Teeth Cleaning.....

momoftwogirls

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 7, 2008
Messages
39
Purraise
0
Location
SW Fla
I need advice on this subject, my one girl has bad teeth, due to the diabetes, I mean they are not horrible but they need to be cleaned, I am having thoughts about this and how hard it is to make a decision to have her put under anesthesia in order to have her teeth cleaned. I know it has to be done but I am very nervous about it. Can you please give me the good about having it done, and any questions I should ask. I almost lost my little girl a year ago to the diabetes and my heart aches thinking about losing her... she is my world and if I lost her I would be devastated. We have formed such a tight bond since she was diagnosed 2 years ago with diabetes. Thanks for all the advice...

P.S. I will be doing preventative teeth cleaning after the deep cleaning....
 

white cat lover

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Nov 17, 2005
Messages
22,206
Purraise
35
Well, right now her mouth probably hurts & it makes eating difficult. Being diabetic, she'd be at more risk for surgery if she isn't eating properly.

She'll be much happier & more comfortable once she has the cleaning done.
 

natalie_ca

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 2, 2006
Messages
21,136
Purraise
223
Location
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
My oldest kitty, Chynna, is going to be 16 years old in May. She doesn't have diabetes, but she does have renal insufficiency. It's not actual kidney failure, but her kidneys do not perform optimally as they should.

She just had a very indepth dental done yesterday, and had nearly all of her teeth pulled.

At 14 your kitty probably has some kidney issues too in addition to the diabetes.

Here is what they did for my kitty.

They admitted her the day before her procedure for IV hydration to protect her kidneys.

They did a pre blood wook kidney function level.

During the procedure they monitored her heart, breathing, oxygen, blood pressure. And before they pulled the tooth they injected freezing to the area in order to give her some extra pain management.

They sutured the areas so she doesn't have any gaping holes or exposed bones.

And because of the number of teeth she had pulled she stayed a second night for more hydration for her kidneys as well as anitibotics and pain medication.

They also didn't give her "Metacad" (I think that is the name of it). It's a nonsteroid analgesic that is not good to give to cats with kidney issues. I spoke to my vet about it and he told me that he doesn't give that to cats with kidney issues.

I'm not really sure how cats respond to surgery. But I do know how people respond. So if their response is the same as humans, her blood sugar will be elevated after the surgery and she will probably need higher doses of insulin for awhile.

So far as the benefits.

I learned the hard way how much pain a cat can be in if they have bad teeth. My poor baby couldn't eat and she was starving. She tried so hard to eat but the pain was too much. Since she's been home this afternoon, she's had almost a whole can of food! I gave her her antibiotic and pain medication which helped. But it's nice to see her eating without all that pain.

Also, at 14 years old, according to the vet if one tooth is bad, there are lots more that are bad too, so you are likely looking at a number of teeth being extracted.

Chynna has one incisor left, all of her front little ones, and a few little ones at the back.

Right now she is roaming around from the couch to the window and back to the couch. She's a bit stoned from the hydromorphone, but she is definitely feeling better!

So if it's within your means, I really suggest you go through with the dental. Talk to the vet about your concerns. Do research and don't be afraid to ask questions. And if something doesn't seem right, say so.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4

momoftwogirls

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 7, 2008
Messages
39
Purraise
0
Location
SW Fla
Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

My oldest kitty, Chynna, is going to be 16 years old in May. She doesn't have diabetes, but she does have renal insufficiency. It's not actual kidney failure, but her kidneys do not perform optimally as they should.

She just had a very indepth dental done yesterday, and had nearly all of her teeth pulled.

At 14 your kitty probably has some kidney issues too in addition to the diabetes.

Here is what they did for my kitty.

They admitted her the day before her procedure for IV hydration to protect her kidneys.

They did a pre blood wook kidney function level.

During the procedure they monitored her heart, breathing, oxygen, blood pressure. And before they pulled the tooth they injected freezing to the area in order to give her some extra pain management.

They sutured the areas so she doesn't have any gaping holes or exposed bones.

And because of the number of teeth she had pulled she stayed a second night for more hydration for her kidneys as well as anitibotics and pain medication.

They also didn't give her "Metacad" (I think that is the name of it). It's a nonsteroid analgesic that is not good to give to cats with kidney issues. I spoke to my vet about it and he told me that he doesn't give that to cats with kidney issues.

I'm not really sure how cats respond to surgery. But I do know how people respond. So if their response is the same as humans, her blood sugar will be elevated after the surgery and she will probably need higher doses of insulin for awhile.

So far as the benefits.

I learned the hard way how much pain a cat can be in if they have bad teeth. My poor baby couldn't eat and she was starving. She tried so hard to eat but the pain was too much. Since she's been home this afternoon, she's had almost a whole can of food! I gave her her antibiotic and pain medication which helped. But it's nice to see her eating without all that pain.

Also, at 14 years old, according to the vet if one tooth is bad, there are lots more that are bad too, so you are likely looking at a number of teeth being extracted.

Chynna has one incisor left, all of her front little ones, and a few little ones at the back.

Right now she is roaming around from the couch to the window and back to the couch. She's a bit stoned from the hydromorphone, but she is definitely feeling better!

So if it's within your means, I really suggest you go through with the dental. Talk to the vet about your concerns. Do research and don't be afraid to ask questions. And if something doesn't seem right, say so.
Just to clarify my girls are only 6.... not sure where I said 14 but just wanted to clear that up.. and thank you for your story, I am just very stressd about it... I want to make sure what I am doing is going to help her and not hurt her.... did they give your kitty pain meds because she had the teeth pulled or because she had the cleaning... I don't want my girl to hurt, should I ask for pain meds or will she not ned them? Thanks again
 

creativgirl

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Dec 17, 2007
Messages
388
Purraise
6
Location
Cleveland, OH
My Oliver is having his teeth cleaned next week. The way Natalie explained it is the same way the vet explained it to me. Your girl should be perfectly safe. Sending lots of .
 

creativgirl

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Dec 17, 2007
Messages
388
Purraise
6
Location
Cleveland, OH
Originally Posted by Creativgirl

My Oliver is having his teeth cleaned next week. The way Natalie explained it is the same way my vet explained it to me. Your girl should be perfectly safe. Sending lots of .
WhiteCatLover is right, too, she will be more comfortable once it's done.
 

natalie_ca

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 2, 2006
Messages
21,136
Purraise
223
Location
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Originally Posted by Momoftwogirls

Just to clarify my girls are only 6.... not sure where I said 14 but just wanted to clear that up.. and thank you for your story, I am just very stressd about it... I want to make sure what I am doing is going to help her and not hurt her.... did they give your kitty pain meds because she had the teeth pulled or because she had the cleaning... I don't want my girl to hurt, should I ask for pain meds or will she not ned them? Thanks again
If it is just cleaning, they probably won't need to give her pain medication. But if they have to pull any teeth, then they more than likely will send you home with a pain medication depending on how many teeth are pulled. Chynna is on pain medication because she had a substantial number of teeth pulled.

Cleaning is just like when we get our teeth cleaned. Only for an animal they have to put them under anaesthetic for them to co-operate otherwise they don't keep their mouth open and will bite and scratch.

Getting her teeth cleaned will help her. It will prevent lots of problems like I've encountered with Chynna, and that is a good thing!

I'm sorry I got the age of your kitty wrong. I think I read another thread just before this one and the kitty there was 14 years old.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #8

momoftwogirls

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 7, 2008
Messages
39
Purraise
0
Location
SW Fla
Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

If it is just cleaning, they probably won't need to give her pain medication. But if they have to pull any teeth, then they more than likely will send you home with a pain medication depending on how many teeth are pulled. Chynna is on pain medication because she had a substantial number of teeth pulled.

Cleaning is just like when we get our teeth cleaned. Only for an animal they have to put them under anaesthetic for them to co-operate otherwise they don't keep their mouth open and will bite and scratch.

Getting her teeth cleaned will help her. It will prevent lots of problems like I've encountered with Chynna, and that is a good thing!

I'm sorry I got the age of your kitty wrong. I think I read another thread just before this one and the kitty there was 14 years old.
I appreciate all of your words of wisdom... right now I am trying to convert my girls to a low carb diet (wet) from the low carb dry food... once that happens and if her Blood Sugars are good then we are going to get them cleaned. Thanks again for the help
 

jaffacake

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 25, 2007
Messages
4,243
Purraise
13
Location
1066 Country
Both my cat`s have had their teeth cleaned and a few removed under anaesthetic. One old, one quite young. Neither had diabetes so I`m not sure how that affects things.

The older of the two was so much happier after. She was eating before but as soon as they were done she had a huge appetite so she must have felt so much better.

The younger one couldn`t be done the first time he was booked in for it becausue his pre-anaesthetic blood test showed infection. So after a week on anti-biotics he went again and they found an abcess from a canine draining out through his gum! He was a bit woozy for 24hours after but the first thing he wanted to do was eat.

Neither had pain meds, just anti-biotics and they were both fine


Oh, I forgot! They had a pain killer injection that was to last 24 hours. Can`t remember what it was called.

I`m sure your vet would not carry out the proceedure if there was a significant risk but of course we still worry about them
 
Top