? Advice on Dental

[Stressedcatmom]

Hello everyone,

I've been communicating over with my Lantus peeps, but I wanted a few more eyes.

Yoshi was in remission 2.5 years. He was drinking excessively etc, so I tested him and he was in the 300's. Out of remission and off to the vet. He had a UTI (that has since been cleared) and stage 3 dental. The vet says he has gingivitis and might need 3-4 extractions. He is currently on 4.5 u of Lantus and has stayed in the pinks and reds mostly since diagnosis.

Wondering a few things:

Have any of you experienced insulin resistance because of dental issues?

Were any of you able to regulate BG better after dental?

What can I expect after the dental? Are they pretty out of it?

I'm still waiting to hear back from my vet, but any dosing suggestions before the procedure? Skip? Half? He can't eat after midnight and the surgery isn't until noon, so I am worried about him going low.

Thank you!! His appointment is this Wednesday and we are nervous.

 

[Sarah&Soph]

My cat had a dental in May and needed 4 extractions. She went into remission in July, BUT I was not regularly home testing until after her dental so I can not definitively say the two things are related, it may just be a coincidence.

She was very out of it for about 3 days or so and mostly just slept, but she was on bupe because of the extractions so that wasn’t too surprising. But after that she was pretty much back to her normal self.

Regarding whether or not to give insulin, I would see what your vet says and maybe some of the people who use Lantus as well. I was instructed not to feed my cat after 8pm the night before her dental and not to give her insulin the morning of. I dropped her insulin off with her and they monitored her BG throughout the procedure to make sure it didn’t get too high, and did not end up administering any. That being said, my cat was on a fast acting in and out insulin, not a depot insulin like Lantus, so I’m sure that plays some kind of part in the decision.

Good dental vibes to you and Yoshi! I’m sure it will go well, and hopefully he’s feeling much better afterwards

 

[Wendy&Neko]

To be honest, the dental will make things better, but don’t be surprised if it isn’t the magic solution. I have seen kitties after extractions go into OTJ (though not quite with a spreadsheet like Yoshi’s), and some for whom it made only a little difference. If he has teeth that need removing, and I hope they are doing dental X-rays to confirm, he will feel better afterwards.

Here is a great post on dentals http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/info-on-dental-procedures-including-pictures.144338/

Neko had several dentals, as had a civvie. Neko’s regular vet said no food after midnight, her dental specialist vet said up to 1/3 of breakfast before 6:00 am. Both cats felt a little out for a day. I had a pretty good idea at the time how much buprenorphine Neko needed, but the civvie’s dose needed some tweaking. Both ate well when they came home. You want to space out small meals as anesthesia impacts the GI system, too much food and they vomit. First dental, Neko was so hungry she started snacking on the corn litter. I was told to prevent them going on stairs or jumping for the first few hours. Like that worked! The type of anesthesia induction drug used will impact the afterwards. Some have BG lowering effect for several hours, but not all.

Neko’s dental with extractions, and the one with the jaw growth, made very little impact on her dose, but she was fairly well regulated then, so I could see the impact. And as I said above, the reaction to the dental varies. ECID.

 

[Stressedcatmom]

To be honest, the dental will make things better, but don’t be surprised if it isn’t the magic solution. I have seen kitties after extractions go into OTJ (though not quite with a spreadsheet like Yoshi’s), and some for whom it made only a little difference. If he has teeth that need removing, and I hope they are doing dental X-rays to confirm, he will feel better afterwards

Here is a great post on dentals http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/info-on-dental-procedures-including-pictures.144338/

Neko had several dentals, as had a civvie. Neko’s regular vet said no food after midnight, her dental specialist vet said up to 1/3 of breakfast before 6:00 am. Both cats felt a little out for a day. I had a pretty good idea at the time how much buprenorphine Neko needed, but the civvie’s dose needed some tweaking. Both ate well when they came home. You want to space out small meals as anesthesia impacts the GI system, too much food and they vomit. First dental, Neko was so hungry she started snacking on the corn litter. I was told to prevent them going on stairs or jumping for the first few hours. Like that worked! The type of anesthesia induction drug used will impact the afterwards. Some have BG lowering effect for several hours, but not all.

Neko’s dental with extractions, and the one with the jaw growth, made very little impact on her dose, but she was fairly well regulated then, so I could see the impact. And as I said above, the reaction to the dental varies. ECID.

Yes, they are doing xrays. Thanks for your advice. I’m a little discouraged now, but hopefully all will turn out well.

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

If there is a bad infection or he has a lot of pain, that could be also contributing to the higher BG readings. Hopefully after the dental and any infections cleared up, you will begin to see better readings.

 

[FurBabiesMama]

Dental issues (pain, infection) can definitely raise glucose. Your vet should give you instructions regarding the insulin, but I think it is pretty standard for them to say give half the dose. I always try to get the earliest appointment I can in the morning since my cats think they are dying of starvation if food is withheld too long... that noon appointment will be tough.

He should be given a few days worth of pain medicine and possibly an anti-inflammatory, so he may be a little wonky during the time he is on those. Cats react differently to pain medicine, so it's hard to say how he will react. If there is any infection involved, he will also be given an antibiotic (some vets start those a couple of days before the procedure if they have reason to believe infection is present). If antibiotics cause nausea for him, make sure you get something for that (like Cerenia).

Dental health is so important, it impacts so many other aspects of their health. I am glad you are getting the issues taken care of, and I hope it goes smoothly for you and your baby.