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Cat Forum / General Topics / June 2006teeth cleaning question
My calico Angie is 8 years old. Her teeth are starting to look pretty yellow/brown in spots and it looks like heavy tartar on the teeth. I want to bring her in to have her teeth cleaned but I'm worried. When she was young and getting sprayed she didn't take kindly to the anesthetic according to the doctor. I'm struggling with this because I know problems with tooth/gum disease can cause serious heart problems in cats, yet I am worried about the anesthetic . She is the most precious thing to me next to my parents, and obviously I want nothing bad to happen to her. Also, she has always had rapid breathing, and she gets winded fairly easy, not like our other cats. I'm worried she has a problem with her heart. I asked a vet once when there for a routine visit, and because she was nervous and breathing rapidly anyways, he could not really tell me anything. Another reason why I'm afraid of the anesthetic issue. Maybe she has a hiddle problem I'm not aware of. Maybe you all can help me come to a decision on what to do. Also, anyone know a ballpark of what teeth cleaning costs nowadays? I had it done in one cat, but that was 10 years ago. > My calico Angie is 8 years old. Her teeth are starting to look pretty > yellow/brown in spots and it looks like heavy tartar on the teeth. I want [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > know a ballpark of what teeth cleaning costs nowadays? I had it done in > one cat, but that was 10 years ago. I'd be worried too. But, you should call the vet and ask about it. At the very least you should be brushing your cat's teeth regularly. It really helps. I brush my cat's teeth at least once a week. She loves the malt flavor toothpaste and actually gets excited when she sees it coming out. exactly how do you brush the teeth on a cat that won't let you open her mouth for anything? I occasionally give her that hairball stuff and she won't lick it, so I have to open her mouth and try to get it on the roof of her mouth--- yeah, not much gets in. LOL She certainly wouldn't do the toothbrushing. :( How about a dry food that clean tartar off? Is there a good one? > How about a dry food that clean tartar off? Is there a good one? Yeah, that's better than nothing. I haven't used any myself necessarily. I will say thought that my cat HATED it when I brushed her teeth before I got the new malt flavored kind of toothpaste. I usually sit her on a pillow on the floor between my legs. Then I sort of hold her in place with them and I let her lick the toothpaste for a little bit then I work on one side at a time. She squirms when I'm doing the real brushing part, but it's necessary and she gets over it. I'd talk to your vet to see what he/she recommends. I'd try the malt flavor of cat toothpaste and see if yours likes it. Now my only problem is getting her to stop licking the brush long enough to brush! >How about a dry food that clean tartar off? Is there a good one? The problem with dry food is too many cats don't chew it on the way down. Tartar control food does no good when the cat swallows it whole. As far as brushing a cats teeth, some cats will allow it. Some absolutely won't tolerate it. Depends on the cat. I would point teeth cleaning is major surgery, they haveto put the cat under to do it. If you're cat has health problems the vet won't want to do it. Talk to your vet. Find out what options are with your cat. Only your vet who knows the health of your cat can determine the best course to proceed. : I would point teeth cleaning is major surgery, they haveto put : the cat under to do it. Either I am very lucky or something is wrong because this seems borderline bizzare to me. I am able to brush my cat's teeth (outer side) myself. I use a flavored paste, or just dip the brush in tuna water, and she is cooperative enough. It may not be the most thorough job, but it beats chewing kibbles. > : I would point teeth cleaning is major surgery, they haveto put > : the cat under to do it. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > water, and she is cooperative enough. It may not be the most thorough > job, but it beats chewing kibbles. Yeah, it's not a big deal for me and my cat either. I do it about once a week. She actually LOVES the toothpaste flavor, which is probably why she tolerates it. >> : I would point teeth cleaning is major surgery, they haveto put >> : the cat under to do it. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >week. She actually LOVES the toothpaste flavor, which is probably why she >tolerates it. None of my cats will tolerate having their teeth brushed. I must have a very uncooperative kitty. She does not tolerate me doing anything to her. But, she is a princess and she has quite the CATattitude to match. :) >I must have a very uncooperative kitty. She does not tolerate me doing >anything to her. But, she is a princess and she has quite the CATattitude >to match. :) I can count on zero fingers the number of cats who let me brush their teeth. >>I must have a very uncooperative kitty. She does not tolerate me doing >>anything to her. But, she is a princess and she has quite the CATattitude >>to match. :) >> > I can count on zero fingers the number of cats who let me brush their > teeth. Well, plenty of people must be able to because they make different flavors of cat toothpaste and a variety of sizes and types of toothbrushes. Mine hated it at first, but she got used to it and now is fine. I have a kitty with anesthetic issues as well. She died both times they tried to spay her, fortunately the staff was amazing, and not only brought her back, but got her spayed :) I had a nice link for brushing cat teeth, and I can't seem to find it. This works. http://maxshouse.com/tooth_brushing.htm You only need to brush the outside of them. Their rough tongue takes care of the inside. See a vet regarding the tarter, they can hand scale some of it with out putting her out. I would recommend a finger brush, as it gives your finger more protection if the kitty decides to bite, or if your finger slips. Dry food, even 'dental' foods do nothing to help with tarter, in fact it actually promotes the formation of tarter, same as candy does in our teeth. From the research I have done, it seems the best natural way to clean teeth is to give chunks of raw meat. the act of ripping and tearing the flesh will clean the teeth. Lots of people and professionals will balk at this, citing problems with bacteria and issues with raw meat, but cats are designed to eat raw meat, and from what I found while trying to find any case of a cat having problems with it, is there are almost none out there. More issues from cats eating commercially made food. Since I only do the outsides, I don't have to open their mouths, just lift their lip to access their teeth. Start small, reward afterwards, make it as pleasurable for the kitty as possible. > My calico Angie is 8 years old. Her teeth are starting to look pretty > yellow/brown in spots and it looks like heavy tartar on the teeth. I want [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > know a ballpark of what teeth cleaning costs nowadays? I had it done in > one cat, but that was 10 years ago. I have a 16 year old Siamese-Himalayan, Candy, that always has problems with IV anesthetics. I pay extra and they "Cone" her using a gas of some sort, it goes out of system real fast and she is fine in a couple of hours. When she had the IV she acted like she had a stroke and took 3-5 days to recover. Just my experiance... Elrod >My calico Angie is 8 years old. Her teeth are starting to look pretty >yellow/brown in spots and it looks like heavy tartar on the teeth. I want [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] >know a ballpark of what teeth cleaning costs nowadays? I had it done in >one cat, but that was 10 years ago. >My calico Angie is 8 years old. Her teeth are starting to look pretty >yellow/brown in spots and it looks like heavy tartar on the teeth. I want >to bring her in to have her teeth cleaned but I'm worried. When she was >young and getting sprayed she didn't take kindly to the anesthetic according >to the doctor. That would be it for me right there. I have an 8YO dog with similar problems. The vet tells me they have to put him under to do his teeth. And I know this can be fatal. I'd rather have a happy, live dog with nasty teeth than a dead one. And they can never tell in advance, so it really is a crapshoot. One I'm not willing to try. |
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