>I just had the teeth of my nine ferrets and a cat cleaned with them fully
>awake with a regular scraping method by a vet. tech, with no side effects &
>not much discomfort.  Much safer than gassing them, especially since my
>kitty is 15 yrs.  old..  Not an option.  Also MUCH cheaper than gassing.  I
>think that's an out for lazy or semi skilled people who want to drain your
>pockets:)
 
Being one of the "lazy and semi-skilled" people you [ ... BIG] refer to, I'd
like to take extreme exception to your decursion on my honesty.  There are
at least two reasons I can think of that MOST veterinarians use general
anaesthesia for cleaning teeth MOST of the time.
 
(1) It is easier on the animal.  Having a total stranger "attack" your mouth
with a sharp instrument can hardly be a pleasant experience.
 
(2) Many dental proceedures auch as extractions of partially abscessed or
deep planing of tartar from the roots of teeth are IMPOSSIBLE to do on an
awake patient.  While a superficial cleaning may make the teeth look pretty,
leaving these kinds of problems will go merrily on their way will eventually
not only result in severe gum disease and tooth loss, but can even in the
long term effect the heart, liver, and kidneys through low grade bacterial
showers through the blood stream.
 
Yes, it is true that anaesthetic dentistry is more expensive than the
superficial cleaning you describe, but that is not why most veterinarians
recommend it.  ANd as for danger, a good physical and in some cases
preanaesthetic bloodwork will decrease the danger of losing a patient to
anesthesia.  In the future, I would recommend that you more thoroughly
research your subject before casting dispersions on the honesty and
integrity of hard working veterinary professionals.
 
Sorry about the flame, but I thought it just had to said.
--
Bruce S. Levine, DVM
 
"Lost in Cyberspace"
[Posted in FML issue 1658]