My old dog is skinny with lumps and bad teeth. Is surgery too risky?

Question

my dog is about 13 years old and she's a mixture of Maltese and a frise. She's very skinny she eats and drinks a lot actually. But she has big lumps on her tummy area and her teeth are pretty bad. i know surgery is gonna be a the best option but looking at how skinny and weak she is I'm scared she won't make it through it. I've been trying to feed her more to gain her some weight but it doesn't seem to work. What should I do? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Female | 5 lbs

Kevin Sanada, DVM · Accepted Answer

The risk of anesthesia would probably be the biggest concern for Nevah. We always evaluate our patients and put them into a certain class of risk prior to the anesthesia. When we have patients with high anesthetic risk, we usually will notify the owner first, before we do anything, so they are comfortable with the procedure knowing the risk. We will also alter the drugs and procedure as necessary to avoid risk. A skinny healthy dog is not necessarily a risk. However, overly thin dogs may have an underlying health condition that is making them skinny. Before considering the risk, you would want to get bloodwork done on Nevah. This will show if there are any signs of organ failure or disease. Most veterinarians would require this prior to doing anesthesia on a dog this old. After all the information is acquired, your veterinarian would be able to advise you about the risk versus the benefit. If the dental disease is really bad and/or the lumps are cancerous, then the benefit would likely outweigh the risk in most of these situations. However, if the teeth are not too bad and the tumors appear benign, then it may not be worth the risk. I hope that helps.

My old dog is skinny with lumps and bad teeth. Is surgery too risky?

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