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Making A Recovery Plan For Your Dog's Upcoming Dental Extraction

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As your dog ages, they may need to have a decayed tooth removed. Periodontal disease, the leading cause of tooth extractions in older dogs, is prevalent.  It is completely normal if you're worried about your dog's upcoming tooth extraction. Feeling anxious about your dog's procedure is natural, but it isn't necessary. By making a plan to care for your dog after their dental treatment, you will feel confident, and they will breeze through the recovery process. You will be back at the park playing catch together in no time.

 A successful recovery plan includes each of the following: 

Medications

Your dog will need pain medication and antibiotics after their dental treatment. It's essential to have the medication on hand and available so you can give it on the schedule your vet instructed. 

If you fill your pet prescriptions at the vet's office, ensure you have the pills when you take your dog home from surgery. If you use a human pharmacy, fill the prescriptions before picking your dog up post-procedure.

Soft Foods

Just as you need to eat softer foods after your own dental work, so does your dog. When the tooth was removed, the veterinarian created a small flap of skin and sutured close the socket. If your dog eats kibble, the fragments can tear the stitches and cause an infection.

Even if you usually avoid canned dog food, your dog will need to eat it for the next couple of weeks while their mouth heals. This should be the only thing you feed them. Skip bones and other treats until you get the go-ahead from the vet.

A Safe Resting Place Away From Children and Other Pets

To extract a tooth requires putting a dog under general anesthesia. It will take about a day for the anesthesia to wear off completely. During this time, your dog may be aggressive or show other behaviors they otherwise wouldn't. 

To prevent your dog from getting agitated, make sure they have a safe, quiet resting place away from other pets or children that can pester them. Let your dog sleep, rest there, and come out when they feel up to it.

Post-Surgical Follow-Up Appointment

Lastly, you must bring your dog to their post-surgical follow-up appointment. It will be scheduled for about two weeks post-op. The vet will check your dog's incision, ensure everything has healed, and give you the green light to resume feeding your dog kibble.

Contact a local vet to learn more about animal dental treatment


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