It is common for dogs to wake up confused or disorientated after anesthesia and this certainly is the case for one chihuahua who has gone viral on TikTok.
The hilarious clip is captioned: "Truffles was just a little lost in the sauce after her dental today," which refers to being preoccupied to the extent of losing sight of one's surroundings.
The footage shows Truffles seemingly dreaming with her eyes shut and her legs paddling—as if she is swimming.
At the time of writing, the video shared to @nyx_lycoris has racked up 1.4 million views and over 204,000 likes. Along with plenty of comments since it was shared on February 20.
One user said: "Truffles is swimming in the blue waters of Hawaii right now, possibly another planet."
"[S]he walking home already," said another.
A third commenter said: "Haha pup said 'idk where I am but in case there's water, I do paddles.'"
"She is having one of those perfect dream moments we wish we all could have," said a fourth commenter.
Do Pets Need Anesthesia for Dental Care?
The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) state it's not acceptable to carry out a dental procedure on an animal without anesthesia due to safety, efficacy, and ethical concerns.
It can be painful and confusing for pets if a vet were to use sharp instruments in their mouth. It can also be dangerous and stressful for the animal and the veterinary team. Whereas temporarily blocking their sensory signals from their nerves at the site of the procedure to the centers in their brain can prevent stress, fear, pain, and anxiety.
Anesthesia is used for oral examinations, scaling above and below the gumline, tooth polishing, and extractions or other required treatments.
The AAHA website states: "When anesthesia is not used and a pet is awake during a dental procedure, only tartar visible above the gumline can be removed. Your pet's teeth may look cleaner after an anesthesia-free scaling, but only during an anesthetized procedure can your pet's veterinary team treat, prevent, or reverse dental disease."
Some people may opt against anesthesia as they are scared of the side effects which include:
- Organ failure
- Visual impairment
- Clotting disorders
- Seizures
- Anaphylactic shock or death.
However, the non-profit organization for companion animal veterinary hospitals reassures owners that untreated dental disease are "typically much greater than the minimal risks associated with anesthesia."
The AAHA does not recommend anesthesia-free dentistry, which can be physically and mentally harmful to your pet and does not allow for effective treatment of dental disease.
Update 2/29/24, 3:07 a.m. ET: The TikTok video has been removed from the article.
Newsweek reached out to @nyx_lycoris for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Lucy Notarantonio is Newsweek's Senior Lifestyle and Trends Reporter, based in Birmingham, UK. Her focus is trending stories and human ... Read more
