The importance of brushing your baby's teeth...

crystal211

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When we adopted Figaro about a month ago, his breath was HORRIBLE and I knew his teeth were going to need some major work. When I took him in for his first vet visit, the vet told me they were the worst teeth he's ever seen and they needed to be taken care of asap.

I dropped him off yesterday morning, and got a call about an hour later from the vet saying a lot had to come out. I told him that was fine, do what needed to be done.

When I picked him up that afternoon, we met with the vet...and he told us that Figaro now had three teeth...lol...his two front canines and one bottom canine (his other bottom one was missing before we adopted him). He said a lot of the teeth were rotted right down to the root, it was pretty bad. I have the teeth he removed, they're horribly gross...and we're both certain he's feeling like a new cat now.

His breath is sooo nice now, and I hope he's feeling much better. He's been as lovey as ever since he got back, and he's on pain meds for the next few days, so hopefully he'll be comfortable. I was expecting to drop about $400 on the whole thing because of how bad it was, but we only spent $280, so that was nice....still money I didn't want to part with, but if it makes him feel better, it was money well spent.

I know many pet owners brush off dental care...but Fig's our second cat with dental problems (Jazmine had horrible teeth when we took her off the streets and we had to give her medication for gingivitis twice and have a full cleaning to take care of everything once...we're now set, but it was a long battle with those issues). My family laughs at me because next to our toothbrushes in the bathroom we have cat toothbrushes and poultry flavored toothpaste...but they need a daily brushing just like we do.

Here's pictures of his teeth...how horrible that these were in his mouth for so long (and we're not even certain how long they've been like this...we've only had him a month, but he's 4 years old).



 

angelkitty

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Poor thing!!! Where do you find toothpaste and toothbrushes for your cats?? Our babies are 6 months old, and we just got them this month,, and I didn't know you had to brush their teeth.. IT's a chore just to clip their nails!!!


Thanks for the information.. Ohh those teeth are horrible,,, that's juusttt soo sad!!!


But that is good you took care of the situation..
that's great,, even though it was quite expensive.. That just makes you a heck of a catmommy!!

Heather
 

phenomsmom

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Those teeth look disgusting! I am glad you got them taken care of and now he is gettting better!! You are a very good Meowmie!
 

sarahbeez

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Yikes! Poor guy
I'm glad he seems to be feeling better! Do you think he will let you start brushing his remaining teeth??

We've never brushed our cats teeth before but I was thinking about starting it with Maui. He's only 6 months old so I think I can still start without him giving me too much trouble.

What do you recommend to get for starting out- toothpaste wise?

I had done some reading about getting him used to me touching his gums and teeth- which he doesn't seem to mind so much, then slowly working to the brush, then adding toothpaste.... just not sure which most paste has the best success rate!

Edit- Thanks for the link- I'm too slow typing at work...
 
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crystal211

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I definitely recommend the flavored toothpastes from CET -- what I do is wrap the cats in a towel and put them on my lap, hold the toothbrush with the paste on it under their nose, and let them lick it for a second (because they really enjoy the taste and smell). Then I pull it back from them, but my hand around the upper-back of their head and pull up their lips, and brush.

They also have rinses and gels available - I'm going to be purchasing a rinse, but the gels didn't do much for us because it's to hard to get them to sit still as you put it on their gums (an inch line of it under their top lip on each side).

I recommend starting young with them - 6 months is a good age. Minnie doesn't mind it, the others tolerate it for the most part...but they're used to me doing it now (they're 1, 3, and 4 years old).
 
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crystal211

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Originally Posted by angelkitty

Poor thing!!! Where do you find toothpaste and toothbrushes for your cats?? Our babies are 6 months old, and we just got them this month,, and I didn't know you had to brush their teeth.. IT's a chore just to clip their nails!!!
See, and that's the problem...a lot of pet owners either don't know or don't care about dental health for their pet. That's why I'm hoping to educate others from our experience...the kitties I've had since they were kittens all have perfect teeth (I'm proud to say I got a compliment on Minnie's teeth during her last vet visit), but we've had to deal with horrible issues from the ones we got as adults.
 

solaritybengals

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Getting peacock feathers are more than just a toy. If your cat takes to chewing on the stem they act as a natural toothbrush
. My vet gave me a bunch for this reason since we have a little bit of gingivitis.
 

sarahbeez

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Originally Posted by SolarityBengals

My vet gave me a bunch for this reason since we have a little bit of gingivitis.
Normally I consult my dentist for those type of issues but hey if peacock feathers work for you then more power to ya!


Seriously though... I checked out that site- thanks!- but I'm confused which toothbrush to get... they all say they come in an assortment of sizes but I don't see how you can choose. Or is the "Cat toothbrush" at the very bottom the right one?
 

les0304

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Originally Posted by Crystal211

See, and that's the problem...a lot of pet owners either don't know or don't care about dental health for their pet. That's why I'm hoping to educate others from our experience...the kitties I've had since they were kittens all have perfect teeth (I'm proud to say I got a compliment on Minnie's teeth during her last vet visit), but we've had to deal with horrible issues from the ones we got as adults.
First of all, I just want to tell you how wonderful you are for taking care of your cats' teeth.

Second, I am a huge advocate for oral care in cats (I'm an RVT at a feline practice). I can tell you first hand that when I suggest oral care (specifically brushing) I get laughed at, which is soooo frustrating for me. I wish that all of my clients were able to understand the importance of this topic before it is too late.

Again, wonderful job!
 
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crystal211

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Thanks very much...I pride myself in being well educated about my cats' health and doing what needs to get done to take care of them. My mom says the "outrageous" vet bills are unnecessary...but whatever, money is no object when it comes to my babies.

Abigail - have you looked into dental wipes? I know that Drs Foster and Smith carries them, I just saw them in their catalog. Here's a link to them....

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...pc=1&N=0&Nty=1
 

vik61

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Hmmm. I was reading somewhere in here about how some cats have problem teeth--almost like their immune systems attack the teeth. You might want to ask your vet about this is the case.

Some cats are more prone to dental disease than others.

http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/dental2.html
 
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