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How safe is dental cleaning for my senior dog with good bloodwork?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Female | spayed | 16 lbs

How safe is it for a Senior dog (over 9 years) to have a dental cleaning? Blood work came back ok. Teeth need attention.

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Laura Johnson VMD

Veterinarian

Published on August 3rd, 2017

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I personally don't think age is a major risk factor for anesthesia. Most of the problems or deaths under anesthesia are unpredictable and can happen to any age. Doing blood work and checking for any underlying issues like a heart murmur before surgery is great. Anesthesia is monitored closely by the veterinary nurses: blood pressure, oxygen levels, EKG, animals are intubated and are on oxygen and on IV fluids. There are health risks to leaving diseased teeth in the mouth as well. Overall if Angel is a healthy senior I think she will do fine! Good luck!

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5Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on February 17th, 2019

    I do understand being worried. The only way to remove all the tartar and treat all dental problems fully is with a teeth cleaning. Anesthesia can be done safely on senior dogs, so speak to Spike's vet about any potential risks.

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    2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Tomasz Wnuk

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 31st, 2020

    Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Poor appetite could be related to dental problem but it may be a sign of depression since Toffee lost his owner. If Toffee does not have any heart problems and his blood test comes back normal (this is usually checked before general anaesthesia) the risk of anaesthetic is not very high. In other words, if s dog is carefully assessed before the procedure, we don't see any problems related to general anaesthetics in vast majority of cases.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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