Cat isn't eating well after teeth pulled

[dmdarapt]

Hi,

Our Snowshoe Siamese (Mia) just recently had some teeth pulled due to a medical condition and now we have been trying to get her to eat well without much success. The vet has forbidden us to give her dry food which she begs for and instead wants us to give her watered-down wet food which she is reluctant to eat it and I don't blame her, it is gross! She has lost some weight and is now skin and bones, do any of you have any ideas as to how to get her eating again? Thank you!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. For now, until Mia's mouth heals, try baby food meats (no garlic, onions, etc.). Most cats seem to love it, even many who normally want dry. You can also try feeding food to her on a paper plate - for whatever reason, many cats who are sick or otherwise reluctant to eat will do so off of a paper plate. Other things to try would be canned tuna or chicken in water and deli turkey.

 

[LTS3]

Did the vet prescribe any pain medicine? Teeth removal is painful and no cat would want to eat anything even after begging out of hunger. If the vet didn't, call the vet and ask for a pain medicine to help with your cat's discomfort. Also ask for suggestions on how to get your cat to eat because she is losing weight and at risk for fatty liver disease.

How watered down are you making the canned food? Some cats won't eat soup. Try less water.

 

[daftcat75]

My Krista has had so many teeth issues. I finally took her to a veterinary dentist and had her remaining teeth and tooth roots removed. I wanted her to have the very last dental procedure she'll ever need rather than waiting for those few she had left to go bad. I treated the first week or so of her recovery like "tonsils out, have all the ice cream you can eat." I picked up Tiki Cat Grilled Tuna for her and let her eat all the tuna (nutritionally complete tuna cat food) she wanted to eat until she was eating better again. I set alarms on my phone for her pain medicine and woke in the middle of the night to give it whether she seemed like she needed it or not. I used up what I was sent home with. It's easier to stay ahead of pain than to catch up to it once you've gotten behind. The pain medicine itself can have a depressing effect on appetite. If you are giving the pain medicine and she's still not eating, ask about an appetite stimulant. When I finished up the pain medicine with Krista and she started eating well again, I transitioned her off of tuna back to her regular food.

If the condition that caused it necessary to extract Mia's teeth is chronic, if you can reasonably expect that she may need more extractions in her future, I would get proactive and find yourself a veterinary dentist. Regular vets can do basic extractions but they don't get very much training in dentistry. A lot can go wrong in unskilled hands. Krista had teeth drilled out and painful roots were left behind. She had all but one canine removed but not shortened so she was experiencing lip entrapment. There were enough mistakes in her dental history that I don't regret her "remaining mouth extraction" one bit. I only wish I had gotten on a dentist's schedule sooner and did this when it hadn't become so critical. Vet dentists are few and far between. Short of a wildfire evacuating most of the county (how Krista got her appointments), you can expect to wait from 2 to 6 months to get on a dentist's schedule. That's plenty of time to practice car rides (and maybe hotel rooms) with Mia because you will likely have to drive a distance for one too.

 

[lalagimp]

Amalie has had extractions at least 4 times. She refused to eat wet food each time. She had buprenex injections for each one so there was 2-3 day pain relief. She doesn't really chew the food, but just works the small kibbles into a swallow and gulp. Things like this I have given her the kibble in very small amounts, lets say about a teaspoon each time, and watched her for any ill effects or pain and no bleeding. If your kibble is larger then see if they offer a kitten formula.

 

[Norachan]

How long ago did she have her teeth pulled? If her mouth is still painful she'll have trouble eating. Have you tried tempting her with steamed chicken breast, chopped into small pieces? She might try some of that.

I have a toothless cat that eats kibble. She was on wet only when she first had her teeth removed, but within a week she was tackling anything she was offered.

 

[FeebysOwner]

How is Mia doing now?