experienced symptoms or anxiety like that.  POOR POOR baby...sounds awful  I have been looking into ways to keep my girl's teeth cleaner naturally so that those visits are less and farther between in the future.  I am currently trying this: http://shop.mercola.com/product/dental-gel-for-pets-4-oz-per-bottle...  Just FYI :) 

[Rebecca bratter]

This has been a very helpful discussion! I am happy to report that Madiba is back to her old self, except that she's discovered how to cry and moan and is now using it for attention. She's normally not a whiner. She's too smart, she discovered a new way to get hugs and kisses.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Thanks for the update Rebecca. Glad to hear that Madiba is her spunky self again!  She sounds like a fast learner though!  Good luck with that! LOL