Dental Health

[Sushi (GA 5/05-3/14)]

For a few months or so, my civie cat has been drooling. A lot. It seems to be mainly when she sleeps. She leaves a little puddle where her head was resting or she'll have a large droplet of drool on her chin or around her mouth. It's not uncommon for her to spray the room down with with drool when she shakes her head.
So I assume there's something wrong with her teeth. I'll admit I've never kept up with my cats' oral hygiene (bad Momma!), so I'm not sure even what step to take first. She's very feisty and won't allow me to look in her mouth, so I'm sure I'm in for quite the challenge.

I looked on Dr. Lisa's site, and she briefly mentions having your cat's teeth scaled (what does that mean?) professionally under general anesthesia. Again, what is that? And how often should this be done?

Any advice?
Thanks! : )

 

[squeem3]

So I assume there's something wrong with her teeth. I'll admit I've never kept up with my cats' oral hygiene (bad Momma!), so I'm not sure even what step to take first. She's very feisty and won't allow me to look in her mouth, so I'm sure I'm in for quite the challenge.

I suggest first taking your cat to the vet to check out the teeth. Depending on what the vet finds, a dental may be needed. It can be a simple cleaning or it may involve a bit more like removing bad teeth.

You can brush your cat's teeth at home. Like with bg testing and giving insulin, it will take a bit of time for the cat to get used to. CET toothpaste in either poultry flavor or seafood flavor are safe for diabetics. You can use a small pet toothbrush or finger brush to swab the toothpaste on the teeth. Here's a video: http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/pet/fhc/brushing_teeth

Short of brushing, you can give the CET dental chews. They're large kind of styrofoam-like pieces that a cat gnaws on while eating. The abrasive texture of the chew will scrape off some tartar.

There are dental gels you can swab on the teeth and liquids that you put int he dirnking water but I don't know how effective those are.

I looked on Dr. Lisa's site, and she briefly mentions having your cat's teeth scaled (what does that mean?) professionally under general anesthesia. Again, what is that? And how often should this be done?

Teeth scaling is just scraping the tartar off the teeth. Once a year is probably enough for most cats.

 

[Vyktors Mum]

Here is everything you need to know about dentals http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=66905

I suggest you get it done sooner rather than later, cats are very good at covering up their pain but it doesn't mean it's not there. If the drooling is being caused by dental issues (which is likely) then your cat has been experiencing pain for a long time.

 

[Sushi (GA 5/05-3/14)]

Thank you both so much!
I knew there was probably a post/sticky somewhere about this; I just couldn't find it!

Great info! Thanks again!