My old cat is scheduled for pre-dental bloodwork--need support and encouragement

crazy4strays

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We are not financially well off by any stretch, so this is one of the few places in the universe where I can post/talk about this without getting ridiculed for "wasting money" because it's "just a cat."


Anyway, my old cat needs dental work, sooner rather than later. He's 15. He very well could live another 5+ years and I feel that it's my responsibility to ensure that the rest of his years are not lived in constant pain from bad teeth. We adopted him last year, so though we've been consistently brushing his teeth and using dental spray for several months, his teeth are way beyond the point of preventative maintenance.

My vet is very reasonable. He charges just $125 for a full dental cleaning under anesthesia, which I know is a great deal. The pre-op bloodwork isn't very expensive either.

Still, financially it is stressful right now. I'm especially worried about the potential of the bill going up if he needs multiple extractions. The vet tech reassured me that it wouldn't be a surprise $1,000.00 bill. She said that the worse bill for a dental that she's seen in 20 years, was $400.

Still, I'm stressed and worried about it. An estimate of $400 would make it expensive enough that we would have to postpone it until after tax return. And what about if they find more decay than expected and even though the estimate initially is lower, my bill skyrockets?

I'm also concerned about the risk of side effects, even though I know that the pre-op bloodwork helps to lower that risk and the risk of living with rotted teeth is higher.

Anyway, just rambling. We'll see what the vet says after our initial consult on Tuesday.

Has anybody else known that your cat badly needed a dental, but felt stressed by the logistics?
 

stephanietx

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Yes.  We are in the same boat.  We went to the cat only vet because our regular vet couldn't get us in and my girl had an URI and needed meds.  While there, the vet told us that she had 2 resportive teeth and needed a dental, extractions, blood work, and dental x-rays to the tune of $1,000! 
  We certainly don't have that kind of money laying around.  So we went to our regular vet for a follow up and not only is she much more reasonable, she's also less of an alarmist.  She thinks that my kitty will need a good cleaning and might not even need to have any extractions.  Instead of $1000, we'll be paying around $200.
 

margd

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I went through this when my Milo was 14 and needed dental care.  The final bill came to $1000 because there were unexpected complications.  I absolutely could not pay it in one swoop, even though I was still working at the time.  Fortunately my vet allowed me to write three post-dated checks - essentially a payment plan.  Will your vet agree to something like that? 

You are wise not to say too much about this to people who don't understand that cats are family members.  I made the mistake of telling a friend this.
  What a lecture I got!  Phooey.  I'd do it again.  (It being the dental, not telling the friend
)
 
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DreamerRose

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Well yes, I had a cat that needed it, but the vet didn't even suggest it. He put her down instead. I've never gotten over that, and it's been over 25 years. I think she would have lived quite a bit longer if she's had her teeth cleaned.

I realize these bills can be jaw-dropping, but what about credit cards? My vet takes them. I've got a regular credit card at 12.5% and a home equity credit card at 4%. The home equity is just like a credit card, but it's backed up by the equity in your house, so the interest is lower. Of course, if you rent, you have to rely on regular credit. But it seems like this is an option instead of trying to pay it all at one go.
 
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crazy4strays

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My vet doesn't take credit cards. I suspect that's one reason why his rates are so reasonable.
 

DreamerRose

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That's a bummer. I hope you can work it out some other way. I definitely am not a person to make snarky comments about spending money on a cat, and I don't think anyone else on this site is, either.
 

furmummy

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Maybe you need to sit down with your vet and talk this through.

IF the bill goes up to around $400 and you have to postpone it, it will end up costing more since you would again have to pay for the bloodwork, anesthesia etc.

not to mention putting your cat through the ordeal one more time.

Check with your vet what your options are. Will he/she allow you to pay it off after you get your tax refund?  Really, there is no sense of having your cat on the operating table just to realize you can't do it all that day. If your cat is 15, chances are that there may be a few teeth that are better off coming out. Better do whatever needs to be done in one sitting. Best all around!!  For you AND kitty. :)  

I bet your vet will work with you on this!

And don't forget to use homeopathic remedies to help recovery, minimizing swelling, bruising and pain!
 

2azwildcats

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All I can tell you is that my 8 year old just had a cleaning and had 5 teeth removed and it was expensive but it included X-rays, pain meds, antibiotics and pre-op blood work.  But I have to say it was worth the price.  He is so much more playful now and seems to be happier.  I think he must have been in a lot of pain for a while.  He had bad breath before and now it is clean and fresh - except after eating his stinky cat food :)   Unfortunately, the vet said he is genetically inclined for bad teeth.  
 

donutte

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Sara has a tooth resorption also, but after much consideration we had to go the route of not having it extracted. She has too many health issues that can cause complications, including a heart murmur. I was told it would be $800 at the most (that included extraction, x-rays, cleaning, etc) but could possibly be less. I also know my vet is a bit on the expensive side so I am guessing the average cost would be less than that. And she's almost 14, so I feel really bad that she has to live with a bad tooth.

My vet did say that if it seemed to bother her too much, he'd rather go the route of pain meds in her case, just because of all the problems she's having. So, that's an option we can consider if needed.
 
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crazy4strays

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Yesterday, at an adoption event for my rescue that I foster for, I ran into the vet tech from my vet's office. It turns out that she's a foster mom for them too! We got a chance to talk and she was very reassuring about the upcoming dental.

Probably I'll do the preliminary bloodwork tomorrow and then schedule the actual dental procedure a couple of weeks out. We'll see how it goes! 
 

cinqchats

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That's a fantastic deal for a tooth cleaning! WOW. When Smoochie was about 12 she had several horrible teeth taken out to the tune of about $600-800. It did really help her and she was much happier afterwards.

If you're worried about the anesthesia, I wouldn't be. It's much safer nowadays and with that pre-op bloodwork they'll be able to catch almost anything that would cause a complication. Being an old cat, it'll take longer to recover but in the long run you'll be glad you did it. Stock up on wet food for the first week or so.

Oh, and my vet will call after my pet is asleep to check in with me. They'll also call if something unexpected comes up and they'll tell me how much more $ they estimate it will cost. (Unless it's an emergency.) Perhaps your vet will do this as well?
 
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markira

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I just adopted Secret, who is 10 years old and has spent her whole life at the shelter. She's had trouble with feline gingivostomatitis for most of that, and has had all but one tooth extracted. 

Today was her one-month adoptive wellness visit (a free service provided by local vets), and yep, Secret needs to have the last tooth extracted. They'll do X-rays first to see if there are any old roots that need to come out as well. I was given an estimate of $400-$550, although they are currently offering $50 off dental services (every little bit!). Of course, that $50 is being offset by an extra $40 to have them aspirate a fatty lump on her side to be sure it is benign.

I have a low-income household, and this is a HUGE expense. I'm a little irritated that they had left one tooth, knowing that she has had multiple extractions over the years (11 the first time!). But, it's not Secret's fault, and I can't stand the thought of her being in pain. Her poor tooth was covered with blood just from the vet touching it, her gums are so bad.  I scheduled the extraction for this Thursday.

Not quite sure where I'm getting the money to pay for this. I know I can do a payment plan with the vet, but it'll probably still be hard for me to manage.

So, I can definitely empathize! The things we do for our critters. :) 

At least we will know that our furry ones will be healthier and happier!!! 

~mk
 
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crazy4strays

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$400-550 just to have one tooth extracted? You could almost pay for gas to drive out to my vet's office and still come out ahead. 
 
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markira

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That includes the bloodwork (required on older cats to be sure she is healthy enough to handle anesthesia), full dental X-rays, extraction, nerve block, antibiotics, as well as the pain med to go home with. The higher range is if the X-rays show that there are any old roots that have remained from previous procedures that also need to be extracted. The actual extraction of the tooth is $40. :p

I'm suffering from some sticker-shock on this also.
 
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crazy4strays

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Great news!

I took my kitty in today and his bloodwork shows that he is in fantastic health! No liver or kidney issues! 
 He's also lost some additional weight on his low carb wet food diet and is now down to a very healthy 10.4 pounds. (he was overweight and had a giant belly when we adopted him last year)

The vet said that the dental is definitely a go, and he expressed appreciation that we opted for the bloodwork. (he doesn't require it, but definitely prefers that it be done)

My vet's office is a small country office and really can only book one surgery per day, so they can't even get us in for the dental until April 20th! That gives us plenty of time to stash more money in our piggy bank and get our tax refund.

I'm relieved that things are turning out well so far!
 

foxxycat

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So happy for you!! Yep I also need to get dental work done for three kitkats=but I don't trust the place I used to take them-want to find a vet who knows exactly how much anesthesia to use-I always have fears that something will happen but I know its essential to their health. so far they didn't say to me that I need it done but said they only have a bit of tartar on their teeth either way I know it needs to get done this spring!

I am sure you are very relieved!
 

kittens mom

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Great news!

I took my kitty in today and his bloodwork shows that he is in fantastic health! No liver or kidney issues! 
 He's also lost some additional weight on his low carb wet food diet and is now down to a very healthy 10.4 pounds. (he was overweight and had a giant belly when we adopted him last year)

The vet said that the dental is definitely a go, and he expressed appreciation that we opted for the bloodwork. (he doesn't require it, but definitely prefers that it be done)

My vet's office is a small country office and really can only book one surgery per day, so they can't even get us in for the dental until April 20th! That gives us plenty of time to stash more money in our piggy bank and get our tax refund.

I'm relieved that things are turning out well so far!
When Kitten had her dental done we asked for and got antibiotics to start taking a few days ahead of the surgery. We knew she had a cracked tooth that had to come out. We are waiting till April to get Mook a clean, polish and seal for the same reason. I don't need one more thing on our credit cards.
 
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