Tooth Extraction And Anxiety!

[MeiMei]

Mei mei had 3 teeth extracted today because of resorption and I am just super nervous. I know he'll feel so much better not having hurty teeth but I need some advice on how to make him comfortable and what the after are will be like.
Does anyone have any personal experiences to help me calm down and maybe some advice one what to expect? He's my the only cat I've ever had and has never had dental work done prior to me being his mom.

 

[Burts]

Yes

I was very anxious, Allie my 7 pound white persian had 2 tooth extracted because of resorption in late december..Guess what?

I worried for nothing!

The after effects when she came back was she was groggy as is this picture I took of her...Her recovery was extremely fast and she was extremely comfortable like in no pain shown...She was fully recovered in days!

My biggest issue was my boy cat did not recognize Allie for 2 days and was more anxious then us both

 

[MeiMei]

Yes

I was very anxious, Allie my 7 pound white persian had 2 tooth extracted because of resorption in late december..Guess what?

I worried for nothing!

The after effects when she came back was she was groggy as is this picture I took of her...Her recovery was extremely fast and she was extremely comfortable like in no pain shown...She was fully recovered in days!

My biggest issue was my boy cat did not recognize Allie for 2 days and was more anxious then us both




View attachment 277931

Thank you so much!! I just called to check up on my little guy and they said he did really well.
He had 3 teeth extracted and I'm just hoping he has no infection going forward. Here he is this morning being upset because no food. Ah I just hope my little baby does well!

 

[Burts]

Im sure she has no infection, dont bother worrying just be happy its over, the mouth heals super super fast and is very resilient!

 

[daftcat75]

Whatever pain medicine you are sent home with, give it to her per the instructions whether she appears to be in pain or not. It’s easier to stay ahead of the pain than to catch up if she starts feeling it. You’ll probably be sent home with buprenorphine. This is actually easier to give than many medicines because you’re not looking for it to go down her throat. Instead, you want to aim the liquid in the space between her cheek and gum. Anywhere in that mucosal space but probably avoid where she had her teeth extracted. Just peel her lip back and squirt down towards the gum. It’s actually useless to her if she swallows it. You may find it easier to give it to her when she’s napping if you’re quick about it. Don’t worry. It doesn’t taste terrible and it won’t cause her to foam at the mouth.

Another option is to get the medicine compounded into a transdermal cream. In this case, you would squirt the measured amount onto a finger cot and rub that into the inside tip of her ear. I find this is a lot easier if you have to give the buprenorphine for more than a couple of days. One tip I have for giving the transdermal cream is that I have found it easier to get into Krista’s ear if I lift her front paws off the ground supporting her under her chest and leaving her back paws on the ground. Maybe that’s just her but she gets less squirmy than trying to scruff her to the ground and it’s easier to get into the tip of her ear this way.

 

[daftcat75]

Also don’t be alarmed if she comes home drooling or her tongue hanging out. That could be caused by swelling and it will probably resolve in a couple of days. Cats heal remarkably quickly.

 

[Burts]

Allie came home with antibiodics which made her get diarrhea. When I told the vet he had me stop the antibiodics after 2 days.. I did stop the pain medicine early also but thats just me

 

[MeiMei]

Whatever pain medicine you are sent home with, give it to her per the instructions whether she appears to be in pain or not. It’s easier to stay ahead of the pain than to catch up if she starts feeling it. You’ll probably be sent home with buprenorphine. This is actually easier to give than many medicines because you’re not looking for it to go down her throat. Instead, you want to aim the liquid in the space between her cheek and gum. Anywhere in that mucosal space but probably avoid where she had her teeth extracted. Just peel her lip back and squirt down towards the gum. It’s actually useless to her if she swallows it. You may find it easier to give it to her when she’s napping if you’re quick about it. Don’t worry. It doesn’t taste terrible and it won’t cause her to foam at the mouth.

Another option is to get the medicine compounded into a transdermal cream. In this case, you would squirt the measured amount onto a finger cot and rub that into the inside tip of her ear. I find this is a lot easier if you have to give the buprenorphine for more than a couple of days. One tip I have for giving the transdermal cream is that I have found it easier to get into Krista’s ear if I lift her front paws off the ground supporting her under her chest and leaving her back paws on the ground. Maybe that’s just her but she gets less squirmy than trying to scruff her to the ground and it’s easier to get into the tip of her ear this way.

Thank you so much!! I'm always nervous about anything tk do with my fat baby, especially if he will be in any kind of pain.
I know they're sending me home with a liquid antibiotic, and I'll get more info on the pain medicine when I go to pick him up after work. They said I could pick him up earlier if necessary, but I'd rather him be under their care for a few hours after the procedure. They said everything went well and he's resting now. Just the aftercare is what makes me so nervous!

 

[daftcat75]

The pain medication is likely more important than the antibiotic if giving them both becomes too much for you and MeiMei. The antibiotic will taste horrible and likely cause her to foam at the mouth. If you’re going to give them together, give the pain meds first.

Once you start the antibiotics, it is not recommended that you stop them early as you can create drug resistant bacteria that way. So try to stick it out to the end no matter how stressful it gets. It’s only five or seven days.

 

[MeiMei]

The pain medication is likely more important than the antibiotic if giving them both becomes too much for you and MeiMei. The antibiotic will taste horrible and likely cause her to foam at the mouth. If you’re going to give them together, give the pain meds first.

Once you start the antibiotics, it is not recommended that you stop them early as you can create drug resistant bacteria that way. So try to stick it out to the end no matter how stressful it gets. It’s only five or seven days.

Yeah, I'll definitely do the pain meds first, then when he's not absolutely in pain, I'll give him the liquid antibiotics.

He had a urinary blockage last September, so we're both used to medication time in our house. He's on wet food for stress and urinary health at the moment, should I just mush it up real good or should I opt for baby food? He's a big eater.

 

[daftcat75]

He'll be fine on wet food. You don't need to go to baby food.

 

[MeiMei]

He'll be fine on wet food. You don't need to go to baby food.

Thank you so much for all of the advice. I super appreciate it. I just want to give my baby the best experience I can. He deserves the world *mashed in to little bits so it's edible* on a silver platter.

 

[MeiMei]

I just called the vet to ask if I could keep his teeth

Sadly they said I couldn't, since they had to use a drill to get them out.

 

[neely]

Mei mei had 3 teeth extracted today because of resorption and I am just super nervous.

What a coincidence, Carleton had three teeth extractions yesterday. Like you I was nervous as well in spite of having been through it before both with him and our last cat. Yes, the pain meds, probably Buprenex, are crucial for Mei Mei. Our boy was slightly dazed and out of it yesterday. However, the good news is he's acting more like himself today. Not completely out of the woods but definitely much better. I basically let him relax wherever he felt comfortable, talked softly and gave him my undivided attention without hovering over him.

I hope everything goes well when you bring Mei Mei home. If you have any other questions or concerns please don't hesitate to ask. We're here to support you. Best of luck and please keep us posted on his progress.

 

[MeiMei]

Well, mei mei seems to be doing just fine! He was sent home with clavamox and meloxicam. Very very little meloxicam, so I'm not too worried. He's eating and drinking and even went to the bathroom *1&2*
He slept well and was back to waking me up an hour earlier than my wake up time to yell for food!

 

[daftcat75]

I don’t have any experience with meloxicam. But reading about it, I don’t like it. I don’t like that the manufacturer themselves have this warning on their website (think about how much evidence there must have been for the FDA to assert enough influence to get this warning label):

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION: Repeated use of meloxicam in cats has been associated with acute renal failure and death. Do not administer a second dose of meloxicam. Do not follow METACAM Solution for Injection dose with METACAM Oral Suspension or any other NSAID.
https://www.metacam.com/cats.php

Please talk to your vet before you give mei mei another meloxicam dose.

I would prefer buprenorphine here instead.

 

[neely]

TCS has an Article regarding Metacam, (Meloxicam), for your reference so that you can make an informed decision. If you would like you can decide whether to discuss this treatment for Mei Mei with your vet:
Metacam For Cats: The Pros And Cons Of Meloxicam For Pain Relief

I'm glad to hear he is feeling fine, eating/drinking, using the litter box and recuperating nicely after her dental surgery.

ETA: We must have posted simultaneously. Thank you for your update. He sounds like he's doing great.

 

[MeiMei]

I don’t have any experience with meloxicam. But reading about it, I don’t like it. I don’t like that the manufacturer themselves have this warning on their website (think about how much evidence there must have been for the FDA to assert enough influence to get this warning label):

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION: Repeated use of meloxicam in cats has been associated with acute renal failure and death. Do not administer a second dose of meloxicam. Do not follow METACAM Solution for Injection dose with METACAM Oral Suspension or any other NSAID.
https://www.metacam.com/cats.php

Please talk to your vet before you give mei mei another meloxicam dose.

I would prefer buprenorphine here instead.

I just got off the phone with the vet and he was not given the injectable solution at all. They don't even carry it at the hospital. He was only given 3 tiny oral suspension doses to take once every 24 hours. I expressed my concerns and they totally understood and cleared it all up for me. Apparently this is the anti-inflammatory they send home with almost all of their healthy patients and haven't had any issues reported from its use. I think I'll trust my vet this time since it seems Mei is still doing pretty well. They also are very upset that the technician gave me an unmixed bottle of clavamox and are replacing it for me free of charge. Whoops, didn't mean to get anyone in trouble but also dang.
Since mei is still eating literally everything and drinking lots of water, no vomiting or diarrhea I think we'll be OK!

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

I think he'll likely do great! It sounds like he is eating well.

My last cat had to have 9 teeth out when she was ten, and it took her about 3 days to be almost back to normal.

 

[daftcat75]

How’s mei mei today?