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Hi! I am new here, so it this has already been answered I apologize. I have a 7? (I adopted my dog almost 4 years ago we think she is about 7 years old) lab/retriever/setter mix. She is due to get her teeth cleaned in a week. The vet asked if I wanted to have blood work done and commented that it was optional and recommended over the age of 5. I told them no because I am not sure she needs it. My dog is very healthy. I brush her teeth at home but she still needs to get them cleaned. I live in Atlanta.
I was quoted $91 for blood work (which is why I said no)
Teeth cleaning starts at $95 and can go up another $100 if extraction is necessary.
I am curious about the prices and what the real reason is for getting blood work done. Sadie has never had to be put to sleep or had anything wrong with her since I got her. So, I am nervous. I am also on a tight budget which is why I said no to the teeth cleaning.
Bloodwork can be for many things, but I do for lymes and heartworm checks.
Can also check for liver problems and other problems but my vet never says to do unless yearly bloodwork for lymes and heartworm.
Ask vet what all the bloodwork will identify before doing it and why recommended after age 5?
When they clean her teeth, they will anesthetize her. The blood work is to make sure that she doesn’t have any condition that can cause a bad reaction to the anesthesia drugs. Even your dog is healthy and happy, she can still have a bad reaction to the drugs and the result is DEADLY. It is a very BAD decision not to do the blood work. I am amazed that your vet agreed with you. Change your vet and the blood work should be done.
Anytime a dog is going to be placed under anesthesia, I highly suggest the bloodwork. As mentioned, the bloodwork can save your dog's life. It should be routine like it is with us humans.
In fact, as a precaution like us humans, once my dogs turn four they get the bloodwork done on an annual basis.
I do full blood work pannel once a year on both of my dogs. Main reason for me is that they are raw fed and i want to make sure their nutritional values are in check.
But if your dog is going to be under anesthesia, then blood work is a must.
We had our dog's teeth cleaned in October of last year. He had never had a professional cleaning before and needed it BADLY since he is 9 years old (or at least we think since we rescued him from the SPCA). He is a cocker mix dog and had been put to sleep only once before to have him neutered and at that same time they looked at his teeth and had to remove one.
We did have the bloodwork done because I figured it was in the best interest of Tazz to have it done. I'll do anything to help keep my precious baby safe and I wanted to make sure there was no hidden disease or damage going on that we were unaware of. It all came back good and I believe our teeth cleaning cost us around $225 and that included the bloodwork, etc. It was well worth it, his teeth look fantastic now and he has so much better breath!
When we picked him up that evening from the procedure, he was so loopy from the anesthesia, his eye lids were very droppy and he had a hard time walking straight. Just wanted to let you know up front because I was so sad to see him like that! He just laid on me and if I got up to do something he'd try to walk with me but half the time he'd be leaning into my leg. So then I'd just sit down and he'd plop right back on my lap. he was like that for the rest of the evening and the next day he was slow moving but after that he was good to go and like a brand new dog with his pearly whites!
Teeth not cleaned can get infected and cost more in the long run to pull and put the pet on antibiotics. Plus, I don't want my babies to have sore teeth - think about you having a tooth-ache.
You can always give your dogs raw bones to chew on, it's a natural teeth cleaner.
I've never had my dogs teeth cleaned, they eat raw and their teeth are perfect!!
Pre-anesthetic blood work is always a good idea... we recommend regular blood work for senior dogs (which we consider over the age of 7) annually and any time surgery/anesthesia is going to be done, but it is up to the owner to decide whether or not they want to do it. The purpose of it is to get a good picture of what is going on inside your dog and make sure everything is functioning properly since anesthesia is always risky, it is a good idea to be sure there are no underlying problems going on that could make it even riskier.
I do applaud you for taking care of your dogs teeth though, so many people neglect them and don't realize that so many other health problems can arise from bad teeth.
Incidently, the prices you are being quoted are very reasonable...that is a very cheap dental.
Good luck
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