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- Jan 31, 2021
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Hello!
Just being my usual chronic worrier. At her exam in July-ish, we found that Sassy (12 year old rescue, otherwise perfectly healthy) had two, possibly three cavities that would probably require extraction. Both were visible in the exam, one on each of her rearmost top teeth, and a very small dark bump on her lower gum that the doctor did not believe to be cancerous and did not seem painful. Due to expense, I had to put it off until January. Sassy's behavior in this time has not changed at all - she's, well she's not particularly active, but she's 12. So she's active for a senior indoor cat. She eats, drinks, poops, pees, and plays normally - especially eating. Dry food, wet food, treats, people food, you name it. She's always looking for something to snack on. The doctor prescribed me pain medication (gabapentin) but it was a huge dose (50mg twice a day for a 9.8lb cat) and Sassy finds being sedated very upsetting, so I've basically been giving her a very small amount after dinner once a day. Not sure if it's helping, but it can't be hurting.
Over the past few days Sassy's breath has gotten quite a bit worse, but she has no other symptoms - she's acting the way she always does (maybe a little bit sleepier but it is winter and she is old).
I guess I just need reassurance from more experienced people (Sassy is my first cat) that she is going to be okay waiting for a few more weeks to get those teeth pulled as I know dental issues, if left untreated, can cause very serious health issues, but I assume that if these issues were so serious that she was at risk for other problems she would have some symptom other than "bad breath." It occurs to me that I have also switched her wet food out due to supply chain issues, so that could also be causing the bad breath and I really could be worrying about absolutely nothing.
Anyway, just looking for some support and reassurance that I did the right thing for my little buddy and that if we were at that stage of "dental problem," Sassy would let me know.
Just being my usual chronic worrier. At her exam in July-ish, we found that Sassy (12 year old rescue, otherwise perfectly healthy) had two, possibly three cavities that would probably require extraction. Both were visible in the exam, one on each of her rearmost top teeth, and a very small dark bump on her lower gum that the doctor did not believe to be cancerous and did not seem painful. Due to expense, I had to put it off until January. Sassy's behavior in this time has not changed at all - she's, well she's not particularly active, but she's 12. So she's active for a senior indoor cat. She eats, drinks, poops, pees, and plays normally - especially eating. Dry food, wet food, treats, people food, you name it. She's always looking for something to snack on. The doctor prescribed me pain medication (gabapentin) but it was a huge dose (50mg twice a day for a 9.8lb cat) and Sassy finds being sedated very upsetting, so I've basically been giving her a very small amount after dinner once a day. Not sure if it's helping, but it can't be hurting.
Over the past few days Sassy's breath has gotten quite a bit worse, but she has no other symptoms - she's acting the way she always does (maybe a little bit sleepier but it is winter and she is old).
I guess I just need reassurance from more experienced people (Sassy is my first cat) that she is going to be okay waiting for a few more weeks to get those teeth pulled as I know dental issues, if left untreated, can cause very serious health issues, but I assume that if these issues were so serious that she was at risk for other problems she would have some symptom other than "bad breath." It occurs to me that I have also switched her wet food out due to supply chain issues, so that could also be causing the bad breath and I really could be worrying about absolutely nothing.
Anyway, just looking for some support and reassurance that I did the right thing for my little buddy and that if we were at that stage of "dental problem," Sassy would let me know.
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