Resorbed Front Tooth

[RexinMinn2]

Peanut will be 18 in a few weeks. In March she began to experience symptoms of a resorbed tooth, her top left incisor. She seemed to forget how to drink, and eating was out of the question. That lasted only 24 hrs., thankfully, and we wondered what had happened because she was basically back to normal the next day. It wasn't until about a month later that we figured out it was her top incisor that was becoming resorbed. She'd had issues with a resorbed tooth remedied by surgery a few years prior, so we had an idea of what this meant for her. In May we got her into the vet who said she was simply not a candidate for surgery because her heart was fragile, based on a blood workup. We learned as much as we could about how best to deal with Peanut's condition, knowing that she'd have to live with this condition for the rest of her life. It simply wasn't worth the risk of her passing away under anaesthesia. But we promised her we would not let her suffer if she began to experience extreme pain. But I am still wondering if there is something we could be doing for her that would at least help ease whatever pain she might be in. I'd also like to know more about how cats her age experience pain. She still acts as though nothing is wrong with the exception that when she's done eating she does more licking around her own mouth, as if to dislodge any food that may have become stuck behind the resorbed tooth. I'd like to find out more from the readers here about what options might be available to her. I wondered if they could a "spinal" on her to block the pain of a surgical procedure, although I've never heard of such a thing. Peanut is amazing beyond words and the joy of my life, but I would never want to hold on to her if she is suffering. My aim is to postpone her suffering for as long as possible.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, and Welcome!

My angel Poppycat had a couple of these nasty things show up in his mouth over the years, and the last time I recall the vet mentioned these situations hurt.

I've read several members here describing a "lighter" version of anesthesia (for lack of a better way to put it) that is used for old kitties.
I think if I were you, if your vet isn't a cat-only clinic, that I'd look into getting a second opinion.

Find a Veterinarian and Practice | The Cat Community

I'd also like to know more about how cats her age experience pain.

You might consider talking to Colorado University, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. They're tops in the nation. This number hopefully is a place to start (I didn't see a toll free number anywhere on their websites).
(970) 491-7051

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I really don't know of anything that can be done for resorption other than pulling the tooth, and I do know that sometimes even with heart issues surgery CAN be done as long as they are very closely monitored.

Pain is pain, no matter their age. I would say when you think she is in a lot of pain and you are thinking about putting her down, at that point you could try the surgery and see what happens. She might come through it just fine. That is, if you don't find anyone who thinks it is ok to do it now.

 

[RexinMinn2]

Just got off the phone with Colorado State University Vet Tech who gave me some valuable info about cats and a resorbing tooth. The tech indicated that the body will take care of this tooth in time and it will no longer be an issue. But it's what the cat is experiencing in the meantime that is the concern. The tech said that if Peanut's pain starts interfering with her eating/drinking, it will be time to find pain meds for her through my vet. The tech reinforced my decision to make an appt. with Blue Pearl which I have done. Blue Pearl has an outrageous intro. appt. fee of $255 but we'll spend that if we have to in order to get this issue resolved. So where we are is this: If Blue Pearl recommends the surgery we will ask, "Doesn't surgery just speed up the process of getting rid of the tooth that the body will do anyway?" And they might say, "Yes, the body will heal itself in time but we don't know if that's three months, six months, a year, etc. that she could be in pain." Knowing this will carry a hefty price tag, we are inclined to wait until Peanut is in too much pain to eat any more. At that point we'll hopefully agree she's had a good life but that the idea of spending $3000 on her knowing she's already lived beyond her life expectancy is not a good idea, and at that point we'll have her put down. The possibility of the surgery killing her is still there regardless, so that's got to be figured into the equation. Open to feedback here, but that's basically the problem when an old cat has a resorbed tooth and you know it's causing the animal to be in pain. How much pain is she in? The only way of knowing is how the pain might be affecting her eating. Right now she's eating fine and seems very content with her life in all its aspects. But we also know how quickly that could change. Again, open to any feedback here. Thanks to Furballsmom for the Colorado Vet School idea, it was fruitful to have the conversation with them.

 

[Furballsmom]

I'm glad, you're very welcome

Everyone's situation is different . We were unwilling to spend $7000 for hospitalization and a bunch of tests et al on a 17.5 year old cat whose liver numbers (ALT) were literally off the chart that morning, in addition to him having kidney disease and being hyper-T plus heart trouble. We didn't see that putting him through all of that plus the stress because he was always frightened at the vets was worth trying to bring him back from his system crashing so hard.

But, I have to say that looking at a situation where the issue is a tooth and her heart, I'd be more interested in further discussions with regarding how to handle it.

 

[RexinMinn2]

Thanks so much for this. Yes, your back was up against the wall with your elderly feline friend, and it had to be super tough, just an incredibly unenviable position for any pet owner, let alone someone who adores cats the way you do. Yes, we have already talked about several options with regard to Peanut and we'll just be taking things a day at a time with her and looking forward to our consult in Feb. which is a long ways off but that was the soonest they could get us in. Hoping for the best! Hoping your holiday season is special in many ways.

 

[daftcat75]

I would discuss if there is a possibility of that resorption site becoming infected over the course of resorption. If that is a better than average possibility, I would then discuss remedies given her health and history. A veterinary dentist may be able to come up with remedies that are out of the scope and expertise of a general veterinarian.

In the meantime, cats are stoic about pain. If you are noticing differences in her eating and drinking, she's in pain. I discovered quite by accident that my Betty may be in dental pain. She had an appointment for last Monday. As part of preflight instructions, the vet wanted me to give her gabapentin to sedate her ahead of time. Then the doc called at almost the last possible minute (I was just about to collect Betty for the drive over) and cancelled due to family emergency. So I had "Bag Of Jello" Betty for the day. And something interesting happened when I put out her breakfast. She ate the whole thing in one pass. She hasn't eaten one of her meals on one pass since she was on high dose of steroids. The rest of the day, she ate better than she had since she was on the high dose of pred. I relayed this info back to the vet and we both agreed there is likely some dental pain behind her nibbling ways (she eats all her meals in two or three passes.) Through some research and experimentation, I have found that 25 mg (5 mg/kg) twice a day is all Betty needs to turn in clean plates without being overly sedated. You may want to discuss long-term gabapentin for Peanut if you are not able to surgically address the resorbed tooth.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hoping for the best!

Hoping your holiday season is special in many ways.

Bless your heart, thank you, and to you as well

 

[RexinMinn2]

Thanks so much for this, in fact my wife and I spoke together about the pain-meds side of things, not wanting to go that route worrying about how it might contribute to an actual decline in her appetite, but it sounds like Betty reacted in quite the opposite fashion! That's amazing to me and it's also so very interesting how you came to learn about it...total serendipity! So thanks for sharing, you've given us yet another perspective for handling our situation and it eases my mind some. Happy holidays to you!

 

[RexinMinn2]

Thank you!