My 7 year old kitty had her annual exam yesterday at a new cats-only clinic. The vet said my kitty has horrible gingivitis and tooth decay and will need a $ 600 procedure to extract the bad teeth and clean the rest. She showed me the teeth and they are pretty nasty looking. Anyway, the vet also said that this might have been avoided if I'd had my cat's teeth cleaned at some point and used some products to keep her teeth clean. I take my cat to the vet every March without fail and her old vet never said anything about her teeth. I definitely would have done something about this if I'd known.
So my first question is whether I have any recourse against my old vet for never bothering to look at my cat's teeth and putting me out $ 600 as a result of his negligence.
The second part of this is to anyone has a cat who has needed serious dental work. How hard was it on your kitty and did you need to buy special food or anything? Do dental health treats for cats really help keep their teeth clean?
Sharon B
Talk to your old vet about doing the same work at a reduced rate.
second question, Our Abigail had become less energetic and had lost a good bit of weight. Because she seemed unhappy (and only because she seemed unhappy) we decided to risk anesthesia and have her teeth done. She acted afterward as if she was 5 yrs younger. She ate everything in sight, gained weight, and began playing again. Whether or not the tartar control cookies help, all of our cats love them, they make a nice treat.
The big question is the anesthesia, they don't all survive.
deighton2002
my 13 year old cat had 8 teeth out, she was eating later that day and is now eating better than before the operation.
It has become very short-sighted, I don't think that is to do with the teeth op
ps they gave us small syringes of pain killing liquid to squirt into her mouth after the op (no needles). That seemed to work well.
catkeypurr
Sorry, but you probably have no recourse regarding the old vet. I would definitely write them a letter expressing your disappointment, though.
Your cat will probably be a slobbery, uncomfortable mess the day after the procedure BUT after that passes, she'll feel better than she has in years!
The dental treats certainly won't hurt but the only effective way I know of to keep your cat's teeth as clean as possible is by "brushing" them.
You can do this by simply wrapping a piece of gauze around your finger & gently rubbing the teeth with a toothpaste formulated for pets 3 times a week.
No special food needed. A canned food only diet for 3-5 days after the procedure should be okay.
I imagine the vet will give you some guidelines for aftercare.
MechanicalMan
I doubt that you really have any recourse against your old vet, but I'm shocked that he never said anything to you. Checking teeth and gums is a fundamental part of routine checkups, so the problem should have been brought to your attention.
I'm pretty skeptical of the oral hygiene products available. I know that a lot of vets recommend CET toothpaste, but the cat owners I've spoken to haven't seen results from it. As far as certain treats, like Greenies, I think those are a total joke. I've personally tried a product called PetzLife that I've heard good things about. But my cat really hates it. So it is difficult for me to apply, and I haven't seen dramatic results. I was hoping to avoid taking her in for scaling, but I'm pretty much admitting defeat at this point. I've heard that feeding certain raw meat with bones, such as chicken necks, is pretty effective at cleaning teeth. But my cat refuses to touch raw meat, so I'm unable to try that.
KLMCats
Ummm, CALL AROUND!!!!
My own vet charges $ 100 just for an OP (dental) extra for exam, teeth pulling, etc. I had taken a cat in for FeLV testing that another breeder had given me & she told me the cat needed her teeth cleaned - BAD, recommended I go to the new animal dentist in town - he would probably be cheaper. I called their office & was quoted $ 250-300 just to walk in the door! I used my own vet for the procedure.
---------------
1st, yes I would think that if you were taking your cat in for annual exams that your original vet should have noticed something. HOWEVER, gingivitis & tatar buildup are 2 different things & it sounds like your cat has massive "trench mouth" & *that* would have been noticed if your older vet have opened the mouth & checked the gums - ALL THE WAY AROUND.
OTHER FACTORS:
1) diet... wet food only vs dry food only. I once had a 2 yr old male that had refused to breed, I complained & his breeder replaced him w/ proven sister. She went straight from airport to my vet for checkup & her teeth were so bad she had her teeth done before I drove home w/ her. I checked the brother when I got home... a tiny bit of tarter I flicked off w/ my finger nail. Difference - girl ate wet food only, boy ate dry food w/ wet food maybe once a week, tops. This pair descended from a bloodline notorious for bad teeth.
2) genetics... there is a Lysosomal Storage Disease (a whole series), at least one that causes a cat to be allergic to its teeth & results in "trench mouth"
Cat treats are a waste, feed a quality dry food & if possible - one that specifies tartar control.
Lor
My 15 year old had two teeth pulled due to gingivitis. I'd never cleaned her teeth nor had them done until about a year ago. Shame on me. But it cost about the same your Vet quoted.
I don't know how to answer your first question because I felt I had a part in not cleaning my cat's teeth.
The second question - it was hard on my cat,she was put out for the procedure but the result was worth it. She is no longer in pain when trying to eat. She acts playful again and you can tell she feels 100% better.
If it wouldn't have changed the quality of life for my cat, I wouldn't have spent the money. I'm thankful I did.
No special food, treats are good and talk to your Vet about them.
Good Luck.
K.B.
I would ask about making payments etc....
But make SURE they do blood work first before putting your cat under. We messed that part up with our 14 year old dog, and she had a horrible reaction to the anesthesia and ended up dying.
I seriously doubt you have any recourse with the other vet.
You just have to learn from this. We now brush our pets teeth ourselves and will have only a non-anesthetic pet dentist go in and do a little heavy scraping when they need it.
Good luck.
Orignal From: Two-part question about my cat's teeth?
Post a Comment