Diabetic Cat & Dental Surgery

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Kdd921

Kdd921

Member Since 2012
My cat has to get surgery on the 28th, and have her teeth cleaned and multiple teeth removed, she has cavities and broken teeth. I adopted her with her teeth in pretty bad shape they have just gotten worse. She will be 12 in January, & I just wanted to know if there is anyone else out there that has an older cat, or even younger cat with diabetes that had a similar surgery done? & how it went? Im very nervous about the surgery but know the rewards outweigh the risks bcause of risk of infection! Thanks.
 
I also adopted another diabetic that is 16 1/2. I had her thoroughly checked out, IM specialist and abdominal ultrasound and then onto Cardiologist and had thorough heart check done. Everything came up just fine for her dental which we all knew was badly needed. I used a Board Certified Veterinary Dental Specialist of which there are only 3 in my state. She came through just fine. Had 7 extractions, some dissolvable stitches, rechecked in a week and all healed just beautifully. She was put on antibiotics before dental appointment because her mouth was so bad and for a week after dental. I also made sure the dental vet and all techs there knew no Convenia and no Metacam. She was sent home with Bupe if needed for pain.
 
Kdd921 said:
Whats wrong with convenia and metacam?
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FDA Metacam Black Box Warning October 27, 2010
meloxicam / metacam should be used with EXTREME caution for cats; it can kill.
There are several other safer pain meds that can be used. Metacam is a last resort.

Convenia last for 14days. If YOUR cat has a bad reaction on say, Day2, there is absolutely nothing at all you can do about it! That shot is a long lasting one and like anything else, once it's in the cat, you can't take it back out.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Convenia- ... 7391502152

it's best to avoid what has caused major problems for others.... why take the chance?
 
Hi,

Bertie has had 2 dentals done since he was diagnosed with diabetes. He also had anaesthesia just last week in order to remove some grass that was stuck in his throat. Despite my high anxiety ( nailbite_smile ) he sailed through all of those procedures with no ill effects whatsoever.

After the dentals he was given a painkiller shot and also some anti-biotics because of all the bacteria that was stirred up by the dental. But he was able to eat completely normally when he got home, despite having had a number of extractions! :shock:
 
Since the cat will may need to fast overnight, some vets will have you either skip the morning insulin or reduce it by half.

During the dental, they should monitor glucose levels, and body temperature (they can chill easily).

For an older cat, there are anesthetics which may be less difficult to clear from the body, plus injections of local anesthetics during the dental to block pain in the affected area.
 
Kdd921 said:
My cat has to get surgery on the 28th, and have her teeth cleaned and multiple teeth removed, she has cavities and broken teeth. I adopted her with her teeth in pretty bad shape they have just gotten worse. She will be 12 in January, & I just wanted to know if there is anyone else out there that has an older cat, or even younger cat with diabetes that had a similar surgery done? & how it went? Im very nervous about the surgery but know the rewards outweigh the risks bcause of risk of infection! Thanks.
Click to expand...

Bandit has had dental surgery twice since his diabetes diagnosis (he has a tooth resorption issue, which means he's had to have all of his teeth pulled but his lower canines over the years). The rewards most definitely outweigh the risks of doing the surgery, especially with diabetic cats. It is exceedingly difficult to regulate a diabetic cat if there are dental problems, and they need to be cleared up before any progress with insulin therapy can be made. Both pain and infection will keep BG high, so you have to do the dental to get the diabetes under control.

Despite that, you would be surprised how much happier your cat will likely be after the dental. When my non-diabetic Gabby had her rotten mouth fixed at age 15 (and I was terrified of putting her under anesthesia with her because she had a heart murmur), she was like a kitten again afterwards, playing and running like she hadn't in years. I didn't realize how much her tooth pain was really hurting her until after the fact, and I could have just kicked myself for being too scared to have her dental done sooner.
 
My OTJ guy Maxwell who is 14 had his dental done last summer and sailed through it, he also has a heart mummer and an old skull fracture (He was a Katrina rescue, so no telling how he got the skull fracture) so my vet used gas on him so they could bring him back around quickly if things went badly. Thankfully everything went smoothly and Maxwell was like a kitten afterwards.

My other diabetic Autumn who is somewhere around 15ish will be going in for a dental after the first of the year and we don't expect any problems with her either during it, but my vet feels very confident that the only thing that is stopping her right now for going into remission as well is her rotten teeth. So with her again the risks outweigh the benefits.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
Thank you guys for sharing your stories! It makes me feel a whole lot better about the whole thing. I will update on how she does, and will definately make sure I ask for pain meds other than those two.
 
Gabby just had her 3rd or 4th dental done since her diagnosis. She's done just fine and she's also almost 13yo.

Not all vets require that you fast your cat. My vet asks that no food be provided after 6:00 AM the day of the procedure. She prefers that no insulin be given. Anesthesia can lower blood glucose numbers so they don't have me give Gabby her AM dose. You also need to be careful in the evening. Some cat's numbers will drop and, since it sounds like there will be extractions, eating can be an issue. (You may want to stock up on a few jars of baby food. Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut -- as long as the baby food is just protein and broth with no onions or veggies, it's fine.)

This is a post I put together with information about dental procedures. It helps you to know what to ask about (e.g., x-rays both prior to the procedure and after to make sure there are no roots left, monitoring of vital signs).
 
thank you all for the advice, it really helped me get through all my worries. She had dental surgery yesterday and had 10 teeth extrations. She did fine and is still doing great. Not resting much she is running around the house playing. So im guessing she is feeling great.
 
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