Tooth extraction

[BBelshan]

Beast is scheduled to go in for a dental cleaning and tooth extraction this Thursday morning. He has two bad pre-molars (possibly more). I have two questions.

The front desk lady originally said no food, but when I mentioned possibly needing to bring insulin they said he might need some food so the insulin will have something to latch onto and to only give him a half dose. Well, due to his low(ish) number the last few days he hasn't been given any insulin. I think I might need to give him .125u some days maybe to nudge him a bit lower soon (but not really sure what number is too low so I have been cautious). However my method to check his number is letting him stuff his face and hope his blood doesn't raise quickly before I get the drop. Based on his numbers should I just skip the feeding and insulin (based on current numbers likely won't need it) and pack them just in case he needs it when he wakes?

I have been quoted $500-700 depending on how many teeth need to go (includes IV fluids, sedation, cleaning, antibiotics, pain meds and X teeth). Anyone got advice on after care?

 

[FurBabiesMama]

Since you have not regularly been giving insulin, I would skip it completely that day. Glucose can sometimes drop while they are under anesthesia. I would not feed anything after dinner the night before the procedure. I also would not take the insulin to the vet's office. He most likely will not be allowed to eat anything until that evening anyway, and he should be home with you by then. Why risk someone giving it to him by mistake out of confusion?

 

[BBelshan]

Since you have not regularly been giving insulin, I would skip it completely that day. Glucose can sometimes drop while they are under anesthesia. I would not feed anything after dinner the night before the procedure. I also would not take the insulin to the vet's office. He most likely will not be allowed to eat anything until that evening anyway, and he should be home with you by then. Why risk someone giving it to him by mistake out of confusion?

Thanks, that is what I was thinking. Have you had to take care of a cat post tooth extraction? Do I just sprinkle the pain meds on his food? Is there any issues I should look out for?

 

[FurBabiesMama]

Have you had to take care of a cat post tooth extraction? Do I just sprinkle the pain meds on his food? Is there any issues I should look out for?

Yes. Willow has had extractions on several occasions over the years, and Mia had them once. You will need to get after care instructions from your vet since they can vary depending on what medicines they administer and what they give you to administer as well as what they ended up having to do during the procedure. I have given liquid bupe pain medicine which you just squirt under the tongue, and it absorbs immediately (really easy to give). Mia was given an injection of bupe that lasts a few days. I didn't really like it though because it seemed to make her 'weirder' than oral bupe does. Both girls had an anti-inflammatory which I also gave by mouth. Sometimes, if there is infection present, an antibiotic is also needed.

Cats are usually 'weird' when they are on pain medicine. Different cats react differently. For example, Mia gets super paranoid and skittish on it, but she rests a lot, but Willow paces and will not settle down and rest. We have not had any problems as far as bleeding or infections or anything after dental procedures. After a few days, they rapidly get back to normal. Actually, if they were having any pain from the dental problems, they get back to better than their recent normal.

 

[BBelshan]

Thanks so much. That helps me relax some.

 

[Larry and Kitties]

Do I just sprinkle the pain meds on his food?

It depends upon the pain med being used. Many vets send home buprenorphine (one trade name Buprenex) in syringes w/o needles. It is absorbed in the mucous membranes in the mouth, not in the stomach so it is dispensed in the sides of the mouth.

 

[BBelshan]

Thanks everyone. I am so nervous. I go to drop him off and mention oh by the way depending on which doc does the surgery he may need updated vaccinations. Plus they are doing a glucose curve, which wouldn't be a bad thing if he was groggy from sedation, but I called around noon (dropped of at 7am first in door) they have not given his surgery yet. So poor thing is super hungry since I didn't feed since 6ish last night and super stressed. It's driving me crazy having to wait for updates.

 

[FurBabiesMama]

Why are they doing a curve if he is not even on insulin right now?

I would not be happy about them not having gotten to him. I always make sure my girls are going to be the very first procedure of the day. I also opt out of vaccines. They used to get vaccines when they were younger, but we do not get them anymore. They are 100% indoor cats, so that helps.

I hope they get it done soon enough that he has some recovery time there but can come home today.

 

[BBelshan]

This vet is part of a franchise so they don't really specific appointments, just days available. The GC may have been on there since at the last visit he had been getting insulin and maybe they wanted to keep an eye on him during and after surgery. I did inform them that he had no insulin for the past few days so not sure if they are going to knock that off their list. I guess I will find out. I also previously opted out of vaccines after his kitten shots as he is indoor only. They said some vets require it - I'd rather he get vaccinated and have his surgery today than to tell me since I opted out I have to wait for another appointment for a vet that will do it without the vaccines. Since he only had his kitten shots, I'm sure one more round won't give him cancer, but I do worry it will mess with his numbers.

I just got off the phone with them and they did the surgery shortly after I called for an update. They tested his blood shortly after the surgery and he was at 184 which is good for a stressed cat. He got 2-3 removed and they found some small enamel defects on other teeth that may need a specialist but to keep an eye out for new pain. I didn't ask a lot of questions as I am at work, but I will ask what all was done when I pay. I will update later tonight once I find out everything, but for now I can relax as he is out and waking up.

 

[Erin & Scott]

Wish I had seen this sooner, we just had Benny in for an extraction on Tuesday. Our vet gave us an itemized listing of everything that they did (they even clipped his nails as a complimentary bonus!), along with very detailed printed aftercare instructions. Benny was absolutely ravenous when we got him home, and the next morning as well. He actually woke me up in the morning yelling for breakfast.

He was pretty groggy when he first got home, he staggered around for a bit - so try to keep your guy from jumping up on things. Benny tried to jump to the top of his cat tree, which didn't work out well. But he insisted on being up off the floor, and eventually found a small table that was a safe height. We got three pre-filled oral syringes with his buprenorphine (opiate pain meds), which was nice. He's on antibiotics for 28 days, fortunately he doesn't mind them ground up and mixed into his food. Now on day 2 post-procedure, he's looking good - still sleeping a bit more than usual, but that's to be expected. Hasn't affected his appetite a bit - he's still plowing into his food bowl like he's starving. He had lost a couple of pounds pre-diagnosis, so he's working on putting it back on. He's about halfway there, but he still could use another pound so we let him eat as much as he wants.

Benny's numbers have been running maybe 10-15 points higher than they had been, due to the inflammation, but we're holding his dose at 0.25u. We're hoping that once everything settles down he might head for remission. The price you were quoted sounds about right, though Benny's bill was a little higher at $839. Part of that was flushing his ears, though - which was separate from the tooth issues. The exact amount will of course depend on what they need to do. I don't have the bill in front of me, but they did charge for two BG tests - I remember thinking that I could have done them for free . . .

I hope all goes well; if you have any specific questions or want to compare notes, feel free to shoot me a PM.

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

Chloe had a dental last week. They removed several teeth. For the first couple of days I made her food soupy since her mouth was probably sore. By the third day she was eating normally.

 

[BBelshan]

Wish I had seen this sooner, we just had Benny in for an extraction on Tuesday. Our vet gave us an itemized listing of everything that they did (they even clipped his nails as a complimentary bonus!), along with very detailed printed aftercare instructions. Benny was absolutely ravenous when we got him home, and the next morning as well. He actually woke me up in the morning yelling for breakfast.

He was pretty groggy when he first got home, he staggered around for a bit - so try to keep your guy from jumping up on things. Benny tried to jump to the top of his cat tree, which didn't work out well. But he insisted on being up off the floor, and eventually found a small table that was a safe height. We got three pre-filled oral syringes with his buprenorphine (opiate pain meds), which was nice. He's on antibiotics for 28 days, fortunately he doesn't mind them ground up and mixed into his food. Now on day 2 post-procedure, he's looking good - still sleeping a bit more than usual, but that's to be expected. Hasn't affected his appetite a bit - he's still plowing into his food bowl like he's starving. He had lost a couple of pounds pre-diagnosis, so he's working on putting it back on. He's about halfway there, but he still could use another pound so we let him eat as much as he wants.

Benny's numbers have been running maybe 10-15 points higher than they had been, due to the inflammation, but we're holding his dose at 0.25u. We're hoping that once everything settles down he might head for remission. The price you were quoted sounds about right, though Benny's bill was a little higher at $839. Part of that was flushing his ears, though - which was separate from the tooth issues. The exact amount will of course depend on what they need to do. I don't have the bill in front of me, but they did charge for two BG tests - I remember thinking that I could have done them for free . . .

I hope all goes well; if you have any specific questions or want to compare notes, feel free to shoot me a PM.

Thanks, I will be picking him up on the way home and let him out in a bathroom with towels down everywhere. If he isn't loopy I will let him roam the house. He doesn't try to jump on high things lately so we may be ok on that front, but I will be keeping an eye on him just in case it makes him brave haha. I will be sure to add a little extra water to his food to make it a bit easier for a few days. Glad it hasn't slowed your buddy down any.

 

[BBelshan]

Chloe had a dental last week. They removed several teeth. For the first couple of days I made her food soupy since her mouth was probably sore. By the third day she was eating normally.

Thanks, that is a good idea. I will add a bit more water to make it easier on him.

 

[BBelshan]

Ok, so he did get the vet that required vaccinations. He only got one tooth removed. They sent me home with Clindamycin 25 mg/mL oral drops (antibiotic), Buprenex Oral (pain meds), and Onsior 6mg (anti-inflammatory). He is still a bit floppy so not sure when I need to give him his first dose of pain meds. I gave him the first round of other medicine. The total only ended up being $534.76 - they said he didn't "chatter" when they pressed on the other teeth. They did give him antibiotics with a shot as well. Poor thing went to his food like he was starving. Didn't seem to mind the meds I mixed in. Tomorrow might be different when he can actually taste it.

 

[Idjit's mom]

I'm glad Beast is home with you and the dental is over. Poor little guy, extractions are no fun. I hope you both have a good peaceful night and tomorrow all the anesthesia should be out of his system.

 

[BBelshan]

I'm glad Beast is home with you and the dental is over. Poor little guy, extractions are no fun. I hope you both have a good peaceful night and tomorrow all the anesthesia should be out of his system.

Thanks, I will give him his first round of pain meds in the morning. He just now got steady on his feet and doesn't appear to be in much pain. He ate 3 small bowls of food. I will get back to testing in the morning and maybe giving him tiny doses (.125u) to try to nudge his numbers a bit lower. I didn't want to poke him any more today.