Loki's Big Dental Day

Loki had his annual vet visit a few weeks ago, and the verdict came back with a familiar mix of pride and guilt — great pup, but those teeth needed some serious attention. Tartar buildup, a couple of problem spots, and two teeth the vet had been eyeing for visits now. We finally booked the dental cleaning.

Drop-off was at 7:30 in the morning. Loki knew something was up the moment we pulled into the parking lot. He slowed at the entrance, planted his feet, and gave me the look — that wide-eyed, ears-back expression that says I know exactly where we are and I am not thrilled about it. The tech came out to greet him, and he wasn't having it — I ended up walking back with them a few steps before he finally decided it was okay to go. Small victory, but I'll take it.

The house was too quiet without him. It's funny how much space a dog takes up — not just physically, but in the background noise of a day. No nails on the floor, no sighing from the other room. Just a strange, empty afternoon.

He did great overall. We did run into a little snag — one of the roots broke off during the extraction, so I had to go back in to get it out. But everything came out clean and the rest of his teeth look good."

— Dr. Hagan

The call came around 2:30 in the afternoon — he was done and ready to come home. I won't pretend I wasn't out the door fast. The vet mentioned she'd had a bit of a challenge with one of the extractions: the root broke off mid-procedure and she had to go back in to retrieve it. Not what you want to hear, but she handled it, and Loki came through fine.

2 Teeth removed

~4h Under anesthesia

14d Soft food diet

Getting home was its own adventure. Loki, still wearing his Elizabethan collar, made a beeline for the back door the moment we walked in — clearly ready to get back to normal. What he hadn't accounted for was that the cone had other ideas. He pulled up to the dog door, sized it up, and it just wasn't happening. The collar had about twice the clearance it needed. He stood there for a moment, genuinely puzzled, before finally accepting that someone would need to open the big door for him.

The first evening was rougher than I expected. The anesthesia clearly hadn't fully worn off — he spent a couple of hours pacing the house, restless and disoriented, not quite sure what to do with himself. At one point he climbed up onto my lap for some pets, and he nearly tipped right over. He threw up a little too, which the vet had warned was possible. It was hard to watch, honestly. You just want them to feel better and there's not much you can do except stay close and keep things calm.

Around 7:30 things finally shifted. He ate half a can of wet food — slowly, but he ate it — and then he laid down and just... stayed there. No more pacing. The tension went out of him and he was finally relaxed. That was the moment the evening stopped feeling so long.

By the next morning he was steadier, and the recovery settled into something more familiar. Loki has never been much of a toy dog — his version of a good time is going somewhere with me. Put my shoes on and he's right there, ready to load up in the truck. That didn't change one bit. Cone and all, sore mouth and all, he was watching my feet every time I moved. Some things a little dental surgery just can't touch.

His mouth already looks better — pinker gums, cleaner teeth. Two weeks of soft food is a small price to pay — though Loki's opinion on the matter is clearly mixed.

A few things I'd tell first-timers:

Fast your dog from 9:00 the night before — no sneaky treats, no matter how much they beg.

Expect a rough first evening. Pacing, nausea, and general wobbliness are all normal while the anesthesia wears off — just stay close and keep things quiet.

Stock up on soft food — and plenty of it. With extractions, you could be looking at two weeks before kibble is back on the menu. Even getting a little food down on night one can help them settle.

If you have a dog door, be ready to play doorman for a while — the Elizabethan collar and dog doors do not get along.

Don't skip the follow-up. Loki's healing check is already on the calendar.

Loki eats some soft food

He's back to his mischievous self now — watching my shoes, ready to go wherever the day takes us. Healthy teeth, same Loki. We'll call that a win.