How often should my dog's teeth be cleaned, and is anesthesia safe for them?

Question

How often should a dog have their teeth cleaned? And is putting them under the anesthesia jeopardizing their health? Is there an age limit for having a dog put down to have their teeth cleaned? Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Male | neutered | 7 years and 7 months old | 10 lbs

Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH · Accepted Answer

The answer to the frequency of recommended dental cleaning really depends on the dog. Most dogs would probably do best having their teeth cleaned every 6 months the way we do, but that often is not practical. Some dogs develop dental disease very quickly and need their teeth cleaned at least once a year while other dogs do very well not having their teeth cleaned for years. So, I would recommend following your veterinarian's recommendations for frequency of dental cleanings based on how quickly Otis develops dental disease. The anesthetic techniques and monitoring that we use now are very safe, so that is not a concern. It is much more likely that dental disease will cause more health problems. And there isn't any age limit as long as the dog is healthy. I just did a dental cleaning on my 14 year old dog last year. I hope that was helpful and answered your questions. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

How often should my dog's teeth be cleaned, and is anesthesia safe for them?

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