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My dog has heart disease. Is anesthesia safe for dental cleaning?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Papillon | Male | neutered | 9 years and 9 months old

I have a 10 yr old Papillon 3 yrs ago a heart murmur was detected and it was determined that he has degenerative mitral valve disease His yearly heart checkup indicates LA mod dilated and mitral valve mod thickened Systolic function of LV normal. Mod jet of mitral regurg. Progressive LA dilation, no meds recmnd My primary vet rcmnd a dental for him but cardio says no unless severe dental disease present due to risk of fluid build up during procedure Would like 2nd opinion on safety of anesthes.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Vanessa Yeager DVM MPH

Veterinarian

Published on October 24th, 2017

Hi there and thanks for posting. I would tend to agree with the cardiologist on this one. Having a heart issue does place a greater risk of complication during anesthesia. I would recommend against it unless he dental disease is severe as the cardiologist has recommended. Best wishes to you and Rascal!

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