Teeth Removal

[david's steph]

My David is almost 10yrs. old. His remaining teeth are really bad. He had at least 4 teeth removed 4 yrs. ago, as they were really loose, stinky, and just bad.

His now front teeth are yellow/brown (his fangs) and on one side, his gums are really red. My vet last time I took him in 2 months ago said I should bring him in to remove the rest!!

I'm afraid to do so, I'm afraid he will suffer from 1). complications from anesthesia, I understand sometimes the heart has complications from it, a few months after, 2).does he need antibiotics administered after, I have a horribly hard time giving meds 3.) how long does the recovery last after removing those all important front fangs, 4) most importantly, I'm worried he will die at 10yrs. old being put under..

I just love him, I don't know whether to leave his teeth to be, or have them removed, they are bad, but so are affects from surgery..Which is the lesser of 2 evils, what should I do?

Thanks so much in advance.

 

[abbycats]

There is anesthetic that is not as harmful to the cats kidney and liver. I had lost a 5 year old abyssinian to ketamine(anesthetic) during a teeth cleaning. Now I only let the vet use ISO on all my cats no matter what the procedure is. They don't come home as drugged up and it isn't as harmful to the kidneys and liver. I would talk to your vet about different types of anesthetics. I learned my lesson the hard way.

 

[momofmany]

The real question to you is this: do you trust your vet? There is no way that we can give you advice on your personal situation. The best we can do is share our own personal experiences that we've gone thru.

My Stumpy had all of his teeth (fangs included) removed in 2 surgeries when he was 11 years old. We had to do this because of an auto-immune disease that caused his gums to think that his teeth were foreign objects. His body was fighting his teeth. He had antibiotics afterwards as well as pain medicine. Stumpy was eating food a few hours after surgery and back to his old self once he was done with the pain medication a week later. Just realize that if David has no teeth, he can no longer bite you when you administer meds.

Talk to your vet about why they feel that David's teeth need to be removed. Most vets don't like to remove the fangs until last resort. Are there other options that can tie him over for a while?

Also talk to your vet about their experience with giving anesthesia to an older cat. I have a friend who does senior cat rescue and she often has her oldsters (some of them late teens) go thru dentals requiring anesthesia. There's different procedures and monitoring that you do with older cats. Again, if you don't trust your vet in this, find another vet and get a second opinion.

 

[white cat lover]

I've got 2 toothless cats - one was "de-toothed" at 2 years, one at 5 years. Shelter kitty I just paid to have all her teeth pulled at 4 years.

They can eat dry food just fine afterwards. Anti-biotics will probably be prescribed, but you could ask your vet about an anti-biotic shot, also.

I second everything that Amy/momofmany said. If you don't trust your vet, then don't go through with it or find another vet. I've seen older cats go through surgeries just fine, and some don't.

I suggest doing a blood panel prior to the surgery to determine how his internal organs are functioning. IMO, if his teeth are that rotten, they'll cause him great pain when eating/drinking/etc. and might need to be removed for his comfort/health. Long term dental issues can compromise internal organs.

 

[optionken]

I understand your fear but what you will be doing is etending the life of yourt cat.
make sure the vet has and uses a blood pressure moniter. I have heard the safest anesthesia to use is called Isoflourine as Abbycat has mentioned. When you have him home feed small meals as cats may tend to be very hungry eat too fast and throw up after surgery.
Please---canned foods no gravy for health.
best vibes and best of luck
giving meds
If you are in the US you can try pill pockets. (google)
video giving pills
http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/pe...ill_or_capsule

giving liquids
http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/pe...id_medications

 

[blaise]

If David is otherwise healthy, you should

1. Procede to have any required dental work done. If you are unsure about your Vet's diagnosis, seek a competent 2nd opinion (see below re finding that competence)

2. Please read the information in this link very carefully, then print it out, share it and discuss it with your Vet. Please insist that items 2-7 will be complied with. Ignore the fact that this information is from a site dealing with kidney failure in cats - these precautions apply to all cats undergoing dental work.

This presupposes that you are comfortable with having your Vet perform the surgery - if you have doubts or, if you have doubts after discussing this info with your Vet, you might want to consider another choice of Veterinarian. Item #1 in that reference will provide you with sources for Veterinary specialists. If you want other suggestions for choosing a Vet, please post back.

I would emphasise as well the need for a sufficient supply of pain control - this is often overlooked/minimalized by Vets...if it were me, I would insist on 5-6 days of pain meds. AND - if you are offered Metacam link, politely refuse and request an alternative such as Buprinex link.

Don't worry about David's ability to cope without teeth...kitties are able to thrive without them! Hopefully you are providing a high quality wet food now (high protein and fat, low carbohydrate)...if not, have a read of this Veterinarian's advice about what cats need to eat to remain healthy.

 

[david's steph]

Just wanted to thank all of you for the responses, Dave came through GREAT after his dental extractions. They only removed one "fang" tooth, and a few from the back and bottom front of mouth. Surprisingly, I had to give no antibiotics after the surgery, Dave ate fine after the first day, and after talking to my vet (I expressed my concern over his age and being put under anesthesia, my vet informed me, he has never once had any complications from anesthesia, even with cats older than my David of 9 years of age). I did ask about painkillers, vet told me no, I don't need to give him any. And, I did notice, they cleaned ALL OF HIS TEETH while he was "under", as when he yawns now, they are all whitey-clean, instead of yellowey gunky before I took him to see the doc!!whew..now I only have to deal with Dave's chronic constipation issues..This sweet blessed cat has always for almost 10 years with me has been plagued by health issues, he has, I believe, a weak immune system being an all-white kitty!

 

[jugen]

Originally Posted by David's Steph

Just wanted to thank all of you for the responses, Dave came through GREAT after his dental extractions. They only removed one "fang" tooth, and a few from the back and bottom front of mouth. Surprisingly, I had to give no antibiotics after the surgery, Dave ate fine after the first day, and after talking to my vet (I expressed my concern over his age and being put under anesthesia, my vet informed me, he has never once had any complications from anesthesia, even with cats older than my David of 9 years of age). I did ask about painkillers, vet told me no, I don't need to give him any. And, I did notice, they cleaned ALL OF HIS TEETH while he was "under", as when he yawns now, they are all whitey-clean, instead of yellowey gunky before I took him to see the doc!!whew..now I only have to deal with Dave's chronic constipation issues..This sweet blessed cat has always for almost 10 years with me has been plagued by health issues, he has, I believe, a weak immune system being an all-white kitty!

Did they take all the back teeth out???
They want to take all my Abyssinians teeth out (they are going to try and save the canines) and honestly, it's a hard decision to make...

 

[blaise]

Originally Posted by jugen

...They want to take all my Abyssinians teeth out...

Well, I hope that you, at least, will ensure that the basics are covered for your cat - see post #6 above.

 

[david's steph]

Originally Posted by jugen

Did they take all the back teeth out???
They want to take all my Abyssinians teeth out (they are going to try and save the canines) and honestly, it's a hard decision to make...

No, not all I don't believe, but he had teeth taken from his mouth 4 yrs. ago also, so probably most (say 60-70%) of his teeth were really bad and rotten and had to be removed, I don't know why, as with my other cat Lilly, she is a tiger tabby, healthy as a horse! no teeth problems ever, no bowel problems ever, and she is 2 years older than Dave! For some reason, not explained to me, Dave has had horrid mouth & bowel (and an eye infection) problems, and I adopted them both at the same time!
Talk to your vet about your concerns and the info provided to you in this thread, if you are not comfortable with her/him, get a second opinion! good luck with your friend!

 

[white cat lover]

IMO, white cats are not usually the healthiest. I don't know that it holds true for all of them - but that's IMO.

 

[Ms. Freya]

I can't argue. As much as I love him Cotton does have a few more ongoing issues than Freya.

I'm so glad to hear everything went well for David. I recently went through the teeth pull with my Cotton (who's at least 9-10 years old)and he's so much better for it.

 

[jugen]

Originally Posted by BLAISE

Well, I hope that you, at least, will ensure that the basics are covered for your cat - see post #6 above.

Trust me, I am VERY anal about what's done to my cats, who does it and why...
I read and printed out the article. I know that they gave me an estimate that shows me everything they are going to do and what. They are giving him a good anesthesia (one on the list that you have I believe)
they are going to give him pain meds for 5 days, not medcam, they are going to use a heating pad to keep his temp even. Basically everything except giving him the anitobiotics a week before is what they are telling me they are going to do...
Now if only I can make it sit right in my mind...I'm still going to get a second opinion...