picky eater or dental disease

jimmylegs

jimmylegs

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Aug 1, 2007
Messages
312
Purraise
1
Location
Brooklyn
We have a senior female foster named Gilda who is a really picky eater. She is recovering from giardia and lost a good deal of weight so I really want to fatten her up. But it's very hard to get her to eat enough. She will eat something one day, then turn her nose up at it the next day. So I have to keep coming up with different foods for her to try.

She has a few favorites but even these don't always work. When the vet saw her he noted she had dental disease but didn't push us to have her teeth cleaned (or pulled if necessary). Now I'm wondering if part of the problem isn't because her teeth might hurt? Has anybody had a cat increase appetite after getting dental work?
 
minka

minka

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 4, 2011
Messages
2,437
Purraise
49
Location
Denton, Texas
I would run away from a vet that said your cat had dental disease but didn't suggest a cleaning or anything for it..

If she has dental disease, it absolutely will affect her eating habits, it's painful!!
 
Y

yosemite

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Apr 26, 2001
Messages
23,313
Purraise
81
Location
Ingersoll, ON
Honestly, think of how much it would hurt for you to eat with bad teeth and/or dental disease. I'd find a new vet or at the very least talk to your current vet and get some answers on why he/she thinks it is not important.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4
jimmylegs

jimmylegs

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Aug 1, 2007
Messages
312
Purraise
1
Location
Brooklyn
sorry I didn't reply for so long, thanks for the responses. Gilda is one of many foster cats we have, and our vet knows we can only spend a lot in certain circumstances. His opinion at the time was that she shows signs of dental disease but that it wasn't at a critical point yet. To do a full dental requires sedation, which means she will need full bloodwork to make sure she can handle the operation. This can be a serious operation, and the total cost can be high.

A friend of ours recently had a dental job go bad (different vet) and he cat ended up with brain damage (though he has been steadily improving since).

When Gilda came to us she had giardia and was very frail, so I think part of the vet's decision may have been to get her strength up first. at any rate, she is going in for bloodwork tomorrow, if she is healthy enough we will probably get her teeth done. but I am worried considering what happened to my friend's cat.

Since I last posted, she has gotten a bit better, but she still doesn't eat like I'd like her to. We'll try to get to the bottom of this tomorrow!
 
minka

minka

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 4, 2011
Messages
2,437
Purraise
49
Location
Denton, Texas
If you can't afford a dental cleaning, have you tried to brush her teeth instead? Dental problems are very painful (think of when you were a kid and got a cavity..) and need to be addressed with an urgency.
 
just mike

just mike

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 11, 2011
Messages
2,083
Purraise
38
Location
Saint Louis, MO
Originally Posted by jimmylegs

sorry I didn't reply for so long, thanks for the responses. Gilda is one of many foster cats we have, and our vet knows we can only spend a lot in certain circumstances. His opinion at the time was that she shows signs of dental disease but that it wasn't at a critical point yet. To do a full dental requires sedation, which means she will need full bloodwork to make sure she can handle the operation. This can be a serious operation, and the total cost can be high.

A friend of ours recently had a dental job go bad (different vet) and he cat ended up with brain damage (though he has been steadily improving since).

When Gilda came to us she had giardia and was very frail, so I think part of the vet's decision may have been to get her strength up first. at any rate, she is going in for bloodwork tomorrow, if she is healthy enough we will probably get her teeth done. but I am worried considering what happened to my friend's cat.

Since I last posted, she has gotten a bit better, but she still doesn't eat like I'd like her to. We'll try to get to the bottom of this tomorrow!
Click to expand...
Have never had dental issues with my pets but I've had issues myself. It is very painful to eat and sometimes even drink with dental problems. It looks like your vet is concerned about her "senior" status and the effects of anesthesia. You can try brushing but you can ask the vet for other possible solutions. Good luck to you and keep us posted!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top