Dental done Aug 4; really stinky breath, Vets not concerned

Hi all,

My 17 yr old Tigger had her first dental done on Aug 4. Basic scaling and polishing plus 3 extractions of upper molars. They didn't start her on antibiotics following dental citing there was no sign of an infection. I only took her for a dental because she was starting to show a lot of tartar build-up -- so no actual "problems" sparked me to take her for the dental.

Yesterday I noticed when she was licking my nose that her breath was really funky. Took her to the clinic that did dental. Vet examined and noticed she had food stuck around extraction sites (which were sutured with dissolvable sutures, I was told). Her and Vet tech used some kind of antiseptictic liquid and a syringe and tried to "flush out" the food and apparently got "most of it." They didn't seem too concerned. Just told me to ensure she eats only canned / soft food. (to note, that's all she ever eats; plus I've been giving her little pieces of cooked chicken). Vet didn't see any need to start her on antibiotics.

I was still concerned so following this visit I drove straight to my regular Vet clinic. The Vet there had a look. He could see the sutures intact. Said there was no sign of inflammation. I asked him about an antibiotic; he suggested Clindamycin but that's a twice daily med and she' hard to pill and then get to eat so we opted for Baytril once daily x 10 days. I don't think he really felt she 'needed' antibiotics but did it more to appease me.

Her breath is still super funky, obviously there's still food stuck in there. I've never encountered this before following any dental on my cats. She doesn't seem to be uncomfortable....but it bugs me. What will happen to the rotten food that's 'stuck' somewhere? Will it eventually just fall out?

Neither vet was that concerned. I don't want to seem like a fruitcake but when you pay nearly $700 for a dental, you would expect your cat's breath to be good following.

Has anyone else experienced this?

I suppose if I pushed it they'd likely want to sedate her and clean out food that way but she's got some kidney issues and I don't want her to have to go through anesthetic again.

I'm not comfortable trying to use a soft cat toothbrush, not this close after dental - that could open sutures. I don't now what I could do?

Thoughts, experiences?

thanks
Lisa

My cat's breath has always smelled sweet and fresh after a cleaning but they did not have extractions.

Although this is just my opinion, brushing after extractions sounds like a really bad idea.

Your gut is telling you something....
monitor Tigger closely, if you notice any change....
get help Lisa.
Tigger

It wasn't my cat, but recently when my JRatT was being spayed she also was to have a tooth extracted. Same thing happened to her and upon revisiting the vet we came home with antibiotics and a surringe. I was given instructions to flush the site after every meal. This really helped with the healing, just be sure not to flush too hard and break up any scab/new tissue growth that may be forming. I would just call the vet up again and ask for a surringe.

Agree - I'd ask about how/if you can rinse. When I've had extractions for braces, as an adult, I've got to say my breath was a little funky from the blood and food, and I was rinsing regularly with saline as instructed. Then again, I'm probably a tad better patient than my cats - I can just imagine trying to rinse their mouths!

And, yes, vet should be open to provide after-care instructions if you have questions/concerns.