Serving Ohio, IN, WV, KY, Western PA
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How old is too old for anesthesia?
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A message from Dr. Prescott:
Depends on who you ask and how good they are with anesthesia.
The age is not the important factor but rather how the major organs are working.
For example, compare a young Boxer with aortic stenosis (risk of sudden death) to an old Lab with degenerative myelopathy-one patient looks healthy (Boxer) and the other looks debilitated (Lab with degenerative myelopathy, good organ function).
At Ohio Veterinary Dental Service, I tell clients “Anesthesia is the most important thing I do. I do dentistry well, but anesthesia is the most important thing I do." It better be, as most cases sent to me are old pets with at least one major organ not functioning properly. As part of my advanced dental training, I have recently spent 40 hours of additional anesthestic training at The Ohio State University. So, how old is too old to clean a pet’s teeth….depends on who you ask and how good they are with anesthesia.
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| "When we visited your office with Butler, I was very concerned about him making it through anesthesia, because he was 15 yrs and had a history of both heart and liver problems. But when I saw you had tears in your eyes, when we were talking about him, I knew he was going to be alright because you really cared. I just wanted to you know this, and that we will be forever grateful for all you did." Lisa R.
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