My 8 yr. old German shepherd died on Monday, January 19, 2009 from overdose of anesthesia. I purchased him at age 3 for protection. I would never again allow any future dog I may own to go under anesthesia for teeth cleaning. My dog had his teeth cleaned with this same vet before. Fargo had all the pre-blood work that morning and last week when we took him in for consultation our vet commented his heartbeat was slow, although he was excited showing he was in great heart health. Here is the story the vet told us. He gave him the minimal amount of pre-meds and since he was not groggy enough, he put the mask on him for a few seconds. Immediately, he saw his chest pound once, then his heart stopped, this happened again, then he went into cardiac arrest-meaning his heart rate accelerated, then stopped for good. He then gave Fargo epinephrine and some other injection into his iv. He did this again, as there was no response. He then did palpitations working on him for a total of 20 minutes. He was gone. I am heartbroken and angry with the vet and will never put another dog through that at such great risk of death. There are alternatives to surgery that I am now aware of just by doing a couple searches on the internet. I only wish I would have known of them prior to this. The number of dogs dying from overdose of anesthesia is 1 in 400 and can be as high as 1 in 200. For all of you who were 'lucky' enough your dog survived anesthesia, I would hope alternatives to anesthesia for teeth cleaning are something you would look into. Good oral health is extremely important. As for me, as I stated earlier, I will never put any future dog I may own at such high risk of death for teeth cleaning. Anesthesia= Life or Death for dogs and nothing else. I am trying to warn as many people as I can, so you may see this posted on other sites. Thank you for taking time to read my story as I continue to grieve losing my absolute best friend.

I am sorry for your loss I know it must not be easy. The risk presents itself to humans and animals alike. So you are saying that his heart condition had nothing to do with it or your mad at the vet putting him under knowing there might be an issue. Im confused.

What are the other alternatives- deep scaling teeth is not something a dog will sit still for hence the anesthia-Im curious to know what it is that is an option?

Originally Posted by 4paws-up

I am sorry for your loss I know it must not be easy. The risk presents itself to humans and animals alike. So you are saying that his heart condition had nothing to do with it or your mad at the vet putting him under knowing there might be an issue. Im confused.

What are the other alternatives- deep scaling teeth is not something a dog will sit still for hence the anesthia-Im curious to know what it is that is an option?

I am sorry you misunderstood some and I apologize for not being more clear. My dog 'did not' have a heart condition. He heart was in 'excellent' condition.
Yes, I am angry with the vet for his negligence. I think most people would, given the circumstances.
There are alternatives to anesthesia for teeth cleaning. I don't think I should list any product or service, as it could be viewed as advertising. Try google search for 'alternatives for anesthesia for dog teeth cleaning'.
Also, the risk for overdose of anesthesia in humans is extremely less than for animals. Thank you for reading.

so you think he lied from the pre visit and what happened during?

vet commented his heartbeat was slow

I dont see how helping others would be viewed as advertising unless it was your business........alternatives are only ok if you have someone that provides them. I am already compromising on my beliefs because I dont have the same resources available to me as I once did

Sorry I did not come back to the forum to reply promptly to your questions.

When vet listened to Fargo's heartbeat and it being slow although he was excited is a good thing, showing his heart was in excellent condition. Petzlife has spray/gel that breaks down tarter, also there are dental specialists that do not use anesthesia. Do some searches on the internet and you will find more alternatives. Even so much as just the 'premeds' seems to be enough to 'knock-out' a dog for teeth cleaning as I had seen last week on 'Animal Planet' show.

The vet did not lie about anything.

Did he have pre-anisthetic blood work?

I used to work for a vet and just know that this is incredibly rare. Im very sorry for your loss and I know its hard.

For future reference, the vet I worked at NEVER used anesthesia for teeth cleaning because honestly it wasnt really needed. They always just put the dog under with oxygen. (unless the dog had to have teeth pulled) There isnt any pain involved with a regular teeth cleaning its just the dog needs to be asleep and still. If your next dog needs its teeth cleaned I would suggest asking for oxygen only.

You can also brush the dogs teeth yourself so a cleaning isnt always needed.

Yes, Fargo had the pre bloodwork done that morning he died. He also had it done in 2005 before getting his teeth cleaned and caps put on his canines.
The vet never did get all the tarter off of his upper back teeth in 2005 and that should have sent up all kinds of red flags. I brushed his teeth regularly with doggie toothpaste and he had a rope toy but the tarter got worse making his upper back gums red.

This vet told us in 2005 not to let him chew on any bones or anything hard and we just said 'ok'. With that said, when we took him in a week prior to Jan. 19, 2009 for consultation he asked if Fargo was chewing on any bones and I said 'no, I thought you said not to let him have any'. He said, 'Oh no, he should be'. You can imagine the looks on our faces when he said this. I could have confronted him on his previous instructions/not being clear as to a time frame, but it would have served no point. We took Fargo to this vet regularly and he never said anything about his teeth/chewing on bones. As we paid for the visit, we got Fargo a bone. I will always double check anything a vet tells me from now on.

I also asked specifically for him and only him to do the procedure from start to finish. In fact, I said it twice and he reassured me he would. Come to find out, the vet tech's were the ones that were working on Fargo.

Thank you for the information when you worked for a vet.

Your vet sounds like an idiot. Im so sorry that this happened to you. DEFIANTLY find yourself a new vet asap (thats if you have other dogs/pets I mean)

I'd also file a complain with the BBB (better business bureau).

Also, the type of food a dog is on can help with tarter too. Crunchy kibbles and high quality can do wonders.

Rest in peace sweet Fargo.

Thanks for the follow - up
My first vet used to give him Morphine and everything to put him under and I always thought that was extreme. He has periodontal disease so I can muck around with it.
Now here the vet only use a sedative (no horrible side affects and he snaps out of it pretty quick) but I do think he goes under as he has to scale the teeth and be prepared to take x-rays if warranted. I do all that "other" stuff -his teeth have been ok lately but I cant skip the extensive cleaning the vet does.

Yes, he is an idiot and I am starting to look into vet choices. I heard of a good one in Cleveland that have specialists(about 1 1/2 hours from us in PA), but have a lot more work to do in making an informed decision.

I am sure we would be successful suing him, but I do not know if I could go through that process with keeping the 'wounds open' so to speak. I may contact the BBB or AVMA(American Veterinary Medical Association), but right now just can not think about that stuff.

We had initially started him on Canidae dry dog food suggested by Carl Reif at advancedk9.com, as this is what he fed his dogs, but the fat content was too high for his system(so this vet said), as Fargo's appetite had decreased, but who knows. We then switched Fargo to 'Royal Canin' dry dog food and 'canidae' snap biscuits.

Fargo was my only dog/pet and I miss him terribly. I am however looking for another dog now, as my husband goes away on audits and CPE('continuing professional education') from time to time. There are so many websites out there, it is hard to know who to trust. I called Fargo's seller in Colorado and a few others I am waiting on to call me back. If anyone knows of a reputable seller of working breed German Shepherds, let me know. Thank you.