5/2 FD and Dentals

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bev5477

bev5477

Member Since 2011
I'll be booking Gus' dental today and have a couple of questions for those of you who are experienced in this area. He'll be anesthesized so no food prior. What about his insulin? Is Clindamyacin the preferred AB? What about after...regarding dosing. Is the same dose given as before the dental? I'd be grateful for any info and/or tips on this. I no longer put my undivided trust in the vet. The knowledge and experience present here, is my base. Thanks
 
http://www.cathospitalofchicago.com/lib ... vices.html

Bev, this won't answer all of your questions, but i hope it helps. It's a checklist on what to ask about before dental.
Ella sent the above link to me on the 27th when i was asking about Dental also. She said it's from Siennes Vet in chicago.
I too want to set an appt for Tommy, but i am worried about the whole thing. I've read that it's pretty vital to have dental x-rays taken (which i completely understand). I haven't called my vet yet to find out if they have a dental x-ray machine. I don't know if I should find a vet who does or what my next step is. I'm glad you started this discussion today.
Good luck!
Squirrel & Tommy ;-)
 
Here's info on a dental procedure and questions to ask: http://petdiabetes.wikia.com/wiki/Dental_procedure

You typically give half a dose of insulin the morning of the dental. You can go back to normal dosing right after the dental but be sure to check the bg to make sure it's ok and make sure your cat eats. Some cats may be groggy and not want to eat much so half a dose of insulin is probably needed until the cat is feeling better.
 
My vet has me withhold food after midnight - so I am not comfortable giving the full dose the night before the dental.

This is what I have done:

half shot the night before. remove all food at midnight.

Test in the morning -- if high (over 200) - give half shot - if "normal", skip shot.

in evening after the procedure ---- check the 5 Ps
If he is eating ok, then shoot normal dose based on PMPS.
if NOT eating, test BG and give half shot only if high

usually, my kitties have been happy to eat after the dental, but once - not -- lots of extractions and his mouth hurt. So I cut back on dose and gave pain med.
 
It's very important to test your kitty the MINUTE you arrive home from the vet after the dental. Anesthesia can lower BGs, so you want to be sure it's not too low.

Also, feed in tiny amounts at first -- like, 2 teaspons every 45 minutes or so. They'll be hungry and tempted to eat too much, and their tummies can be sensitive after the procedure and anesthesia. So a little at a time.

It has also been suggested that you put kitty in a dark, quiet room, to let the anethesia wear off. My kitty was on the prowl and restless -- it doesn't work for everyone!

As for shooting that night, it depends on how the BGs go after the anesthesia, and whether kitty is eating.

Last... it will be fine! :-D Dentals are so nerve-wracking, but our kitties do well. You, however, may need a glass of wine. :mrgreen:
 
i think that it's easy to think a dental costs too much - and it is expensive. i think if no extractions had been done and without the more extensive bloodwork i requested it would've been around $200-250. As it was, punkin's was $470ish i think. But consider how much you spend on insulin and supplies . . . if you end up reducing the amount of insulin per dose, or end up going OTJ even one month earlier than you otherwise might, the cost is offset.

but not taking $$ into account, if your cat is healthier, that's what you're doing all of this for anyway. Wish i'd done it sooner!
 
I just asked for the pricing for a dental and I was quoted something like $280 without x-rays and $325 (?) with x-rays. If they say it needs to be done when we go in on Friday, I'm going to do it, even though it will certainly be a credit card day at the vets and I PROMISED myself I won't use it anymore. But this would be too important...so many of the kitties on this board have seen lower numbers just because of getting a dental done.
 
I'm sure every vet will have slightly different policies and procedures, and hopefully each vet will take the individual cat's situation under consideration. If they don't, make sure they know the finer details of your cat!

In Trixie's case, her vet does the dentals very early in the day; I had to drop her off at 6:00am. That meant no food after 8:00pm (I still shot a full dose, though...her shot time is 5:45, and I made sure she had plenty eat), no water after midnight, and skipping her morning shot the day of the dental. She came home at about 4:30 in the afternoon, fully awake and raring to go. I tested her as soon as she came in, and was able to give her the full dose that evening.

With that said, someone (Sienne, I believe) said to keep a close eye on her BGs for several days, because the anesthesia can have an effect for a day or two after the procedure - and boy, was she right! The next evening, Trixie dropped a fair amount and I ended up having to do a reduced dose, followed by lots testing with HC to keep her number up.

The x-rays couldn't be more important. Like I mentioned yesterday, we would not have known how bad Trixie's situation without them...all those "missing" teeth were really broken teeth, roots still impacted :shock: ! What a mess for the poor girl.

Trixie had clindamyacin, and it seems to have worked well for her...no stomach upset or anything like that. She was on bupe for pain for 3 days. Be sure they do not use metacam (for pain) or convenia (long-acting antibiotic)!!!

I can see that cost varies greatly. The base price for Trixies dental, without x-rays and extractions, was $550. Ultimately, with x-rays and 7 unexpected extractions, the bill came to almost $1400! IMO, it was worth every penny; our vet is fabulous and thorough, Trixie is definitely feeling much better, and we're seeing wonderful results with her BGs. Like Julie, I sure wish I did this earlier...Trixie may not even have ended up here if her teeth were cared for. I'm lining up dentals for my civvies over the course of the year...I have very much learned my lesson!
 
The link to the info from Cat Hospital of Chicago is indeed the one from my vet.

I gotta tell you, under $400 is cheap for a dental. Granted, I live in a city that has a high cost of living, a dental, with x-rays, is double that price.

As for issues re. food, insulin, etc., first ask your vet. A lot depends on what time the procedure will be done. There's also been a change in the way that vets are recommending whether cats are fed the day of the procedure. Most vets do recommend cutting back or not shooting the day of the procedure. There are two reasons for this. If you can't feed, you can't shoot. The other reason is that anesthesia "eats" glucose. If you were to give a full dose of insulin, managing BG might be challenging. So, most frequently, a vet will recommend a reduced shot or skipping the AM insulin altogether.

The PM shot depends. You'll want to test as soon as you get home so you have a BG test to compare with. Some cats need a reduced dose in the PM due to the lingering effects of anesthesia. Usually you're fine to go back to your regular dose the next day.
 
Hi Squirrel and Tommy, I wonder if you could give me the link again for the dental procedures for the Cat Hospital of Chicago - for some reason the link doesn't work on my computer. Thanks much.
 
Thanks Sienne - I added it to my Favorites file. Maggie soon will have an oral dental exam along with her Senior Exam and labwork. She will most likely need her teeth cleaned and hopefully no toothies pulled!

Thanks Photosquirrel - received your pm. Have a good night!
 
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