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My Pet World: Cat may need follow-up appointment after dental cleaning

By Steve Dale, Tribune Content Agency on

ORLANDO, FLA. -- Experts converged to teach veterinary professionals at the North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando Jan. 17-21. Some of those renowned experts took time to answer your questions.

Q: Molly, my 5-year-old Jack Russell, had her teeth cleaned previously with no problems. About a month ago, after having her teeth cleaned again, she was listless for a few days. While she's back to herself, she now wakes me at around 11:30 p.m. and again at 1 a.m. each night to go out, even though my husband walks her before bed. After coming back in, she gets a treat and we go back to bed. Could this behavior be related to the dental procedure? -- L.K., North Las Vegas, NV

A: Dr. Kate Knutson, past president of the American Animal Hospital Association, says to first contact your veterinarian to determine if the anesthetic protocol was any different this time. It's also important to inform your veterinarian about the lethargy following the dental cleaning, so that next time around the "anesthetic cocktail" might be adjusted.

Knutson, of Bloomington, MN is a proponent of full-mouth x-rays before a dental procedure to determine everything that's going on your pet's mouth. So much of what happens occurs below the gum line, and is otherwise impossible to detect. Your veterinarian might want to see Molly again to make sure her mouth checks out healthy and pain free. The vet may also want to eliminate other issues, such as a urinary tract infection.

If medical issues can be ruled out, why is Molly bothering you at night?

Well, she obviously enjoys the cookie game -- getting up late at night to go out, then being rewarded with a treat upon returning. It might be that for whatever reason she really needed to go one night, and after receiving a reward, she instantly learned what happens when she goes out late at night -- whether she really has to relieve herself or not.

 

"Some dogs are very good at training us," Knutson adds.

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Q: My 17-year-old dog's health is failing badly, although there's no cancer or heart disease; just what my veterinarian calls "old age catching up." How do I know when the time is right to put Emma to sleep? -- V.D., St. Paul, MN

A: "This is the question I hear most often," begins Los Angeles, CA-based co-founder of Lap of Love, Dr. Mary Gardner. Lap of Love is s a nationwide network of veterinarians whose goal is to empower pet owners to care for their geriatric or sick pets, offering counseling and in-home euthanasia.

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