Post Dental Extraction Care

[stephanietx]

My Daisy had a dental and one tooth extracted today. We have her pain meds to start tonight. She's not eaten much since getting home. Of course, she prefers dry food over her wet food, but I know that's got to hurt her to some extent. What are signs of pain following a dental extraction?

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. Signs of pain can vary. Basically, if it would hurt us, it hurts them, even if they don’t show it. Any variation of their normal behavior can be pain.

Did they say it was okay for her to eat dry food?
What is the pain medication?

 

[silent meowlook]

She is a very cute cat!

 

[Antonio65]

I have seen and had a few cats which had their teeth pulled (one or two teeth, or even full mouth), and what I experienced is that the first couple of days they eat little, especially when all teeth have been pulled.
If the cat is on pain medication, it will eat something anyway. The vets always told me not to gve dry food during the first few days, and to prefer morsels or shreds over pate, because pate tends to stick to their gums which is not good after such a surgery.

I love torties

 

[stephanietx]

They really didn't give me any instructions. I need to call the office and get more info. We water down wet food so it's pretty thin. She won't eat anything other than pate, no matter how she feels. She's still pretty hyper and has reverted to some of the same behavior she had when we first got her 12 years ago.

Did they say it was okay for her to eat dry food?
What is the pain medication?

She is on buprenorphine transdermal for pain

 

[white shadow]

.
Hi stephanietx !

The "hyper" could well be from the buprenorphine. That's commonly seen. You could try reducing the dose, cutting back a little on the amount of cream you're using.

I hope to hear that a re-check in 7-10 days was included in the pre-surgery agreement.......?
.

 

[stephanietx]

Her behavior is very similar to when we first adopted her. I think she thought we'd abandoned her, which is something she has struggled with her whole life with us. I think with time, the anesthesia working itself out of her system, and she starts feeling better, she'll return to her normal self. The good thing is, she is eating some, sleeping normally, and using the litter box like a champ. She's also been playing some.

There is no re-check scheduled, but if needed, I can get her in quickly.

 

[neely]

The vets always told me not to gve dry food during the first few days

The last time Carleton had extractions the vet who is a feline specialist instructed us not to give him dry food for at least a week to 10 days. However, he had more than one tooth extracted unlike Daisy who only had one so that may have made a difference.

Glad she's starting to come around and feel better, i.e. eating, sleeping, playing a little and using the litter box.

 

[stephanietx]

I double checked with my vet today and she said she can have dry food, but if she's having difficulty with it, to wet it down for her. She had a pre-molar extracted and a regular cleaning.

 

[daftcat75]

Premolar is no big deal. Cats don't really use those teeth anyway. It would be easier on her if she ate soft food for a few days. But it's probably not going to matter all that much considering the tooth. You can ask your vet for Hills A/D which is a high appeal, high calorie pate that you could mix in with her regular food if you think she isn't eating enough. As it gets on longer into the recovery, you can wean her off the A/D. Buprenorphine itself may be having an impact on her appetite. When I give Betty bupe, she doesn't feel pain. But she also doesn't feel hunger. Generally they send you home with only a few days worth of bupe. Go ahead and use it up. It's easier to stay ahead of pain than to catch up to it if you let off the bupe too soon. You can also ask your vet about a tube of Mirataz (appetite stimulant) if you think she needs a little extra help for a couple of weeks. Some cats bounce back quicker than others and some extractions are easier to recover from than others. You might also ask your vet about gabapentin if you think she might still need some pain relief after you have used up the bupe.

This was Betty last year after her dental procedure, so hopped up on bupe that she wasn't interested in food or much of anything else. Sometimes bupe works too well!

Betty Bupe

• daftcat75
• Oct 24, 2023
• 2

Betty’s recent dental procedure had her looking rather pained. After a bupe dose, she seems to...

 

[stephanietx]

Daisy is much better this evening and ate all her wet food dinner as normal. I do think the anesthesia has worn off more and that's helping matters. She slept on the bed with the other kitties this afternoon, which is a good sign. She even came and snuggled on my chest as if to tell me she forgives me for abandoning her at the vet's office. I will probably give her one more dose of the bup or maybe through the end of tomorrow and see how she does after that. We actually have Mirataz on hand because we give it to our IBD kitty from time to time.

 

[daftcat75]

Daisy is much better this evening and ate all her wet food dinner as normal. I do think the anesthesia has worn off more and that's helping matters. She slept on the bed with the other kitties this afternoon, which is a good sign. She even came and snuggled on my chest as if to tell me she forgives me for abandoning her at the vet's office. I will probably give her one more dose of the bup or maybe through the end of tomorrow and see how she does after that. We actually have Mirataz on hand because we give it to our IBD kitty from time to time.

Because cats hide pain, because it’s easier to stay ahead of pain than to catch up to it, and because she seems to be doing well, I would use up the bupe rather than stop it early. If you stop early, you may learn that it was doing more than you saw. It can be harder to get back on track by the time she starts feeling the pain again.

Not every cat reacts poorly to bupe. My Krista before Betty did well on the stuff. Betty does better on gabapentin. If Daisy is doing well on bupe, use it up as prescribed rather than stopping early. It’s probably still working for her if you are less than a week out from her extraction.

 

[white shadow]

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stephanietx .........
This has been said twice so far, but, I'll second it for a third!!

"it’s easier to stay ahead of pain than to catch up to it, and because she seems to be doing well, I would use up the bupe rather than stop it early."​

.

 

[stephanietx]

She is back to her normal self today and is eating well. She does not appear to be in any pain and is eating very well.

 

[neely]

Thanks for the update and, most of all, good news!