Sunny

Sunny is a big beautiful Greyhound who came in to have some dental work done.

Greyhounds are a little notorious in the veterinary world for having problems with their teeth, in that they often have dental lesions which are causing the dog pain, but those teeth feel like they are held in there with industrial strength glue and take some real getting out. Greyhounds are also considered to be quite a high risk anaesthesia and so this coupled with a long dental procedure meant that the decision to admit Sunny for a dental was not taken lightly. That being said though we would never anaesthetise an animal where the benefits didnt outweigh the risks so Rai and Sunny's owners decided to go ahead.

Sunny was admitted and given a general anaesthetic.  Sunny was taken to our dental table and the anaesthetic monitored throughout by one of our nurses. On his detailed examination Rai could see that there were a few teeth which needed removal, and would have been really quite painful for Sunny. He set to work extracting!

5 teeth later (!) Rai started to suture the holes left by the teeth. This is only really done in the case of large tooth extractions or where there is haemorrhage and Sunny was no exception.  The holes in her gums were carefully sutured with dissolvable material, after having been packed with a substance that not only fills any dead space but prevents excessive bleeding.  This took an hour.

On recovery Sunny was a little slow, as many greyhounds are. The nurses observed her carefully and took great care that she didnt lose too much body heat. Sunny was also placed onto a drip for additional support. She was, at this point topped up with painkilling medications and antibiotics and it was decided that she should stay the night to make sure that there were no complications.

The following morning Sunny looked fully recovered. She appeared very strong and had suffered no bleeding from her mouth. She was sent home with a strict plan for feeding soft easy to eat food and lots of painkillers should she need them.

When Sunny came back to see us for her post dental check her owners were very pleased to report that not only had Sunny recovered fully but she was better than she had been for a very long time. Their dog who they thought was just very fussy was eating now with great enthusiasm! A good result all round!

Congratulations Sunny. Sandhole's Braveheart for August 

Routine dentistry is something that is carried out at Sandhole Veterinary Centre on a daily basis. Your pets teeth are precious and should be looked after, home care can go a great distance towards prologing the life of your pets trusty gnashers! Please ask about our nurse clinics  if you would like any further information about how to care for your pets teeth at home.

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