3/6 Maui Update

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Hillary & Maui (GA)

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Hi Everyone,

Since it's Saturday, we decided to borrow a condo for the day and give you the latest developments regarding Miss Maui the Magnificent!

Yesterday, Maui went to the board certified dentist here in NJ (@ Red Bank Veterinary Hospital). I think he's the only one in the state.

Well, he examined her mouth and saw a lot of calculus and something he never saw before. Which for a dental specialist, who worked in zoos and treated all kinds of animals and big cats, as well as little ones, is not something you ever want to hear. He didn't want to tell me anything until he got her xrayed and knew what he was looking at. He did say if it's a concern, he will biopsy.

So, I kissed Maui goodbye and left her with the dentist and his techs. He called about 2:30 and said I could pick her up at 4 and he would go over everything then.

He showed me the xrays and turns out she had 2 resportive teeth - left lower molars and both came out. He stitched the area with dissolving stitches and already gave her pain meds.

The thing he never saw before was on both sides of Maui's mouth (at least she's even) she has two connections where her lip and gum connect (please understand I may not be saying this correctly, so those of you who get what this mean, please explain it to us) Whereas, animals only have one connection. He said that pathologically it was clear, so no biopsy needed. He said that he had to cut into the left side in order to remove the teeth and "fluid" came out.

He did not elaborate. Rather he said it was interesting and something he never saw before....ugh...and he wants to keep an eye on this to make sure it really isn't any concern.

He sent us home with bupe for the weekend and was insistent that it be given to her. He made it idiot proof (1 syringe - BID). He said soft food only, no raw - as he doesn't want the bacteria from the raw getting into the gum.

I forgot to ask if she could have cooked chicken, but I'm guessing probably not, even though it's soft.

And he wants a follow up in 2 weeks and will give me home care tips and instructions and will want to see her every 6 months.

He asked about the dandruff that she has and I didn't have any answer to that. It's something that I noticed about a month ago. He suggested seeing the regular vet - but the vet saw it and didn't comment, so not sure what to do about that. Hopefully it will resolve itself now that her mouth is better, any ideas or suggestions?

I tested her BG before taking her in yesterday and it was 85. However, he looked at the test that was taken a month ago and said her BG was 403! Whaaaat, the vet didn't say anything about this and I haven't received a copy of it - so I called vet to get a copy and to see for myself. And no, it wasn't a fructosamine (at least not that I know of). So, before I freak out about this BG number, I'll get the copy of the bloodwork and see what's what.

Last night, she wouldn't sit still, if I called her name, she'd look around and run away, like she was being chased. I tried to put her in her favorite places, but she would only sit dazed on the floor. Early this morning, I called out to her and she came to bed, looking more like herself. She ate breakfast in bed, did some grooming, got her AM bupe and is now resting in bed. I'm ok if she stays a bit loopy from the bupe, as long as she's calm and resting and not in pain....

And that's Miss Maui the Magnificent with clean teeth and hopefully a healthy mouth! Thanks for reading.


 
Hi Hillary and Maui

good report! Nice to see you both in LL.
Glad she's home getting better and getting the royal treatment I'm sure!


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Hillary & Maui said:
Hi Everyone,






He asked about the dandruff that she has and I didn't have any answer to that. It's something that I noticed about a month ago. He suggested seeing the regular vet - but the vet saw it and didn't comment, so not sure what to do about that. Hopefully it will resolve itself now that her mouth is better, any ideas or suggestions?

I tested her BG before taking her in yesterday and it was 85. However, he looked at the test that was taken a month ago and said her BG was 403! Whaaaat, the vet didn't say anything about this and I haven't received a copy of it - so I called vet to get a copy and to see for myself. And no, it wasn't a fructosamine (at least not that I know of). So, before I freak out about this BG number, I'll get the copy of the bloodwork and see what's what.

Last night, she wouldn't sit still, if I called her name, she'd look around and run away, like she was being chased. I tried to put her in her favorite places, but she would only sit dazed on the floor. Early this morning, I called out to her and she came to bed, looking more like herself. She ate breakfast in bed, did some grooming, got her AM bupe and is now resting in bed. I'm ok if she stays a bit loopy from the bupe, as long as she's calm and resting and not in pain....

And that's Miss Maui the Magnificent with clean teeth and hopefully a healthy mouth! Thanks for reading.




Hey Hillary,

Didn't see your post until just now.

Glad that MTM is feeling better today :) I think she was freaky from the anesthesia last night. I've seen people that don't even know who they are or remember having conversations after anesthesia even though they did and it seemed at the time like they knew and were aware of everything going on around them!!! Anesthesia is very strange stuff. If they gave her any Ketamine, even stranger. You said that Maui was aware of where she was but that's not necessarily so.....

The dandruff could be from any number of things although if this is recent within the last month it wouldn't seem to be diabetes related? It could be from just aging. It could be from an allergy, dry skin, or lack or fatty acids in her diet or just her diet , period. The raw diet could straighten that out...maybe.

The bg reading is weird unless Maui was just scared at the time of the vet visit. Had you tested her the morning you took her? When the reading was 403? (I always do the comparison to see if the labs are the same as mine. I have the results of Alex's tests from this week and they were 465 @ +1.5 and he had tested HI that morning). I wouldn't get crazy alarmed but it is very weird...don't you think?

I am glad to hear that Maui is doing better today and after all that I'm sure her mouth is clean as a whistle. She's lucky to have you as a Mommy. :-D
 
Thanks for the update. I'm not sure you want the the specialist to say "interesting". I hope she heals well and recovers quickly, and that the interesting thing is a non event.
 
Hi, Hillary!

I am glad it's OVER.

After Kitty's dental, I fed only the softest food. I had a can of A/D, which is closer to whipped consistency, and Kitty preferred it. You could also mash up the FF or soft food, or even put it in the blender. I'll bet Ms. Maui will appreciate being able to drink her meals -- no, not like that!! :-D

You are lucky to have found the resorptive issues early. As for the "fluid" -- maybe it was just cyst-like stuff, or normal "interstitial" type stuff.

Also wanted to mention that Kitty has sometimes had that dandruff-y stuff. Seems like it's when the air is very dry. It seems to go away on its own. I hope Maui's does too. Has she been hanging out at Waikiki? Sand, maybe? :lol:

No joke -- hope she feels better, and hope you do too. :YMHUG: :YMHUG:
 
Did your vet tell you whether there were still roots attached to the teeth that came out? Any kind of prognosis for future attention needed?

You are lucky to have access to a board-certified dental vet. You have gotten Maui the best possible care! :-D
 
Thanks for the update.
Tizon and I wish Maui the Magnificent a speedy recovery. It's over! Bupe is good stuff I'm told.
Sending healing vines your way!
 
Kathy and Kitty said:
Did your vet tell you whether there were still roots attached to the teeth that came out? Any kind of prognosis for future attention needed?

He said that he removed everything, hence the need for stitches in her mouth.

You are lucky to have access to a board-certified dental vet. You have gotten Maui the best possible care! :-D

It took me a long time to figure that out actually. I always thought you only went there when there was a serious problem and not for "routine" treatment. And I went, after learning that my regular vet don't do xrays and Sydney needs overnight care (fluids) and the regular vet is not 24 hour, like the specialty place.

So, even though it cost way more money - it's worth the cost to have peace of mind that the most thorough and complete care is being given. Plus this dentist has his own staff who only work for him - one person who only does anesthesia, another who does the pre-treatment and care and someone whose only job is to sit in the room with the recovering animals and make sure they come out of anesthesia and recover ok.

Regular vet practice doesn't do that. So, yeh, I guess I'm lucky and distance-wise - it's 30 minutes away. So, not bad, easy to get to.
 
I'm glad Maui had a good dental, although it does seem typical of her to find a way to make an impression on the specialist. :smile:

I hope that high reading was nothing, or a serious case of vet stress.

Good to hear from you!
 
The heck with Birmingham, I wish we could fly to YOUR vet! (Just a fantasy.)

The vet in Birmingham doesn't even have 24-hour supervision, let alone all that nifty bedside manner stuff.
 
Kathy and Kitty said:
The heck with Birmingham, I wish we could fly to YOUR vet! (Just a fantasy.)

The vet in Birmingham doesn't even have 24-hour supervision, let alone all that nifty bedside manner stuff.

Why a fantasy? If you really needed to you could do it! Her vet is an hour from Newark Airport and if you planned a head you could get a low airfare and bring Kitty in the cabin with you
 
Sounds like a good thing she was where she was to have the dental done. I'm sure she'll heal quickly.

Why wouldn't she be able to have cooked chicken? It's not raw if it's cooked. You'd probably want to shred it or mash it, though.
 
I am glad to hear Maui did so well.....Zoe is always goofy after anesthesia, and she loves the Bupe. After she had 3 teeth extracted, the vet told me to mix water into her food to make it softer....well, now she only likes her food if it is soupy and she doesn't have to work to eat....she just licks it up. :roll:

Hope her recovery continues smoothly.

Sherry & Zoe
 
Nina, I'm just wondering if cooked chicken would be considered "soft" enough. She has stitches in her mouth and the concern is if she chews and breaks open the stitches. I know they are dissolving ones, but I would think it would take a couple weeks to heal and dissolve. I just don't want to push it and give her something more than she could or should handle right now.

Oh and Kathy - Caryl is right, I'm about 20 minutes from Newark and the dentist is another 30 minutes South of that. It's an easy drive from Newark take the Garden State Parkway the whole way.

And unless there was a reason for an overnight stay (for kitty I mean) at the vet, he sees patients in the AM (like 8-10/11 or so) and while he's seeing patients, his staff is prepping patients and then he starts his procedures and arranges for afternoon pickups.

This is the same guy/place that I attended his dental seminar the other week. Which I am really glad I did, it's how I learned about his methods, procedures, dedicated staff, etc. Plus he showed us pics of his operating area, equipment and recovery area. He answered questions and the whole thing sure put my mind at ease on this. So that when we went yesterday, I thanked him for that talk and told him that I felt very comfortable with him taking care of my girls.

And the kicker is - I did - I didn't spend the day fretting, rather I ran errands, treated myself to lunch, came home took a nap with Buster and waited for the call to pick her up. I didn't feel that way, with the regular vet.

Oh and I paid for this peace of mind. The estimate given was between $1100-1400. The total bill was $1200 and change. Not cheap, but I've spent way more on Maui for other things, so I gulped and turned over the credit card (twice)! @-)

Here is the website of the place we went:

http://www.rbvh.net/

If you click on staff/services - dental - you will see the bio on the vet - Dr. Stein.

Think about it, if you want to come up this way, you could come in the night before and go the next morning. I noticed a hotel (Residence Inn, I think) just off the parkway exit and 2 minutes from the place. You could stay there and be 5 minutes from the place for the AM appt.

Something to think about, if you're not comfortable with the Alabama set up.
 
I just got a copy of Maui's blood test from February and her glucose was 108, so what I'm now wondering, since I didn't take a close look at what documents I gave the dentist is two things:

1) did he get her fructosamine test :shock:
or
2) did they send him the wrong blood test (you know like the one from last year when she was diagnosed)? :shock:

Because what I'm looking at is everything within range except platelet count is low. :?

And her cholesterol is decent too 175 for a range of 75-220! Guess that raw and low carb food is agreeing with her! :-D
 
Isn't a fructosamine of 400 great?

Thanks, Hillary. But Kitty is not a flier. I believe he would die of fright. That's why it's a fantasy.
 
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