Hi everyone,
I'm sorry that it's been so long since I've posted! Once Bailey started acting like herself again and her major health issues mysteriously improved for reasons unknown to me, I kind of drifted away from the forums. I felt like I was growing a little too paranoid and was stressing her out as a result, so I decided I needed to take a few steps back.
It's been about a year without any major issues, so the dental work that I'd been putting off has now come to the forefront. Bailey is 13 now and just had her annual exam yesterday. I'm awaiting the results of her full bloodwork panel. If everything comes back normal, I need to get her in for a cleaning, and most likely at least one extraction. Her vet recommended that this be done about 1.5 years ago, but then we had a long, stressful period of trying to find the cause of her hypercalcemia (which was eventually determined to be idiopathic and eventually normalized randomly). Her top left incisor has been loose along with gum swelling. That is the tooth that will most likely be coming out, and she may need more extractions since her teeth aren't exactly in pristine condition.
Anyway, I know there are tons of posts about dental work and anesthesia, but I have some questions about the her specific situation.
1. Are there any specific risks regarding the extraction of an incisor? I know it shouldn't affect her ability to eat once it's healed, but since it's such a big tooth, are there any particular concerns?
2. I'm pretty sure the vet said that a combination of butorphanol/midazolam is what is typically used for a pre-anesthetic. Does anyone have any experiences with this?
3. For anesthesia, either a combination of telazol/isofluorane or just isofluorane will be used. I know that isofluorane seems to be common older cats and cats with compromised health, but I've also read that a combination of anesthetics can sometimes be preferable since less of each one is used. Does anyone have any opinion on this?
4. I'm going to get a little more information once I get her bloodwork back and schedule the appointment, but how about antibiotics and/or post-operative pain medication? Does anyone have any good/bad experiences with certain ones?
Thanks everyone! I'll continue to read through the forums, but if you have any input, I'd greatly appreciate it!
I'm sorry that it's been so long since I've posted! Once Bailey started acting like herself again and her major health issues mysteriously improved for reasons unknown to me, I kind of drifted away from the forums. I felt like I was growing a little too paranoid and was stressing her out as a result, so I decided I needed to take a few steps back.
It's been about a year without any major issues, so the dental work that I'd been putting off has now come to the forefront. Bailey is 13 now and just had her annual exam yesterday. I'm awaiting the results of her full bloodwork panel. If everything comes back normal, I need to get her in for a cleaning, and most likely at least one extraction. Her vet recommended that this be done about 1.5 years ago, but then we had a long, stressful period of trying to find the cause of her hypercalcemia (which was eventually determined to be idiopathic and eventually normalized randomly). Her top left incisor has been loose along with gum swelling. That is the tooth that will most likely be coming out, and she may need more extractions since her teeth aren't exactly in pristine condition.
Anyway, I know there are tons of posts about dental work and anesthesia, but I have some questions about the her specific situation.
1. Are there any specific risks regarding the extraction of an incisor? I know it shouldn't affect her ability to eat once it's healed, but since it's such a big tooth, are there any particular concerns?
2. I'm pretty sure the vet said that a combination of butorphanol/midazolam is what is typically used for a pre-anesthetic. Does anyone have any experiences with this?
3. For anesthesia, either a combination of telazol/isofluorane or just isofluorane will be used. I know that isofluorane seems to be common older cats and cats with compromised health, but I've also read that a combination of anesthetics can sometimes be preferable since less of each one is used. Does anyone have any opinion on this?
4. I'm going to get a little more information once I get her bloodwork back and schedule the appointment, but how about antibiotics and/or post-operative pain medication? Does anyone have any good/bad experiences with certain ones?
Thanks everyone! I'll continue to read through the forums, but if you have any input, I'd greatly appreciate it!