What Happens When a Pet is Put Under Anesthesia for Dental Care?

20 Jan What Happens When a Pet is Put Under Anesthesia for Dental Care?

Dental procedures can feel overwhelming for pet owners, especially when anesthesia is involved. Understanding what happens before, during, and after your pet’s procedure can help ease anxiety and build confidence in their care. This guide walks you through what to expect during veterinary dental anesthesia, from check-in and pre-operative evaluations to anesthesia monitoring, imaging, recovery, and discharge. Our goal is to help you feel informed and prepared every step of the way while your pet is in our care.

Check-in/Drop-off

When you and your pet arrive on the morning of their dental procedure, you will be greeted by one of our front desk staff members, who will weigh your pet and escort you to an exam room. There, you will be met by one of our registered veterinary technicians who will begin the check-in process.

Here at Animal Dental Care & Oral Surgery, most of our patients have a thorough consultation with one of our veterinarians a few days before they come in for their procedure. If this has happened, your technician will review the treatment plan and ask about any changes in your pet’s condition since the day of the consultation. Occasionally, we will do the consultation and procedure on the same day. In this case, the technician will get a thorough medical and dental history about your pet, which they will share with your veterinarian.

Next, the veterinarian will come to the exam room to examine your pet, discuss their findings and make recommendations for treatment. Regardless of whether the consultation occurs on the same day or a separate day, you will be provided with a detailed estimate to review and sign, and you will fill out forms to provide information such as your contact information for the day of surgery and your wishes in the unlikely event of your pet requiring CPR. This is a great time to ask any questions you may have. 

Intake Exam & Bloodwork

After your pet has been checked in and brought back to the treatment area, your pet will receive a physical exam including listening to their heart and lungs, assessing their mentation and body temperature. We require pre-operative bloodwork within at least 3 months prior to the procedure. These tests may be performed on the day of your consultation, by your regular vet, or on the morning of the procedure.

If your pet still needs bloodwork collected, a registered veterinary technician will collect the sample, run the tests and report the results to your veterinarian. If there are any concerns noted on your pet’s exam or bloodwork, your veterinarian will reach out to you to discuss the findings before proceeding with the procedure.

Pre-Medication

Once ready to begin the procedure, your pet will be given an injection in their muscle (usually on their lower back or thigh) with a combination of medications that provide sedation, pain relief and reduce anxiety. Some clients prefer to stay with their pet until they receive this injection. Within about 10-15 minutes after these medications are given, your pet will become very drowsy and will be ready to proceed to anesthesia.

Anesthesia Induction

At this time, your pet will be moved to the procedure table and will be closely monitored by two veterinary technicians and your veterinarian throughout this time. They will be given oxygen through an oxygen mask and wrapped in a blanket to keep them warm. A small patch of fur on their foreleg will be shaved and cleaned thoroughly to allow placement of an intravenous (IV) catheter. Once the IV catheter is placed and secured, an injection of anesthetic will be given through it to induce anesthesia. Immediately after your pet is anesthetized, an endotracheal (ET) tube will be placed in their trachea to provide them with oxygen and anesthetic gas and control their breathing.

This tube has a special cuff to prevent fluid from going down the trachea into the lungs. A variety of anesthesia monitoring equipment is now placed to monitor your pet’s breathing, heart rate and rhythm, oxygenation, blood pressure and temperature. They are placed on a warming pad and wrapped in blankets to keep them warm. Throughout this time, your pet is being continuously monitored, and their heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, temperature and other vital signs are being recorded every 5 minutes. This will continue throughout the procedure.

Our veterinarians and registered veterinary technicians are very knowledgeable and experienced with anesthesia; however, we do work with multiple board-certified anesthesiologists to provide more advanced care to patients with underlying conditions putting them at increased risk, or patients who have emergencies while under anesthesia.

Diagnostic Imaging & Oral Examination

Your pet is now under anesthesia, and it is time to start the dental procedure. Each patient will have a type of 3D diagnostic imaging called cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). The CBCT machine is wheeled up to the procedure table where your pet is lying on their stomach, and the scan takes only a few minutes to run.

Once this scan is complete, your pet will be turned onto their back, and the procedure table will be adjusted into a “V” shape to support them, with additional padding and blankets as needed. Once on their back, a registered veterinary technician will take full mouth dental x-rays while your veterinarian evaluates the CBCT scan images.

After reviewing the x-rays, your veterinarian will perform a detailed oral examination, which includes examining the face, lips, cheeks and tongue for any wounds or masses, examining each tooth to look for fractures, caries (cavities), wear, gum recession, bleeding or mobility. All the while, a detailed dental chart is created to make note of any significant concerns. After the exam, your veterinarian will use a local anesthetic to place a nerve block in the region of the mouth that will be having surgery.

Client Update & Professional Dental Cleaning

Next, a registered veterinary technician will begin a professional dental cleaning, which includes scaling and polishing of all teeth. Meanwhile, your veterinarian will reach out to you by phone (or in person if you choose to wait in the clinic) to discuss the findings of the diagnostic imaging and anesthetized oral exam.

Any unexpected findings, changes in treatment recommendations or options will be discussed. You and your veterinarian will come to an agreement on the planned surgery or procedure, and you will be given an approximate pick-up time to help you plan when your pet will be going home. As soon as the patient’s teeth are cleaned and polished, your veterinarian will begin the surgery or procedure discussed.

Anesthesia Recovery & Discharge

Once the dental procedure is finished, your pet will be woken up, and their ET tube will be removed once they are able to safely breathe on their own. You will receive a phone call at this time to let you know that your pet has woken from anesthesia and plan for a specific discharge time. They will be monitored closely to make sure they’re maintaining a normal body temperature and breathing appropriately.

Our patients rest in our recovery area under close supervision for at least an hour after waking up from anesthesia, or until they can stand and walk on their own. Once it is safe to do so, they will be offered a small snack, and their IV catheter will be removed. Your veterinarian will write detailed discharge instructions for you, outlining the findings of the imaging and exam, the procedure performed, any post-operative medications or instructions and specific signs to watch for at home.

You will also be provided with your veterinarian’s after-hours contact information so that you can reach out in case of any questions or concerns. You will receive these instructions in writing, and your pet’s technician will review them thoroughly with you at the time of discharge. Before your pet goes home, you will have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have for your veterinarian or technician, and if you would like, your veterinarian can review the diagnostic imaging with you.

Veterinary Dental Procedures under Anesthesia in Fort Collins

Photo by Grant Durr on Unsplash used with permission under the Creative Commons license for commercial use 01/20/2026