# Vet says Kitty needs teeth extracted



## laurachristin (Jul 30, 2008)

Hello,
I took Kitty (14 year old cat) to a new veterinary hospital today for her annual checkup. We moved about an hour away from her previous vet and I didn't want to stress her out in the car driving that far. The new vet seemed very nice and thorough. She showed me Kitty's teeth which are apparently in not so great shape. I'm feeling pretty bad about this as I've never had her teeth cleaned (didn't know I should have but suppose I ought to have known..) but my guilt is beside the point.

They are recommending she goes under anaesthesia to have her teeth cleaned and evaluated. She said that many of the teeth will likely need to be pulled but they won't know for sure of course until they can get a good look in there. When she showed me her teeth it was obvious there was redness and buildup. 

I'm wondering if anyone has experience with having been told this and if it's common and healthy to put my cat through all of that stress and pain when she otherwise seems to be perfectly happy. I gather it can be dangerous if she gets an infection and that her teeth could be giving her pain. Although she does like to crunch on her dry cat food and bite her toy frog. I imagine if her teeth hurt her that much she wouldn't do either of those things..

My other concern is that in the past I've tried with no luck to get my cat to switch from Purina dry food to ANY other food. Preferably wet food but she won't even switch to another dry food brand. The vet says that cats don't chew their dry food anyway so she would be fine but I've also read on the internet that their gums have to heal and harden first. I'm worried that removing her teeth will cause her to not eat.

Thanks in advance for any ideas, stories, suggestions!!

-Laura & Kitty


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

First...you should not feel guilty at all for not knowing that Kitty's teeth need to be cleaned. But you should be angry at your previous vet for not ensuring her teeth were taken care of. The vet is the one who should have told you when the teeth needed to be cleaned.

Teeth cleaning and extractions is very common with cats. Had your previous vet been on the ball, Kitty probably wouldn't need as many extractions, if any. But that's water under the bridge and you just have to deal with the current situation. Teeth issues not only affect the immediate mouth area, they can also cause a myriad of problems including heart problems. The bacteria from the mouth can get into the blood stream and cause all kinds of havoc. So you definitely need to get this done. Another reason to do it now is her age, the older they get the more risky going under anesthesia is. So do it now while she's younger and presumably healthier than she will be a year or two from now. Make sure to have a full senior blood work up done prior to the surgery to rule out any underlying issues that may make surgery riskier.

Most cats don't chew their dry food at all, so feeding her dry after the surgery shouldn't be an issue. But....wet food is so much better for her, especially as she ages. Have you tried any tricks to get her to eat wet? Toppers often work great...smush some pieces of kibble into the wet so she has to bite wet food with the kibble. Parmesan cheese, pieces of chicken (cooked or raw...raw is great for the teeth), crumbled freeze dried chicken, liver, beef, all meat baby food etc...basically anything she really likes might work. I've also just taken a finger full of the wet food and smushed it on the mouth...sometimes they just need to get a taste of it to realize it's not so bad.


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## laurachristin (Jul 30, 2008)

Thank you for your response, doodlebug. I appreciate the time you've taken to listen to me and offer your wisdom! I am annoyed at the old vet. I will likely call them and while being kind explain to them my situation even if the only good that comes out of it is that they keep an eye on other cats' teeth better.

As far as switching food I have tried several things although I am willing to try again. It has been at least 8 months since our last attempt. I tried putting the tiniest bit of wet food in with her Purina.. she sniffs it and looks at me like, "Mom, you've got to be kidding if you think I'm going to eat that." However, this was only a day or so after I tried mixing in a larger portion so she was aware of it. Maybe it would be time to try again starting with the tiny tiny portion. I also tried mixing in a little bit of Wellness dry food another time. After "hunger striking" for 12+ hours.. not touching her food, (I was ready to cave as I know they have to eat) she starts eating!! Upon closer examination she had actually picked up the Wellness brand food and dropped it outside of her food bowl as she ate, continuing to only eat the Purina pieces. What a brat  I'm thinking Purina must put some sort of crack in their food.

Do you think she would be able to continue to eat her Purina right after the surgery? Even with a sore mouth? She does like to crunch it on the side of her mouth although I can tell from her occasional vomit that she pretty much just swallows it whole. Thanks again, Doodlebug.


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## salsachick (Aug 4, 2009)

laurachristin, your cat sounds like my Babette. :lol: If we tried to feed her different dry food than Purina she would eat around it too. Mine loved Fancy Feast wet food though and gladly would have eaten that 24/7 if I let her. I don't know what the nutrition content of FF is though.

Babette, also had a couple of teeth extracted because the vet found an abscess. I had no idea that cat's teeth needed cleaning or that dry food didn't clean their teeth (or those treats) and our vet never told us that either.... so I'll also tell you not to feel guilty about it. Which I know is easier said than done when it comes to a beloved animal.

Babette was about 9 years old when she had the teeth out. The week afterward was not fun. She needed pain medication and antibiotics. Luckily I could hide medication in the fancy feast. But she went back to the dry Purina after that week and was fine eating it.

My brother's cat had a few teeth removed and the cat did lose some weight because he didn't eat as much dry food, but the cat was fat to start with. My brother started mixing dry and wet and that cat was fine also.

If you really want her to eat wet food, or are very concerned, you may just have to keep looking for a flavor of wet food that your cat likes... maybe buy some tiny tins of different flavors until she settles on one.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

You're welcome!

I think that she'll realize she's sore and not try to crunch the food. That's funny about picking out the Wellness dry food. I've seen my cats eat around something they didn't like, but never pick it up and toss it out of the bowl! :lol:

What wet foods have you tried? Fancy Feast is the kitty crack of wet foods. Not the best stuff, but better than an all dry diet. Also, do you free feed dry? If yes, then you definitely need to pick that up like at least 8 hours before attempting to feed wet. You want her hungry when you put it down.


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## laurachristin (Jul 30, 2008)

Salsachick: Thank you for the support  It's hard to realize you haven't done the right thing for your pet who trusts you and can't tell you what they need! But I know all I can do is do right by her now that I know. I'm glad to know I wasn't the only one who didn't realize cats don't need dental work! Kitty isn't tiny so she's got some extra fat to her but I know that she still needs to eat a normal diet. She can't live off her fat reserves

Doodlebug: It's neat how cats have such fun, different personalities. I did laugh pretty hard when I saw the lengths she went to to get the Wellness out of her bowl. She also has a stuffed animal that she carries around the house when one of us leaves. She cries like she's trying to round up her babies because one of us has wandered off. It's a little tiger and she only picks it up on the one side. She's a crack up. I can't remember off the top of my head the specific brands of wet food I tried. When I go to the grocery store next I will check it out and I'm sure I will remember once I see the labels. I do remember trying at least two different brands and several different flavors. I have also tried to give her little pieces of tuna (from a can) and cooked chicken but she sniffs and is not interested. The only thing she likes other than her Purina is Friskies Hairball Remedy soft treats. She LOOOOVES them. Probably rotted her teeth. Thank you for the suggestion of picking up her food bowl. I hadn't thought of that. I do free dry feed (I assume this means there is always at least some food in her bowl) so that's a great suggestion, thank you. When I tried my wet food attempts I would have to keep putting fresh food in because she ignored it for hours on end and it went gross. Genius idea of getting her hungry first 

The other thing that I was just thinking of while we were snuggling on the couch that I did not mention to the vet but now will is over the past year there have been three instances of Kitty going into a really deep sleep and we (my boyfriend and I) had a harder than normal time waking her up. I won't bore you with details unless you are interested but basically we would touch her and gently shake her and she was limp and completely unresponsive but then would wake up and act totally fine. I'm wondering if this puts her at any kind of elevated risk with the anesthesia.

I'm full of what ifs and worries. Good luck to me when I have human children 

Laura


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Hi, Laura, 

When I took Cinderella for her first check-up after she adopted me, she was 4 and had to have her four front lower tiny teeth pulled. I was shocked! Apparently, she has bad teeth. When she did have her teeth pulled, she was fine with eating after a couple days, but it really depends on which teeth are pulled. The ones she lost didn't really affect her. One year later, she had build-up and gingivitis again, and I was told she would have to have more teeth pulled, but they wouldn't know how many until they got in there, like they told you. Fortunately, she was fine and didn't have to have any pulled. 

I will say, my whole experience with Cinderella's first dental procedure made me switch vets. 

P.S. You think getting a cat off dry food is bad, try getting them off canned tuna. Not cat food, actual Chicken of the Sea tuna! That's what Cinderella was being fed when we met. 8O


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## laurachristin (Jul 30, 2008)

Thank you all for your feedback!! I feel so lucky to have found this forum 

Okay so I am definitely going forward with the dental regardless of cost. However, I'm looking around the internet at "Cat Dental Prices" and am seeing some REALLY low numbers compared to what my vet quoted me. I understand that everyone's situation is different, but can anyone tell me if this is normal or insane?? I will probably call around to other local hospitals to see as well. I am in San Diego, CA where everything is $$$$$. 

We're looking at:

FE CBC/Chem/Amyl/t4/FeLV/FIV 8044 bloodwork tests - $107
Cystocentesis - $14
Ultrasound guided-only if needed $17
Urinalysis pre dental- $38

That's the "pre" stuff.. then on day of they seem very thorough which I'm glad for. Anesthesia monitoring, surgical tech, fluids & iv, dental complete scale polish, dental fluoride, radiographs, nerve blocks, extractions, gingival incisions, post care and monitoring, & drugs cost ranging from $589.51 - $1444.21 (on top of pre dental) depending on how severe of a case she is.

(I didn't bother to itemize everything or mention everything they are doing because I type fast but didn't want to go overboard.)

Thanks everyone,
Laura & Kitty


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## Waterfaller10 (Oct 14, 2009)

That’s expensive! I live in San Francisco where the cost of living is high as well, and when my vet quoted $700 - $1100 for cleaning and two extractions, I shopped around. I used Yelp.com and found a quality vet that did it for a total of $230. 

You do want to find a good quality vet as anesthesia is a little risky for an older cat. I now take my cat every 6 months for non-anesthesia cleaning at only $50 a pop. That maintains her until she needs more thorough cleaning and/or extractions.


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## laurachristin (Jul 30, 2008)

Thanks. I thought it sounds expensive, too.. although I am a firm believer in you get what you pay for. However, it's hard to know what you're getting!!  I should probably clarify that the "high" price is for 10 extractions. I believe the "low" price is for 5 assuming I am reading this estimate correctly.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

I think my vet charges $350, plus extras (if teeth need extracting, etc.). I'm not sure if that includes the pre-dental bloodwork or not.


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

I've had two elderly cats have major dental procedures, including multiple extractions, over the last year. They each cost between $500-$600 total.

Several things to consider here. First, if your elderly cat hasn't had a full blood chemistry, CBC, T4, and urinalysis in the last year, it's a good idea to have them done as part of the pre-procedure protocol. Unless your cat is at high risk of exposure, I don't see the need for FIV/FelV testing. I also don't see any application for an ultrasound unless they're talking about an ultrasound-guided cystocentesis to collect a sterile urine sample (which frankly, I don't understand the need for, either). Most vets are capable of collecting a urine sample through palpation without having to risk a cystocentesis. That's something I'd want to discuss with the vet. Unless my cat was showing symptoms of a UTI, I personally wouldn't allow a cystocentesis.

If your cat has had any bloodwork performed in the last 6 mos, that bloodwork should be sufficient for the purpose of the dental procedure. If you do have current bloodwork on your cat, let the new vet know that and obtain copies of the test results from your previous vet. 

Any cat requiring dental extractions should be on antibiotics (Clindamycin) for at least a week PRIOR TO the dental procedure and continuing for a week or two afterwards. This helps protect the heart and kidneys from bacterial infection caused by dental bacteria. If the vet does not prescribe pre-dental antibiotics, be sure to request them.

Make sure you also discuss pain meds with the vet. Instruct the vet that under NO circumstances is your cat to be given Metacam before, during, or after the procedure. Have the vet write NO METACAM in LARGE, RED LETTERS on your cat's file to make sure it is not overlooked. Request buprenorphine or tramadol as a pain med, instead.

Make sure that your cat's blood pressure will be carefully monitored throughout the procedure while under anesthesia.

If your cat's pre-dental bloodwork indicates any renal insufficiency, discuss the sedative and anesthesia protocol with the vet. You can read more about this here:

http://www.vasg.org/renal_disease.htm

The following website will provide you with additional precautions to be taken with elderly felines undergoing dental procedures:

http://www.felinecrf.org/related_diseas ... recautions

Laurie


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## laurachristin (Jul 30, 2008)

Thank you, Laurie. What an informative post!! 

I will discuss removing FeLV and FIV from the blood work. The tech did explain to me that they were probably not necessary. I will also ask about the Cystocentesis.

Metacam 5mg/ml Injectable is listed on her estimate. Quantity of .5 Might as well give the whole run down on the day of. I would have never known that it was a negative thing??? I will google it..

Pre-Anesth. Exam
IV Cath/Fluids Surgery
Metacam (as written above)
Ampicillin 1g 100 mg/ml IV/ml Quantity 1.5
Anesthesia Monitoring
Surgical Tech
Inahal. Anes. by weight
Inhalant anes,
Dental Complete Scale Polish
Dental Fluoride
Dental Radiograph
Nerve block 1 -3 sites
Dental Extract (differing grades)
Gingival incision
Post-anethetic care/monitoring
post surgical analgesic injection
warm air blanket
otic exam
dental exam
nail trim
buprenex, home use
clavamox 62.5 mg/ml drops
tramadol 50 mg
dental kit to go home

I will certainly talk to her about the Metacam. THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

Laura


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

OK, here's what jumps out at me on that list - things I would discuss with the vet (that I haven't already mentioned):

*otic exam* - not a bad idea for an elderly cat, but certainly not necessary for a dental procedure.
*nerve block* - why is this necessary when the cat is already anesthetized?
*post surgical analgesic injection* - which analgesic?
*nail trim* - unnecessary, but I do usually have it done on my cats while under anesthesia
*buprenex AND tramadol?* - one OR the other, I see no need for both
*clavamox* - clindamycin is usually considered the antibiotic of choice for dental work. I'd request clindamycin instead of clavamox, and in either event, I'd request pills/capsules instead of liquid. Both of these antibiotics are extremely foul tasting in liquid form. Your cat will likely drool most of them out and derive little benefit from them. If your vet doesn't stock clinda or clava in pill/capsule form, request a prescription that you can have filled BEFORE scheduling the dental procedure
*dental kit to go home* - only useful if you're actually going to USE it after you get home

Laurie


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## laurachristin (Jul 30, 2008)

Thank you so so much for your time, Laurie. The vet is going to call me on Tuesday and I will go over all of these things with them. I'm so grateful for all of the help. It scares me a little that I have to discuss all of these things and that they aren't doing it the "right way" to begin with. I'm wondering if I should look into other hospitals.

Laura


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

Laura,

Every hospital is going to have slighty different protocols, meds/anesthetics/sedatives used, pricing structures, etc. I don't think there is any one "right" way to structure a dental procedure. As a consumer and advocate for your animal's care, you just have to learn which questions to ask to become comfortable with a particular vet"s way of doing things.

Laurie


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## Waterfaller10 (Oct 14, 2009)

laurachristin said:


> Thank you, Laurie. What an informative post!!


+1!!! I learned a LOT I didn't know either!


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## Loving_My_Cats (May 26, 2004)

My only worry is age vs. surgery. My Binx had to get 1 tooth pulled in Dec of 2008 I think it was. When he went in, they said a few. But when they started to clean they were not as bad as thought. Cost $700ish though for 1 pull/cleaning. They also did bloodwork & told me he is at risk of being diebetic so I was glad I did that. Currently no treatment for it, just warning signs to look for. My vet doesn't do teeth cleans unless a pet *needs* it. So far he's the only one I ever done. My 15 year old kitty has decent teeth for his age, never a cleaning.


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## misty073 (Oct 24, 2009)

I am new to the site (infact this is my first post  ) but one thing sticks out to me. Did you get a second opinion on the surgery? I am not sure how often you have seen the new vet, but if this was my first visit or second I would get another opinion. And how long were you seeing your other vet could you not go back there with your xrays and get a second opinion?

While some vets do have pets best interest at heart not all do  (I am not anti vet...just anti wasting money cause a vet says a pet needs something when they dont)

Your cat could very well need a dental (I really dont know but I would be leary if this is your first or second visit and your other vet...who you obviously trusted didnt say anything)


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## laurachristin (Jul 30, 2008)

Just wanted to give an update on Kitty. She had the procedure done yesterday (at a different Vet that I found) and it went great!! I talked to my friends with cats and my friend Angela has been taking her cat Jasmine to the Vet I ended up using for 12 years. She had also had the same procedure performed there which made me happy! It was significantly less expensive and I was very impressed with the service I was given.

They did bloodwork the same morning as the procedure so I didn't have to take Kitty in twice. Everything looked good. No cystocentisis there either. No Metacam. This vet also didn't charge per tooth extracted. It was a flat rate for all extractions. I liked that business model better. The other place charging per extraction made me uncomfortable that they would err on the side of extracting more than REALLY necessary. Kitty did have three teeth extracted. One was already broken off and the other two were apparently in bad shape. I brought her in for the procedure at 8 am and was able to pick her up at noon after they monitored her for a few hours. The doctor was really nice. I was able to meet with the person actually performing the operation (not so at the other place). He explained how it would work. He discussed the base procedure (which did not include IV fluids) but explained that he personally always uses IV fluids for his cats and explained why. After talking with all of you I knew I wanted it too so opted for it. He called me as soon as she was awake to let me know that everything went well and then again when I could pick her up. Met with him again when I picked Kitty up to go over post care / procedure.

She came home STARVING. We waited a little bit and then gave her a small amount of her regular dry food which she ate right away. She's acting totally normal!! So glad I did this procedure.

Ended up paying $535 INCLUDING bloodwork (Other place quoted me $700-$1400 not including bloodwork or urinalysis) and I bought a comb and a few other things while I was there and I'm including that in my end cost. For anyone in the San Diego, CA area: El Cajon Valley Veterinary Hospital.

Thank you again SO SO much for being such a supportive and helpful community on this website. Your knowledge, patience, and kindness is very much appreciated. Kitty says thanks, too 

Laura


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