My furbabe Lola supposedly has gingivitis

[Carpediem]

Hey all. I’m new on here. I have a furbabe I adopted from AC&C shelter back in 2013. Her name is Lola and she is now 7. She is the love of my life and we have been through so much together. I am disabled and have no help from family, not many friends. So it’s been difficult for me to keep up with her wellness visits and annuals. This September she started sneezing and she was sleeping a lot. For a 7 year old cat you’d think the sleeping was normal. The contrary this cat has been so full of energy since she was a kitten and is still wound up droplets on the blanket on my couch suggested she had a cold. I couldn’t get a hold of her vet which I then found out the clinic was under renovations and getting new staff. So I kept the appointment I made with another vet. Lola actually got comfortable during the 2 visits there. She had a fever not too high and her gums were inflamed. The vet told me gingivitis. And a dental procedure was needed. But I felt they were more in it for the money. They gave me no information or explained to me what was going on or how urgent the procedure was. More red flags when I’d call the clinic and wouldn’t get a call back only to be told that some of the staff, the “girls” just wanted to clock out and wouldn’t check all voicemails before the end of the day. They’ve only called me once since September and that’s it. I finally got a hold of her vet explained the situation to the vet tech and they scheduled me in for a wellness visit and her distemper shot in December. I’m a bit angry at myself because I’m usually well informed, ask a lot of questions. But I had a procedure done a few days before, an epidural (and yes in pain I took my furbaby in)and was a bit out of it. I am really livid at what this clinic did. I’m researching everything now and am not taking her back there. They weren’t transparent about their prices so I went in and was charged more for the visit. It was only $5 more but that’s besides the point. Then the quote for her procedure almost $1000. Some things weren’t made clear to me after the fact. I have someone who is trying to help with Lola’s vet expenses. But the fact is they knew I was on a fixed income and when I started asking about ways to pay for the procedure they kind of shut me down and said they don’t take payment plans and I could call an organization right around the block! I called the ASPCA and The Humane Society. They have nothing til way out in January and since this vet clinic didn’t answer my calls when I wanted to know how urgent this procedure was, if I had some time to come up with the fees, I stopped calling. Luckily Lola is scheduled to see her old vet. My question is has anyone had similar situations? Not just with vets but has anyone experienced their furbaby getting gingivitis? If so what steps did you take before they needed a dental procedure done during the interim? My vet said they do care credit and scratchpay, the latter I just became aware of while looking for other vets online. I don’t think I’ll qualify for care credit and wouldn’t dream of asking anyone to apply for me. Scratchpay anyone have information on this as well? Sorry for the novella but I want everyone to know as many details as possible. Thanks! Everyone have a great day!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

There are many cats here on TCS that have had gingivitis. Unfortunately, it's fairly common. BUT, if they didn't say it was severe, then Lola can probably wait until mid to late January to get her dental done by either the ASPCA or The Humane Society. Afterall, it's already November, so we aren't really talking all that long now, and if it will save you lots of money, I say go for it. BUT, if she stops eating or you start seeing her gums bleeding, then call the Vet you are comfortable with and schedule with them.

I don't really know of anything you can do to help with the Gingivitis at this point other than the dental, unless you can get one of those Vets to prescribe some antibiotics. But afterwards, you can start brushing her teeth or using an oral gel that might help. Here's an article on Gingivitis that might give you a little more insight into it: Gingivitis And Stomatitis In Cats – TheCatSite Articles

As far as Scratchpay goes, I'd never heard of it before today. All I did was google it, so I'm guessing if you did that you know as much as I do about it.

Keep us posted on how Lola is doing.

 

[Carpediem]

Thank you! Yes I found scratchpay at one of the sites for another vet as form of payment along with care credit. I’m happy to say she is still eating, playful as always. Her vet is seeing her December 20th but the clinic told me if there are any cancellations before then they will call me. I was trying to get Lola in the first week of December. As soon as her vet tells me what’s going on and if I can’t pay I found another organization which may be able to help. If it can wait I will contact the ASPCA and the Humane Society. But as of now both organizations are doing procedures without pet owners with their pets. They’re picking up the pet at the curb and calling the owner I think either by phone or video to let them know how their pet is doing and procedure is going. I’m not comfortable with this. I know due to Covid there are some limitations and guidelines in place. But Lola has separation anxiety and she used to be feral when I adopted her and she gets feral every now and then when she’s uncomfortable with a situation and doesn’t like to be away from me. So that concerns me. I’ll figure it out though. I’m just glad she’s being seen soon. Thank you for the link and your reply. Love and light

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

For a dental, you won't be able to be with her anyway. Even before Covid, we had to drop off our furkids at 7:30 a.m. on dental day and couldn't pick them up until later in the afternoon since they have to run bloodwork before hand to make sure they are good to go, then anesthesize them, set up the IV, take dental xrays, do the cleaning and pull any teeth if needed, and send over to recovery. That all takes time.

 

[Carpediem]

For a dental, you won't be able to be with her anyway. Even before Covid, we had to drop off our furkids at 7:30 a.m. on dental day and couldn't pick them up until later in the afternoon since they have to run bloodwork before hand to make sure they are good to go, then anesthesize them, set up the IV, take dental xrays, do the cleaning and pull any teeth if needed, and send over to recovery. That all takes time.

You’re right. I’m just so worried she’s going to be freaking out the moment I leave her side. But as long as all is well with the procedure and her recovery I’ll be alright