Poor Kitty has Tooth Resorption

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FeralHearts

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Good for you!! Just to ask since that's a ways out, is she eating ok and not having mouth pain now?
Thank you :-) I'm so very happy he's willing to take her on. It was a big relief.

Yes, she seems to be eating and drinking fine. Her body condition score was even listed as ideal!

It's one of the reasons I was shocked to find this out at her annual visit. I was expecting her shots, an update for the Pillow foot and a clean bill to take her home. This is why we go to annual visits though - even if everything looks fine - it doesn't mean it is.

Her Doctor says her pain is at about 3-4 out of 10, which was very upsetting to learn. I asked about pain meds but apparently the relief she would get vs the side effects aren't worth it. Worse yet I was still trying to lightly brush her teeth - which - is always a battle - so I feel even worse knowing that I was hurt her.

Needless to say - toothbrushing is out for now and I am watching for any changes in her eating or drinking.
 
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FeralHearts

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Woohoo! That’s great news!!!! Keep us posted 😃
Thanks I absolutely will. The whole thing has done a number on my nerves lol

If it wasn't for that darn canine she would have probably been okay with the regular doctor but specialists are there for a reason so maybe in doing this she won't have to be subjected to the knife over and over and we can tackle this head on fast and with the least amount of distress to her.
 

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So happy for you!!! So glad you got the appointment.

Geoffrey has a reg vet appointment Dec 3... last appointment was a mix up.. It was scheduled a year ago.. when they added another Vet to the practice, my vet (head) changed her schedule. I still had the same appointment, but with a new vet!!

It was my fault, because I did not followup immediately on the change in Vet. Poor Geoffrey had go go through the stress of a car ride, in his carrier, for nothing.

I like continuity. I really do.. I want him to see the same Vet. I do not care if all the vets are considered good.. I want who I want.

The office was upset.. too bad.. I know I am a pain to deal with.. I am like a helicopter mom, or someone who tries to find issues.. but... Geoffrey is my baby. He has gone through a lot, in his short life. I think his regular vet would be glad to get rid of me..

His regular vet did the dental on him. I want the same vet with the same opinion.
Seriously, if Angell Animal Center in Boston were closer, I would keep the Internal Med doctor as his vet, but it is too far away, for local small things.. I use him as a back up.

I think the Vet office is tired of me doing so.. If the regular vet finds something, I get a second opinion.. I trust the specialist.

I did look at Geoffrey's teeth, the other day.. I could only see the outer surface. They did not look bad, but I have a question about one back molar. I am not certain if part of it wore down or broke.. I need someone to look at it.. I am not good about cat anatomy..
 
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FeralHearts

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Well I was right about the mix up - the did initially send the referral request to the other doctor. Woppps They called today - that was confusing. Both I'm sure are excellent doctors but...

So happy for you!!! So glad you got the appointment.
Thank you XOXO I did a happy dance!

We're hoping for a cancelation and everyone is onboard, including my workplace, if I am lucky to get one.

One the phone with her Doctors office (a few time's lol) you could hear the smiles from everyone when I said who I wanted. They said he is excellent and meticulous. Everything I've read so far from his lectures, videos and papers, he is someone I can easily work with as he expects you to be informed. He has written a lot of really good articles and I've learned a lot just this week.

In one of his papers I was really impressed as he point blank says that it's not about saving a tooth, It's about doing what is best to give the wee one the best chances at a long, pain free life. I'm so onboard with that!


Geoffrey has a reg vet appointment Dec 3... last appointment was a mix up.. It was scheduled a year ago.. when they added another Vet to the practice, my vet (head) changed her schedule. I still had the same appointment, but with a new vet!!

It was my fault, because I did not followup immediately on the change in Vet. Poor Geoffrey had go go through the stress of a car ride, in his carrier, for nothing.

I like continuity. I really do.. I want him to see the same Vet. I do not care if all the vets are considered good.. I want who I want.

The office was upset.. too bad.. I know I am a pain to deal with.. I am like a helicopter mom, or someone who tries to find issues.. but... Geoffrey is my baby. He has gone through a lot, in his short life. I think his regular vet would be glad to get rid of me..

His regular vet did the dental on him. I want the same vet with the same opinion.
Seriously, if Angell Animal Center in Boston were closer, I would keep the Internal Med doctor as his vet, but it is too far away, for local small things.. I use him as a back up.

I think the Vet office is tired of me doing so.. If the regular vet finds something, I get a second opinion.. I trust the specialist.
I totally get that too. I want consistency as well. I think that is incredibly important. The most important thing is that everyone is on the same page. I've seen more issues from people not being on the same page than anything else. This is where consistency plays a role for sure.

I think I can be kind of a pain too, but I want to be informed. I take the stance that I am not going to be able to care for them property if I'm getting half the information. While I realize I'm not a vet - I think an active role on both sides is the way to go. After all, once they leave the vets office we have to be able to know what-the-what is.

daftcat75 daftcat75 thread on Krista is what alerted me on the canine, I would never had known the complications had he not taken the time to document things for us all. I know I wasn't told a thing about those complications while at the vets. (Probably as I find a lot of pet caretakers don't want to know - which to me seems so foreign - but a vet did tell me that once as a fact too. so weird.)

Exactly, Geoffrey is your baby. It's your job to look out for him :-) Even if it's being a helicopter mom. Sometimes that is the way it has to be. We have to do our best because we're all they've got. It's not like they can call up a doc and say "Hey, I don't feel so hot."

And yes - I want who I want too. *blushes*

I did look at Geoffrey's teeth, the other day.. I could only see the outer surface. They did not look bad, but I have a question about one back molar. I am not certain if part of it wore down or broke.. I need someone to look at it.. I am not good about cat anatomy..
Can you - and I'm almost laughing at myself for even suggesting this knowing how my own are - but - anyway to can get a snap-shot of it and send to the vet. (Yup I recognize probably impossible. or close to it lol)

I'm the same. I can look at their teeth and notice some things - but they are sooooo small and it's so hard to get the to stay still long enough to even get a good look. So with not knowing exactly what to see (unless it's really obvious) it's hard!

I look at their teeth as I try my best to brush them. They all yell at me for it. Braveheart and Charlie will both scream at me if I even try to brush their fur. *sigh*
 
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daftcat75

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Probably the best way to get a picture of that problem tooth is to duct tape (or otherwise affix) your phone to a wall and start recording a video in selfie mode while you get behind your cat and manipulate his mouth for the camera. You can edit your video later to grab a still shot if you got a good one in the video. Of course, if you have a partner, one can work the camera while the other works the cat. :winkcat:
 

artiemom

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Geoffrey saw the regukar Vet today.. He is good!! His teeth are ok!! Some Gingivitis, but no lesions!!
He put on almost a lob since August! No more weight gain for him.. he is at his limit..

Geoffrey has been boycotting his food today, since the Exam... He will get over it...

Sigh of relief!

We got a bump For Feb 11th 8:30 am YAY!

We might get another *fingers crossed*
That is AWESOME! Sometimes things really do work out! Hooray!
 
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Thank goodness his teeth are okay! YAY no lesions! That's what we want and of course no pain. I am relieved for you as well.

How is it they can gain weight so fast? I have yet to figure that out. Charlie once gained nearly a pound when he wasn't even eating much - I was like wthelk. Apparently this happens a lot. Kitties are weird.

Yup he will get over it. Eventually he will smell the yummies and it will be in his tummy.

And thank you. Yes - sometimes they do. We might even get another one. Maybe.:thumbsup:
 
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FeralHearts

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This is excellent news! :thumbsup: You must be thrilled especially with the possibility of another bump. Good luck and please keep us updated.
I am, thank you. I considered it an early b-day pressie of the best kind. (My b-day was Friday.)

Dr. Fraser Hale has such a great reputation. I'm so very glad he accepted her. I felt so relieved at that alone. Knowing she will be in awesome hands. I hope she gets another bump, but even if not that was still a full mouth early! So YAY! (In all honestly - I made the call to the other Dr out of respect for her acting vet. My gut was screaming for him though. So I'm over joyed she has him.)

I can't say I'm not scared a bit (okay a lot) for her but I'm keeping that fear in good check. I'll wait until I hand her over and them I'll go into full blown freak out mode. (This way she's not around to sense it.)

I bought some healthymouth for all the girls (and Charlie) as Mia needs a cleaning but until I get her weight down - it's too risky to send her for a cleaning. *sigh*
 
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Okay so I spent the day reading and prepping things for our Journey tomorrow. Car ride is going to be hard on her as she's never been on this long a trip before. I have the gabapentin ready!

I'm getting a bit nervous / scared but keeping it in good check. I try not to think about what has to be done to her to hard or I know I'll just cry.

At this stage no one know what's going to be done. All I can do is read up so I'm as versed as I can be when the time comes to make choices about her teeth.

The canine fracture isn't covered under her insurance and looking up various sites on costs freaks me out as I'm not sure I'll be able to afford it (if it's a root canal that is) and that makes me sad as if it's the best thing for her to keep it I'm not sure what I'll be able to do.

I've read the pros and cons of removal vs keeping the tooth (if we can keep it) and neither sound fun. Honestly though the removal sounds terrifying, really painful for her - and on top of that the healing can fail - but I think the failed healing goes for all extractions. Poor kitty.

I have faith in this vet so I'm going to try to be able to do whatever he recommends. ($1500 - 3000+ for a root canal vs removal which is FAR less expensive according to Ontario sites) makes me unsure if what I will be able to do - if I add the max insurance + deductible and my % and a root cancel - I push past what I can reasonable do financially --- but I'm trying not to worry and just be prepared and work out as best as I can what I can and can't do. I'll try not to worry and see what happens after he get a look at her. Everything is speculation until then. Simply trying to prepare and work out what the top end I could afford if we add a root canal.

Whatever happens I simply hope I choose the right choices for her.

Oh this so sucks. I feel awful for her. I'm only going to be able to sit back and try to comfort her as best I can. I wish cats could talk!
 
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daftcat75

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Honestly, I would just remove them all. Tooth resorption usually isn’t a one time event. It’s going to be more stressful to ride the roller coaster of which tooth/teeth are rotting from the inside now over the next however many months or years it takes for them to all go bad vs doing all the extractions and healing at one time. It will also help you avoid difficulties with partial extractions like lip entrapment and gum ulceration from mismatched bite after one or more canine is removed. It will also likely be cheaper to do all extractions at once as a lot of the cost is anesthesia, xrays, and supportive medicine that will be repeated each time you take her in for another round of extractions. Had I known before what I know now, I would have scheduled an FME after the first or second round of extractions instead of repeatedly subjecting Krista and myself to piecemeal extractions over two years. 😔😿
 
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FeralHearts

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Honestly, I would just remove them all. Tooth resorption usually isn’t a one time event. It’s going to be more stressful to ride the roller coaster of which tooth/teeth are rotting from the inside now over the next however many months or years it takes for them to all go bad vs doing all the extractions and healing at one time. It will also help you avoid difficulties with partial extractions like lip entrapment and gum ulceration from mismatched bite after one or more canine is removed. It will also likely be cheaper to do all extractions at once as a lot of the cost is anesthesia, xrays, and supportive medicine that will be repeated each time you take her in for another round of extractions. Had I known before what I know now, I would have scheduled an FME after the first or second round of extractions instead of repeatedly subjecting Krista and myself to piecemeal extractions over two years. 😔😿
*nods* this is kinda what one side of me is hoping he suggests. All my reading points to him being in support of that. Though again that $ might come into play as I don't know if her insurance would cover pulling non-affected teeth. I'm lucky as my policy does cover dental so long as it's not pre-existing, which the resorption wasn't, thankfully - but it also doesn't cover preventative either so I wonder. IMHO they should as the long runs costs to them doing it piecemeal would be greater.

When I read how painful a canine pull is - that's when I started to feel really sick - then about it might not healing right and the pain that causes ... good lord. This is one of those moments where ignorance was bliss lol

BTW that video of Krista - epic cute. I can't thank you enough for sharing the journey with us. It's help me and BH so much.
 

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With the right pain relief, I think most of that concern can be negotiated to be honest.

And, not to be Debbie Downer, but I would be cautious about pushing myself financially. I wonder abut the what if what if; post anaesthesia, post surgery, I'd like to have options as well in the absolute worst case.

I've never had to have cat teeth removed, but if I do, I'll be taking the advice which I've read here, and I think FME would be the way I would lean as well, depending on circumstances of course.

Keep us posted!!! Thinking good thoughts for you and Braveheart :redheartpump::redheartpump::redheartpump:
 
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FeralHearts

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With the right pain relief, I think most of that concern can be negotiated to be honest.

And, not to be Debbie Downer, but I would be cautious about pushing myself financially. I wonder abut the what if what if; post anaesthesia, post surgery, I'd like to have options as well in the absolute worst case.

I've never had to have cat teeth removed, but if I do, I'll be taking the advice which I've read here, and I think FME would be the way I would lean as well, depending on circumstances of course.

Keep us posted!!! Thinking good thoughts for you and Braveheart :redheartpump::redheartpump::redheartpump:
True about the pain. I have to remember she'll be on some good meds.

And you are not a Debbie downer - that's why I'm working out the math now - for the actual and the just-in-case. It makes it easier so you aren't trying to do it on the fly.

*nods* My cat peeps here have never lead me wrong. They've saved multiple of my Retired Ferals lives and helped crazy Charlie too. I was so blessed to find you all. XOXOXOXOX

I will keep you all posted and that you for the good thoughts!
 
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FeralHearts

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Oddly enough - we're home. I was expecting to be away much longer but... not the case.

Oddly enough too -we didn't do the FME - which is what I expected us to do, but I trust this guys judgement. A lot. Her other teeth were perfect, solid, no signs of TR or even any disease at all in any way. He said pulling them all in her case was not in her best interests. (and since he's pro FME that's very telling IMHO.) Her charts is like mostly 0's and the pics of her teeth are very nice.

The two TR teeth were also the most common ones.

So we did two extractions and a root canal.

The cost was lower than what I calculated so that was a relief too.

She ran straight to the basement (or she thought she was running - it was more of a fast drunk walk) and 10 minutes later came up for food. So far so good.

XOXOXO
 
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daftcat75

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Sounds good! 👍

And I’m sure you asked about lip entrapment and lip/gum ulceration.

And she goes back in two weeks for a follow up?

She may feel loopy for a few hours. She may also start feeling the pain later tonight. If you got a bupe schedule, stick to it whether she looks like she needs it or not. It’s a lot easier to stay ahead of the pain than to catch up to it.

Of course, if she was given the 3 day bupe injection, she may be restless and “odd” for 3 days. But it’s better than being in pain. And it will pass.
 
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