Teeth Cleaning

[blueyedgirl5946]

Muffin went to the vet today for his FVRCP yearly vaccine. The dr. said that there is a fair amount of tartar built up on his teeth and told me to schedule him for a tooth cleaning before too long. I have had cats for the last 28 years and I have not had to do this before. The dr. said he would want to do blood work first because Muffin would have to be put to sleep. Any experience out there with what this involves. Do cats generally get along okay when this is done. Just nervous I guess. I hate to put him to sleep unless it is absolutely necessary.

 

[squirtle]

I am right there with you being nervous. Dori is scheduled to have hers cleaned the 31st. I am having a full blood panel drawn on her as well, not only to make sure she does well under the anasthetic, but to use as a baseline in the future. I am really worried about her going under. I will make sure and let you know how it goes.

 

[shambelle]

Teddy had his teeth cleaned in October (he doesn't have the nicest mouth...). The vet did the bloodword a few days before, which was particularly important since he's a senior. He did just fine after the anesthesia and procedure. The only thing that worried me was that he was still sleepy for a while afterwards, and he didn't eat until later on in the evening after we brought him home - his mouth was probably pretty sore. : )

 

[menagerie mama]

How old is Muffin?

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

Thanks for the responses so far. To answer your question, Muffin is about six years old. He has been put to sleep several times since he has urinary issues. He has been blocked up three times and so they had to do that then in order to catherize him. The vet said Muffin has always done okay, but he wants to do the bloodwork to be certain. They want me to have him there at 8 am. He will stay all day to make sure everything is okay before they let me bring him home.

 

[jcat]

I've had both dogs' and cats' teeth cleaned, and there was never a problem. Jamie (6) has had his done twice, and I figure it'll probably have to be done regularly every 2 or 3 years. It's worthwhile, though. Our last cat was a former feral, who came to us at about age eight, and he had abscesses in his mouth and had to have all the teeth on one side pulled.

 

[purrpaws]

I had Prego's teeth cleaned when I first got him. He would've been about 3 (according to the shelter) Everything came out ok though. I agree with jaimecat, it's really important to have their teeth cleaned.

 

[white cat lover]

I'd like to add a question for all of you. How much does it cost you to get a cat's teeth cleaned? I was told it can cost $1000.

 

[xocats]

The cost of cleaning, like everything else, depends on the area where you live.
Both Sadie & Dexter had their teeth cleaned in early ' 05.
If I remember correctly, they did not need blood work because just a couple months before their cleaning, they had baseline blood panels done at their annual physicals.

The cost was about $400 each. It is worth every penny. There breath smells so sweet and it really does prolong their lives.

Sadie just had surgery to remove a tumor....even though it had not been a full year since her last cleaning, I had a small scaling done at that time, because she was already under anesthesia. That was only $75 extra and should keep her for 2 or 3 years.

If your vet feels it needs to be done it probably does. You need a baseline blood panel on your kitty anyway so go ahead & have it done. You won't regret it.

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

Thanks everyone for the advice and opinions. I did call my vet today and ask what kind of money we would be spending to do this. His wife said $45 for the blood work and $94 for the cleaning. That is not too bad. Plus I could be sure he doesn't have and problems going on we don't know about yet. I guess the blood panel would show that. Squirtle, my appt. for Muffin is the 6th of Feb. so I will definitely be interested to know how your little kitty makes out on the 31st.

 

[menagerie mama]

Ok, yep I'd have the bloodwork done, especially since you say he's had urinary issues. That is a good price too. Good luck!

 

[shambelle]

Originally Posted by white cat lover

I'd like to add a question for all of you. How much does it cost you to get a cat's teeth cleaned? I was told it can cost $1000.

At my vet it was about $250 - that included the blood work.

 

[goldenkitty45]

With my first HHP I took him in for teeth cleaning every few years. The last time he went he was 10 yrs old and had a hard time coming out of the effects after he was home. So I never took him in again.

Don't know how old Muffin is, but if over 8 yrs old, not sure if I would subject them to it unless they had to be put under for something else and the vet would do teeth cleaning at that time.

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

With my first HHP I took him in for teeth cleaning every few years. The last time he went he was 10 yrs old and had a hard time coming out of the effects after he was home. So I never took him in again.

Don't know how old Muffin is, but if over 8 yrs old, not sure if I would subject them to it unless they had to be put under for something else and the vet would do teeth cleaning at that time.

Muffin is six years old.

 

[christine chand]

Originally Posted by Bugaboo1

Muffin went to the vet today for his FVRCP yearly vaccine. The dr. said that there is a fair amount of tartar built up on his teeth and told me to schedule him for a tooth cleaning before too long. I have had cats for the last 28 years and I have not had to do this before. The dr. said he would want to do blood work first because Muffin would have to be put to sleep. Any experience out there with what this involves. Do cats generally get along okay when this is done. Just nervous I guess. I hate to put him to sleep unless it is absolutely necessary.

I just had my cat's teeth cleaned 1/12/06. She had blood work done and was knocked out for the procedure. She came thru just fine. I've now started to try and brush her teeth 2-3 times a week.

 

[xocats]

That is exellent news.

Let us know how the tooth brushing goes.

Originally Posted by christine chand

I just had my cat's teeth cleaned 1/12/06. She had blood work done and was knocked out for the procedure. She came thru just fine. I've now started to try and brush her teeth 2-3 times a week.

 

[AbbysMom]

My Molly had this done a few times and had to have teeth extracted both times. She also had the bloodwork done first. She had no problems at all. I believe it was under $200.

 

[squirtle]

I just received a call from Dori's vet's office. The vet has to make an emergency trip out of town and would like to reschedule her appt. There is an office that he refers patients to when he is out, but I prefer to reschedule with him. It is stressful enough having to take her in, I don't want to add to it the stress of using a new vet

 

[xocats]

How frustrating Tanya. I would want to wait for my regular vet.
You want Dori to be as comfortable as possible plus you trust your current vet.

Here is an updated thread about Muffin,
there has been a bit of a setback...
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77182

 

[christine chand]

I'm trying to brush her teeth on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday. She's not crazy about it but at least she's stopped growling at me. It only takes 1-2 minutes to do. Even less when she sits still.

I use toothpaste purchased from the vet - brand name C.E.T in seafood flavor. Also comes in poultry. The kit came with a finger brush (too big) and a tiny, tiny tooth brush - just the right size.

I also feed only dry food.