Chumley goes in for his dental Tuesday - Page 2

He did GREAT! I'm SURE all the vibes helped!

Dental: Took about 15 minutes. Not much plaque build-up, and his teeth are in GREAT shape! He was a "total sweetheart." He didn't complain, struggle, or seem particularly stressed in any way. She saw the ear tip, but assumed he was a stray that was rescued, not a feral kitty. Never would have guessed, he handled so well!

Vet check-up: I have to update his health journal, but he gained an ounce over the month ( I'm not doing something right LOL) - and upping his herbs was what he needed, because his pulses are "great" and his tongue is no longer swollen at all. He looks, sounds, and feels FABULOUS, and she doesn't want to change a thing. He did have some wax build-up in his ears - but it isn't yeast or fungal, so we just have to clean his ears occassionally (same with Flowerbelle). He got his shot of convenia for his gingivitis.

We're heading back in two months for a "look see," and she wants to do the retest of the Western Blot in four months. (He tested transient on the first one).

P.S. The beautiful thing about this is that it cost less than a regular dental. This was $200, and the minimum we've paid for Spook with no extractions was $254. We are SO going with this non-anesthesia dental route. Spook and Chum will need to go every six months - and the rest will just go as needed. But not worrying about the anesthesia, I must say, was GREAT. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did research on non-anesthetic dentals when Chum's holistic vet recommended it last year, when I started this thread. I saw some of the negatives, but my vet's confidence in the process - and our knowledge of how worried WE get about the anesthesia - made me feel this was a good alternative.

IT IS NOT.

THIS year, 2012, I am updated this old thread to say....

I DO NOT RECOMMEND NON-ANESTHETIC DENTALS TO ANYONE. Unless you KNOW it's just a follow-up cleaning, something done intermittently between REGULAR dentals with anesthesia.

We scheduled Chum (and Spooky) for regular dentals today. The vet just called. Chumley had to have three teeth extracted. He had lesions where the tooth had been eaten away up under the gum. Yes - a PAINFUL condition. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN TREATED LAST YEAR. And Chumley would not have had to suffer for a year.

The good news was there was only very minor gingivitis - this, at the sites of the teeth with problems. He had a shot of convenia last year to treat his gingivitis then. I know some cats have very bad reactions to convenia. But that was the 2nd time he'd had an injection, so apparently he's not a kitty that has a problem with it. (KNOCK WOOD! ). He is going to receive one today. He was given rimadal (sp?) - a 72-hour pain killer. Hopefully he won't need another shot, but if he does, we'll take him back.

Chumley, we are SO SO SO SO SO sorry, sweet baby boy!

Oh - FYI, Carolina found this at DVM newsmagazine: "The perils of anesthesia-free dentistry in pets" http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/Medicine/The-perils-of-anesthesia-free-dentistry/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/742257
Edited by LDG - 4/2/12 at 1:32pm

No, Chum was sedated - under anesthesia today. The teeth were not extracted while he was awake or aware, and he did not feel pain during this procedure today. This was a regular dental. He has been given a pain killer that lasts 72 hours (rimadal), and if he needs another shot, he'll get it (but hopefully he won't need it).

No, I am KICKING MYSELF because he had his first dental after being rescued last year. THAT was a "non-anesthetic dental." This was supposedly a great alternative to the stress on his system (FIV+) from being put under anesthesia. Non-anesthetic dentals are for a check-up and cleaning. If further work needs to be done, as determined by the check-up, then a regular dental would need to be scheduled.

But I am kicking myself because his holistic vet recommended the non-anesthetic dental. I was aware of the risks - the MAIN complaint is that they do not find problems located up under the gum. She assured me that was not the case.

And she was WRONG.

Today's REGULAR dental found lesions on three teeth up under the gum - so bad the teeth needed to be pulled. His non-anesthetic dental was just 10 months ago. He has been in UN-NECESSARY PAIN for 10 MONTHS because we opted for the non-anesthetic dental last year, when I started this thread.

Well, the complaints about non-anesthetic dentals are correct. They do not necessarily catch problems up under the gum. And poor Chum paid for this choice.

So I end this thread with a warning this year: do NOT opt for a non-anesthetic dental if your vet's practice offers them!

The good news is that Chum is doing great today. He was so loopy and out of it last night, the poor boy didn't know what to do when we first came home. I carried him into the bedroom and lay down with him. I couldn't believe it - he curled up with me and went to sleep! I didn't give him dinner, but I did give him 1/2 a meal at the late night meal. He kept that down. And then he came back into the bedroom, and slept on my pillow the entire night. He was good to go this morning.

there are no complications!