What's the worst that could happen w/o bloodwork?

breamarie · Sep 21, 2010

I scheduled Romeo's teeth cleaning for next Tuesday. The vet said that it would be $130 and $5 for each extraction. She didn't mention that blood work is $40 extra, argh. The receptionist said that it's just an option, it doesn't have to be done.

I'm almost sure that I'm not going to get the blood work done(I really can't be spending this much money), but I'd still like to be aware of what the risks are. Does anyone know what could happen if it's not done?

Thanks!

ktlynn · Sep 21, 2010

Blood work is always a good idea before a dental, because you want to make sure there are no undetected health problems that might make anesthesia dangerous. A simple, basic blood panel will tell your vet whether or not Romeo's kidneys and liver are in good shape. These are the organs that will filter out the anesthetic from his body, so they need to be healthy. IMO, $40 is very reasonable and well worth it for your peace of mind.

Good for you for being so responsible and getting your little guy's teeth cleaned! It will go a long way toward keeping him healthy.

cmedeiros17 · Sep 21, 2010

One of my cats had a dental and I opted for the blood work. Yours is cheaper than mine! Mine cost me closer to $70 for a basic bloodwork up. It is good to have. And gives a baseline as well if there are ever any issues in the future and will also let them know if it safe to proceed with the procedure. IF there are any hidden issues they will be made aware. I think I would think about the risks. If your cat is older there are obviously more risks. If your cat is younger and in overall good health there may be less risk. Talk to your vet.

strange_wings · Sep 21, 2010

If he has any serious issues with a tooth - such as one that does need to be extracted, then he could have problems from that elsewhere. $40 isn't a lot of money - heck that's what two or three people would pay for dinner at a nice restaurant.
Have it done, you'll regret it if you don't but you won't regret it if you do.

blueyedgirl5946 · Sep 21, 2010

Most vets will not do a dental without bloodwork. I know mine would not. I agree with the others who have suggested you go ahead. Talk to your dr. about a repayment plan.

mews2much · Sep 21, 2010

My friends cat died from a dental because blood work was not done.
A simple blood test would have caught the problem and the cat would not have had the dental.
I would go with the tests.
My vet charges $95 for blood tests before surgery.

breamarie · Sep 28, 2010

Just wanted to update that Romeo had his teeth done today. I opted out of the blood work because the vet said that they primarily recommend it for cats who are 8 or over, or who have known health issues.
He didn't need any teeth removed, and he's doing great

. Though my other two geniuses are hissing at him like mad because he smells weird to them

.

The vet told me not to feed him after 6 last night (I took him in at 9 today), and he had a total cow about that, lol. The vet mentioned that he might have a sore mouth and eat less for a few days, but the minute we walked into the apartment, he ran to the food bowl and ate for 10 minutes. You'd think he'd been stranded on a desert island for week, lol.

nekochan · Sep 28, 2010

Routine bloodwork before a dental cleaning was how we found out that Sylvia had kidney disease. We were very lucky because that allowed us to catch it much earlier than usual, before she had any symptoms. I've read that usually symptoms aren't seen until 70% of kidney function is lost, but since we caught it before there were symptoms we were able to treat it more effectively and avoid damage. After giving fluids for a while we were actually able to get her kidney levels to stay at normal or high-normal for the rest of her life (she passed away 2 years after that from something unrelated, mammary cancer.)

carolina · Sep 28, 2010

Originally Posted by BreaMarie

Just wanted to update that Romeo had his teeth done today. I opted out of the blood work because the vet said that they primarily recommend it for cats who are 8 or over, or who have known health issues.

I am sorry, but this is playing Russian roulette and I am not sure if I would trust this vet after this one... If your cat had health problems, he could died... then what? This can happen at any age - not only after 8.
I will not do a dental without a Blood Test and without an IV, and all my cats are under 3 years old. In fact, I need to sign a release saying they do it; they will not perform one without those two things.
I am glad he is alright though... But please keep this in mind for the future...
Yes, cats do have a high tolerance for pain, and food seem to be a comfort for them - mine are the same way... forget about wet foot too, they go straight for the dry

sharky · Sep 28, 2010

It is fairly standard for vets ( even very good ones) not to mandate blood work on a non senior cat ( young senior as most here require it if the animal is over 5 or has not had blood work within 6 months)... Of course MOST recommend it for all pre sugery

breamarie · Sep 28, 2010

Originally Posted by Carolina

I am sorry, but this is playing Russian roulette and I am not sure if I would trust this vet after this one... If your cat had health problems, he could died... then what? This can happen at any age - not only after 8.
I will not do a dental without a Blood Test and without an IV, and all my cats are under 3 years old. In fact, I need to sign a release saying they do it; they will not perform one without those two things.
I am glad he is alright though... But please keep this in mind for the future...
Yes, cats do have a high tolerance for pain, and food seem to be a comfort for them - mine are the same way... forget about wet foot too, they go straight for the dry

An IV? Is that not a standard thing? I'm not sure whether they did that or not.

I am aware of the risks. My old cat Scarlett went in to have her teeth done(at a different vet), and the blood test showed that she had a bunch of issues, and they wouldn't fix her teeth until we addressed them. The problem was that I already knew that she was a hot mess, health wise, and knew deep down that she was not long for this world. I just didn't want her to be in pain from her teeth. So I spent several hundred dollars treating kidney and liver issues on top on the eventual dental work. It didn't really help that much anyway, it stressed her out like crazy (she was so scared of the car/vet that she used to pee whenever she was in her carrier...it makes me cry just to type that), and she still passed away a few months later. I have to wonder if it would have been better if she'd had dental work done without the blood work, and passed away peacefully from the anesthetic instead of going through months of pain and suffering and eventually losing her life anyway

.

Obviously, it's different in Romeo's case because he is, as far as we can tell, healthy as a horse. If he had any indications of health problems, I definitely would've gone with the blood work. I just wonder what the line is of being obsessive about my cats' health versus being reasonable about my finances. I think this is the first time that I didn't fall toward the 'obsessive' end, lol.

BTW- why is it that vets talk about the risk of anesthesia, thus the need for blood work, during dental work, but not when cats are being spayed/neutered? Is it just because of the extra bacteria released during the dental?

pookie-poo · Sep 28, 2010

Cleo's renal failure was detected when I had pre-op blood work done for her spay surgery. She was 6 months old. It's NEVER too young to have a baseline blood work done. I would never subject my cats to any anesthesia without having pre-op blood work done. I'm glad that everything went well for Romeo.

Older cats tend to have issues with renal compromise, and usually, it's older cats who need dentals. Many of the more commonly used anesthetics are not renal friendly. If pre-op blood work shows evidence of an impaired renal function, those anesthetic agents can be substituted for ones that are kinder to the kidneys.

carolina · Sep 28, 2010

Originally Posted by BreaMarie

I just wonder what the line is of being obsessive about my cats' health versus being reasonable about my finances. I think this is the first time that I didn't fall toward the 'obsessive' end, lol.

I think spending an additional $40 for blood-work is far far away from putting you into an obsessive category (or really making a BIG financial difference in one's life in the end, really). I do consider that very reasonable, and instead of obsessive, just being careful.
$40? Obsession? no.

ldg · Sep 28, 2010

Originally Posted by BreaMarie

An IV? Is that not a standard thing? I'm not sure whether they did that or not.

I am aware of the risks. My old cat Scarlett went in to have her teeth done(at a different vet), and the blood test showed that she had a bunch of issues, and they wouldn't fix her teeth until we addressed them. The problem was that I already knew that she was a hot mess, health wise, and knew deep down that she was not long for this world. I just didn't want her to be in pain from her teeth. So I spent several hundred dollars treating kidney and liver issues on top on the eventual dental work. It didn't really help that much anyway, it stressed her out like crazy (she was so scared of the car/vet that she used to pee whenever she was in her carrier...it makes me cry just to type that), and she still passed away a few months later. I have to wonder if it would have been better if she'd had dental work done without the blood work, and passed away peacefully from the anesthetic instead of going through months of pain and suffering and eventually losing her life anyway

.

Obviously, it's different in Romeo's case because he is, as far as we can tell, healthy as a horse. If he had any indications of health problems, I definitely would've gone with the blood work. I just wonder what the line is of being obsessive about my cats' health versus being reasonable about my finances. I think this is the first time that I didn't fall toward the 'obsessive' end, lol.

BTW- why is it that vets talk about the risk of anesthesia, thus the need for blood work, during dental work, but not when cats are being spayed/neutered? Is it just because of the extra bacteria released during the dental?

Our vet always asks if we want the pre-anesthetic blood work done. For every procedure.

sharky · Sep 28, 2010

Originally Posted by Carolina

I think spending an additional $40 for blood-work is far far away from putting you into an obsessive category (or really making a BIG financial difference in one's life in the end, really). I do consider that very reasonable, and instead of obsessive, just being careful.
$40? Obsession? no.

Basic blood work here is 100-200 $

ldg · Sep 28, 2010

Originally Posted by sharky

Basic blood work here is 100-200 $

Here too. I think it's around $140 for non-srs, and over $200 for srs. I don't know what the additional tests included for srs are. I'll have to ask our next visit, actually.

carolina · Sep 28, 2010

Originally Posted by sharky

Basic blood work here is 100-200 $

Originally Posted by LDG

Here too. I think it's around $140 for non-srs, and over $200 for srs. I don't know what the additional tests included for srs are. I'll have to ask our next visit, actually.

Yep, on her case specifically though, it was $40, which is the amount I quoted. I am not saying by any means that is the cost for Blood work. This was the cost for her to get it done.... pretty cheap... on mine is $95 extra...

snickerdoodle · Sep 29, 2010

I say absolutely most definitely get the blood panel done! ALWAYS!!! You can catch things way sooner in some cases and it can save lives.

cococat · Sep 29, 2010

Your vet's prices are really good. Blood work always sets me back 100 per animal at the very least, this is for years and years.
Where do you live if you don't mind me asking.
The worst thing that can happen without blood work is death.

strange_wings · Sep 29, 2010

Originally Posted by cococat

The worst thing that can happen without blood work is death.

That can happen even with blood work, sadly.

It's good to know that Romeo's dental went well and his teeth weren't that bad. Was it just bad build up on them? It can sometimes look a lot worse than it is.
I don't know if you have a daily dental routine for him (and your other cats) already, but if not do you plan on starting one?

I'm spooked to put any cat through anesthesia unless there's absolutely no other choice so I brush all the cats teeth - except Boo's.. I wished he'd let me.

What's the worst that could happen w/o bloodwork?

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