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Trixie: Upcoming dental surgery (anything I need to know?)

Posted: 15 Mar 2023, 10:06
by TrixEPIMama
I took Trixie (2-year-old EPI-diagnosed ACD or mix) to the vet on Monday for what I thought might be a foreign object lodged in her gums. Turned out to be an "interestingly broken tooth." She goes in for dental surgery a week from today.

I'm just checking with you helpful experts to see if there's anything I need to beware or be aware of in advance.

Currently she's on carprofen for pain, which isn't upsetting her stomach as it does with some dogs, and clindamycin as an antibiotic. Are these okay for EPI dogs? (I know metronidozol is out, but don't know about other antibiotics and didn't find anything against clindamycin in my forum search.)

Next week she'll have bloodwork, then be put under a general anesthetic (unspecified type). She'll be given a buprenorphine injection for pain, then will be sent home with more carprofen and clindamycin -- unless you knowledgeable folk recommend otherwise.

This will be her first time under a general anesthetic, except for when she was spayed, which was before she was diagnosed with EPI. Anything I need to tell the vet about handling an EPI dog?

Re: Trixie: Upcoming dental surgery (anything I need to know?)

Posted: 15 Mar 2023, 10:15
by jilbert57
Sounds like you and your vet have a good plan in place. I always opt for warming blanket and fluids too. I know there is something they can use to reverse the effects of the anesthetics which helps.
I don't know of any precautions for EPI but I would think the added stress might produce a loose stool after or not.

Jill

Re: Trixie: Upcoming dental surgery (anything I need to know?)

Posted: 15 Mar 2023, 11:20
by TrixEPIMama
jilbert57 wrote: 15 Mar 2023, 10:15 Sounds like you and your vet have a good plan in place. I always opt for warming blanket and fluids too. I know there is something they can use to reverse the effects of the anesthetics which helps.
I don't know of any precautions for EPI but I would think the added stress might produce a loose stool after or not.
Thank you, Jill, for the quick and helpful reply.

I'll definitely ask about fluids. Warming blanket! I hadn't thought of that (though I know how much I've personally appreciated them after or during surgery).

Yeah ... stress pooping. She hasn't done that since her first day here. Never at a vet's. Never while boarding. Never during travel (even when introduced to my partner's "flying car" and going up in the clouds). But on Monday, at the vet's, she did it twice in two hours. She also growled at the vet's office manager, when she's always been friendly to all humans before. Combo of pain and stress I expect. We'll be prepared.

Re: Trixie: Upcoming dental surgery (anything I need to know?)

Posted: 15 Mar 2023, 13:13
by Olesia711
Oh WOW... never thought of that but i LOVE the idea of warming blankets!

REgarding those meds:
1. Carprofen is a pain killer, perfectly fine and often very much needed!
2. Clindamycin works by inhibiting bacterial protein synthesis, which inhibits bacterial growth. It has a bacteriostatic effect which means it stops bacteria from reproducing but doesn't necessarily kill them.,

Both are perfectly fine for an EPI dog.
The reason why there is such a bru-ha-ha about Metronidazole is because so many vets have traditionally been conditioned to automatically prescribe it for gastro issues.... and as we now know, it is not a good way to handle gastro issues in an EPI dog.........
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I am so sorry to hear that she is hurting, for her to growl at the office manager when she is typically very sweet and friendly indicates that she must be in a lot of pain, poor baby..... good thing that you brought her to the et and they realized what is going on!

Like Jill said, there may be some "stress" pooing afterwards and/or (what happened to my EPI dog) after surgery, she didn't want to eat for days! Scared me until my vet explained to me that after a couple of days, the dog was sensing MY over the top concern and that made her nervous too, and hence she didn't want to eat....The "fix" was for me to start acting happy with no worries around the dog and then amazingly everything went back to normal!