A little while ago, I noticed a pretty significant calcium deposit on Ranger's very back tooth. I called the vet, who I love, and he told me to try to pop it off with a dental tool that I could find at the local pet store. If that didn't work, he'd take a look at it when Ranger came in a few weeks later.
I tried to pop it off, but the thing would not budge. A few pieces popped off, but Ranger's gum started bleeding and he started to get real finicky about me going into his mouth. So, I decided I'd forego anymore attempts until the vet took a look. I didn't want Ranger to totally turn against me going in his mouth.
Off to the vet, I showed Dr. Munn and he basically told me thing was a barnacle and that anything that touched that tooth was going to irritate his gum. Explains why Ranger has avoided putting anything on that side of his mouth.
The only option at this point was a professional cleaning. Dr. Munn said that on a scale of 1-5, 5 being the worse, Ranger was about at a 3. He went on for the next 20 minutes to explain what the procedure would be and answer any questions.
Basically, Ranger is put under local anestheia for 40 minutes. Prior to the procedure, Dr. Munn runs a series of tests (optional, but I'm opting I think, about $45.00 extra) to ensure that all the organs are functioning at a healthy rate before administering anesthia. Dr. Munn does the procedure himself and a vet tech monitors heart rate and oxygen levels throughout. In addition, they keep Ranger there for an 6-8 hours after the procedure to ensure that he is okay after coming out of anesthia. Dr. Munn told me that he only does 2 surgical procedures a day (he considers dental surgical b/c of the anesthia), so that he can personally be involved in the monitoring process.
I am SOOO nervous. I made an appointment for next Thursday and I trust Dr. Munn completely. This is a man who left a practice b/c he didn't believe in the way animals were treated as dollars, not companions. He even said I could stay and watch the procedure.
What do you guys think? Have you had this done to your pups before?
