Cats' dental

gettingready

2 of my boys will need dental scale and polish for sure and perhaps extractions too.

Teddy and Fred.

Teddy is almost 7 so fair enough but Fred is only 3 and his teeth are baddddddddddddddddddd. Fred never ever eats any dry food ever so no wonder I guess.

Now, do the have to go under anesthetics? Is there a way to do it with cats any other way?

Heard few stories recently of cats dying under anesthetics and it really freaks me out

donnac2558

Sorry no there is not. The cat would be distressed if held down and the vet start trying to clear or take teeth out. Just not possible. In fact its only when the cat is out can the vet get a good look or what really has to be done.

My boy who is 14 years old had dental work done last month, fortunately he only needed a good scale and clean. He was fine.

A very very very very very very small amount of animals will have a problem with being put under.

moggymutt

Vets can sometimes chip off slight tartar while the cat is just held, or just sedted, but there is not really any way around needing anaesthetic for bad tartar or for extractions. Bad tartar usually means the gums are very sore and so it is a very painful procedure at the time.

All anaesthetics are a risk, same for humans having an op, but the risk in an otherwise healthy cat is very, very small.

Most vets offer bloodtests before an op to check kidneys etc, but this obviously adds expense, and I only get them done (same as most people do), if I know or suspect that a cat has an underlying health problem. Make sure that your vet gives the 'listen to the heart' check before the op. Nothing to stop you asking if you can stay while the vet checks your cats over before you leave them for their op.


The longer bad teeth are left, the bigger the op becomes. Many years ago I screwed up by waiting too long to get a cat's teeth done.

I understand your worries. Try not to worry though, but I realise that it's a lot easier said than done.

arbroath_lass

Have you tried Plaque Off? It has mixed results. When I started using it on my two boys the plaque was literally falling off their teeth after a few weeks. That said it is not helping my girl at all :-(

I think you see the effects (if any) within 6 weeks. When are they going to the vet? Might be worth trying beforehand.

Edit re-read your post. Obviously it will not help teeth that need removed.

morg_monster

Our Lila had her first dental recently, we think she's about 5. Luckily she didn't need any teeth removing in the end. I too was so worried about the GA but it was fine. No way would she have let the vet even have a proper look at her teeth without it!

Afterwards we talked about future prevention of problems but he says to be honest there isn't much you can do with cats. Dry food isn't really that helpful - the kibble has to be a particular size to be useful in removing plaque, it must be too big to just crunch once and swallow - but if it's that size, cats generally will just not eat it (unlike dogs). Cats won't gnaw on tough dental treats like dogs will. Water additives work IF you can get the cat to drink it. Plaque Off - well his response was if it works that well why don't we see any human dental products made from chlorophyll. The cat toothpastes - he said it will work if you can brush all surfaces of the teeth with it; he's not convinced how useful it is if they just lick it off your finger.

However he said none of the above remedies are harmful so I am going for a belt and braces approach and using plaque off and the logic toothpaste (licked off finger - I value my hands!). I would like to try the aquadent water additive but it isn't that cheap and I have NO idea how I would know if my cats have been drinking the water!! They don't drink much anyway as they have 100% wet food.

Vet says it's mostly in the cat's genes if they have good teeth (like for humans). Our other cat is the same age (ish) and he says has perfect teeth, not even any visible plaque. She has the exact same diet. He says we just need to keep an eye on it each year. And also that cats don't really suffer if they do have to have all their teeth out, so that's reassuring...

arbroath_lass

morg_monster wrote: »

. Plaque Off - well his response was if it works that well why don't we see any human dental products made from chlorophyll.

Plaque Off is available for humans too.

http://www.plaqueoff.com/

Perhaps not a popular choice because we can brush our teeth properly!

gettingready

Thanks a lot

McKneff

Hope you have insurance, our 12 year old has just ha 4 'fangs' out and a four rooted molar.

£890.00:eek: luckily we were.

morg_monster

arbroath_lass wrote: »

Plaque Off is available for humans too.

http://www.plaqueoff.com/

Perhaps not a popular choice because we can brush our teeth properly!

Haha, I can't wait to tell my vet this! Shame I have to wait nearly a year. He told me that he thinks that the person who comes up with a cat dental product that actually works will become a multimillionaire. I must get on the case!

ETA: also just reading the reviews of the human stuff on amazon - I didn't realise that the plaque off has its effect through being absorbed in the gut - I thought it had a local effect in the mouth, and was worried about mixing it up in the food. V useful!

podperson

McKneff wrote: »

Hope you have insurance, our 12 year old has just ha 4 'fangs' out and a four rooted molar.

£890.00:eek: luckily we were.

Wow, you have an expensive vet!! Mine had to have dental work last year, they originally wanted to remove 4 but when they got a proper look when she was under it turned into 6/7 - she only has a couple left! :rotfl:Cost me about £250 and that was including blood tests beforehand.

gettingready

When I asked Goddards for the price of their basic dental 9scale and polish) - they quoted me just under £300. Same at Your vets @75.00

Teddy and Fred are with PetPlan so dental is covered...