Tooth extraction for a cat

[lowis]

My old siamese had a check-up yesterday, I suspected he had vision problems and I was right, he has a bad cataract in his left eye and a smaller one in his right eye...not much point in operating, he is old (14) and is indoors-only so when he goes almost blind he will know his way around the flat safely.

He also needs to have a tooth extracted and I was quoted £350 to £400 - this seems really expensive. Usually I wouldn't worry because I am insured...but I don't think dental procedures are covered with AXA...so will have to stump up the money.

Does anyone (hello resident vets!) have any idea what this would cost in their area, I live in Central London? Also, if I found a vet who was cheaper, would it be out of order to go to that vet just for the one procedure? My current vet is brilliant (but expensive) and I don't want to leave the practice, I just want to get the best price possible for the tooth extraction. Any advice appreciated, cheers!

[ajb69]

What sort of tooth is it - a canine or an "ordinary" tooth? A canine is far more difficult to remove than any other tooth, as it is "welded" into the cat's jaw and is a far more dangerous & expensive operation - or so I'm told.

Whenever my cats have had teeth out, they've needed to be knocked out so it's never been cheap (and the general anaesthetic has always been most of the cost) - so get them to take any other dodgy teeth out at the same time, it will save you in the long run.

I used to pay about the same when I lived in London (Elizabeth Street vets in Victoria), but I now live is Sussex and pay a lot less (£200-£300).

One crumb of comfort is that PetPlan have always paid for the procedure - they won't pay if the decay is due to lack of cleaning, but if it is due to any other disease (gingivitis, for example), they've always paid up for me :rolleyes:. Of course, Axa may be different. It's always worth putting a claim in, and - call me cynical -it is also in the vet's interest to get it approved.

With regard to other vets, you may find cheaper vets outside London or in the suburbs. I'm not sure they'd be prepared to operate unless you move the cat's care to them lock-stock-and-barrel - it's part commercial interest (they wouldn't want the same to happen to them) and part medical (they'd want to contact the old vet and get all medical records). So I would imagine it is quite difficult to do without your current vets hearing about it, and they may well get rather offended by it and insist you move vets. But you may be lucky :-)


Hope this is some help


Drew

[simontheiceman]

350-400 seems quite large. I would certainly shop around. I would now charge about £175 for a simple mouth descale under general anaesthesia and with a couple of extractions this could rise to £250 . In an exceptional cat mouth (full mouth extraction) I would probably hit £350 but this would be a FULL MOUTH EXTRACTION where there is no other option. I am in the Northwest England and I am not cheap. As regards removal of which tooth; in my experience it is the amount of time I take that increases the cost and whilst canine teeth can take time I usually find it is the molars and premolars which are the most complex.

Shop around - I get clients from other practices who have some work with us and then use them again. It never bothers me but some vets can get highly upset about this. I always inform them before I start work. No vet can force you to use them exclusively. My motto is: "Its your wallet so you can choose where you use it".

[snowman2]

We would charge about £140 for 3 teeth but again it depends on complexity. London prices will always be more though.

[bathgatebuyer]

Last year, my 11 yr old house cat had 6 teeth removed (poor wee baby) for £195.

I cried like a baby until she came home safe, grumpy and was right as rain within 2 days.

[lowis]

my vet practice is notoriously expensive...the general anaesthetic and scale and polish alone are £250...then there is the extraction at £30 and the cost of anti-biotics on top of that. i'll be honest with my vet and explain that as i may not be covered on my insurance i may have to go elsewhere if i can find a cheaper price, he may drop his price...i hope so, he is a great vet and i don't actually want to go elsewhere.

thanks for all your feedback

[rita-rabbit]

Scarey!

Good luck with the dental work.

Reminds me the importance of continuing with the Logic daily application on my two.