Kitty had bad gums, uh oh

[Gail in Ca]

Well, last week was my bad week.
Took our cat in for his yearly checkup and the vet sees pus pockets in his gum line. He needs dental care and might loose a tooth.
I get him in asap and when I call to see how he did, they told me he had to have 8 teeth removed!!!! Boy, did I feel like a bad pet owner.
Then they told me $750. and I was just amazed at the cost. ( they only charged me for 4 teeth, or it would've been $100 more, aren't they nice).
The normal fee for teeth cleaning is $400 without any problems, and I think that is pretty outragious. But, our vet is very good and I trust her, so I will have to pay it in the future since our JJ seems to have bad plaque buildup in his genes. I still feel reamed, though.
Gail

 

[ALCapshaw2]

You mean they proceeded to remove 8 teeth WITHOUT your authorization?

I would seriously question their bill.

'AL'

 

[catwoman]

Gail:
I have one cat w/ very bad gums. Will probably be toothless by 3-4. I've paid about $140-$175 for a dental for him, INCLUDING a couple of removals. But we're talking Texas vet fees, not California ones. Seems that everything costs more in California.
Many vets will tack on a lot of extra fees, such as pre-op bloodwork, overnight stays, etc., to bring in more revenue. I bypass the pre-op bloodwork and don't board the cat overnight. I do insist on my vets using isofluorane (sp?), a gas anesthesia, instead of injectible ketamine. Iso costs more but is more easily monitored and metabalized following surgery. Animals are "drunk" for hours after surgery w/ ketamine, but come to fairly quickly w/ iso. Well worth the little bit extra.
You can feed your cat something like Hill's t/d (other companies manufacture a similar tooth-cleaning food) and also use a tooth cleaner such as Nolvadent. My husband gives our cat a going over every night with Nolvadent.
Good luck with your cat!

 

[tobagotwo]

I agree that the costs given you were extreme. $400 for a cleaning is just plain outrageous. I know you like her, but where was she when the gums were going downhill in the first place? Seems like she should have caught it before it got so bad that eight teeth had to be removed. Gum disease that bad doesn't happen overnight.

Our vet does a scraping as part of the examination fee. I was shocked that the cat put up with it.

We do give Theo better brands of dry food that are supposed to help maintain her teeth and gums. It involves buying her food at a pet store, but that's not such a big deal. We don't brush her teeth at night, though, and honestly, we're not likely to start.

Best wishes,

 

[SJJ]

Well I had to laugh at this one. I know Pogo looks sweet in the picture, and I assure you, he is....but only when he wants to be. I give him tartar and placque control treats but unless I'm willing to have my hands and face shredded, there's no way I'm gonna try to brush his teeth. He hurt his tail one time getting it slammed in a door. After it healed, the vet fiinally had to put him to sleep to get the dressing off owing to his ferocious objection. This is a cat with attitude to say the least, but of all the many cats in my life, the one I love the most-go figure. Thank goodness, my tolerance in cat behavior doesn't extend to men. In that department I insist on the sweetest of temperments.
Haven't posted in awhile, so just wanted to pop in and say "hey."
Sue

 

[Glenda]

Of course I'm in Joplin, Missouri but the cost of cleaning my dogs or cats teeth is $45.00. My little biscon dog had to have four teeth extracted last year and it cost $150.00. I do try to brush them once in a while. That's a big joke. (ha) She hates it.

Sue your cate is so cute. My cat would tear me to pieces if I tried to brush his teeth. He does like his coat to be brushed, but just when he wants to. Today for instance he was just sitting in my lap and all of a sudden he jumped on my arm and bite me. Dumb cat! Now I've got fang marks. I swear they have a mind of their own. Nevertheless, I sent him flying off my lap. He's done this before, I should know not to trust him too far.

 

[Raverlaw]

Sue,

We've got three cats at the moment, all with various temperaments, but I've never owned a cat that would let me brush its teeth! I can't even imagine trying. You should see what I have to go through to get pills down their throats when they're sick.

By the way, my own dentist charges less than $400 to clean MY teeth! Maybe that's because I don't bite.