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Our vet told us our cat had the same condition and wanted to extract his tooth for only $675. Since we were travelling out of the country in a few days I let it go and figured we could attend to it when we returned. Our trip took us to Bogota Colombia, which we have visited many times. On a hunch I looked to a Veterinary Dentist and behold, I found this wonderful clinic that does everything: fill cavities, root canals, tooth restorations, prophylaxis etc. We made an appointment and took him to meet the Veterinary Dentist who examined him and determined he did NOT have FORLs and just needed a cleaning. We left him there and picked him up later and the bill was less than $100. He has been fine ever since, over a year. Last month we took him in for his rabies shots and the Vet said he had cavities and needed 5 teeth extracted for over $850. I don't want to put the little guy through this if it can be avoided. We will take him back to Bogota in a few months (after COVID) and see what the dentist says.
The prices charged are insane, IMO. One of my issues is seemingly every thing my pet needs is anywhere from $400 to $1,200 at the vet I've been using. There are some other issues as well, all of which are culminating in my need to look for pet care at a different practice. It's on my to-do list.
I was just going to ask how you all manage to afford all this dental care for your cats. I had a good vet I trusted with Gypsy and while she badly needed a dental, she only needed two extractions. $700.
Now I have Katya, who I know came with dental issues, but the estimate we got is from 1-6 extractions, and is over $900. And Grace is only 9 months old, but her breath is so bad that I hope the vet never gets to meet her.
I was just going to ask how you all manage to afford all this dental care for your cats.
The universal question is: how do pet owners manage to afford all the healthcare their pets need.
Some have pet insurance, some use a credit care service where they make payments each month, some pay out-of-pocket.
Savings dedicated just for the pet's healthcare needs is vital, IMO. Expect healthcare to cost thousands over a pet's lifetime. Spending will be much less in the early years and start to ramp up as a pet hits their senior years. One needs to plan ahead and decide the best strategy.
For a cat I'd estimate a starting savings amount of $1.5K and build up from there.
For a dog I'd estimate a starting savings amount of $2.5K and build up from there.
To maximize the savings, investing the money in a broad stock market index fund and allow it to reinvest all dividends and cap gains will allow the money to grow over time, with some risk, yes, but it beats the measly savings interest one can get.
I am remedying some long neglect of my Nimbus, in terms of vet care.
He is 8 years old now, and the last time he saw a vet was in his first year of life.
I don't really feel terrible about letting his vaccinations go, because he is never exposed to other animals and never goes outside, so he is not really at much risk to get, say, rabies or something. We never have bugs let alone rodents get into the house, there just isn't anywhere he could catch something like that. And he's not a very fierce cat even when I've annoyed him most grievously, so I don't lose sleep worrying about the whole "what if he bites and..." that whole scenario.
But we're moving late this year, and some rental homes do want proof of vax for pets, so figured it was time. We got that caught up.
I knew he really was overdue for teeth cleaning, though. And I've noticed in the last month or so, ish, that his breath has been getting more funky. The vet had a look and he is going back for labs next week, then we'll be scheduling the dental. She gave me an estimate that included extractions, it came to just under a grand. I'll pay whatever, it's my bad for not getting my little dude in sooner. Life has just been really stressful, it seems like I spend my whole existence dashing from one brushfire to the next. I'm getting caught up on overdue stuff for my own health, too. Better late than never.
I really hope that they don't have to take any of his teeth out, but I'm encouraged to hear from all of you that your cats felt better and bounced back fast from extractions. The vet said she won't know for sure if that needs to happen until she gets all the crud cleaned off, but that I should not be surprised if it is necessary.
I went to the pet store looking for an oral rinse she suggested that I buy, and an old lady employee told me I needed to give Nimbus "Greenies" or "anything crunchy" to clean his teeth. I held myself back from ranting about whether it makes any sense to eat cookies and cereal to clean your teeth and 100 other things we've talked to death in this subforum over the years. Not the first time I've heard a pet store employee give ridiculous advice. I heard one tell a lady her cat needed "roughage" from vegetables. I nearly fell over right there in the aisle ya'll.
Anyways.
Nimbus does not seem to have any yawn-chatter jaw thing or problems eating. He's acting fairly normal, if anything his appetite is up a bit lately. He is harassing me to feed him early as we speak. I work from home now, but I cannot complain to HR about the harassment I deal with from this cat!
On the bright side, some of ya may or may not recall, my buddy has feline asthma, and his inhalers ran out a while back, but we have discovered a trick...running humidifiers in the house has reduced his attacks to near zero. I am pretty happy about that. It's working better than the Flovent used to, by far. I told the vet this, and she asked me how he seems after an attack, like if he was lethargic or having trouble recovering, and I told her that no, he always bounces right back, shakes himself vigorously and goes on about his business. She said that in that case, he likely is not in any serious danger from the occasional attack and it was probably good enough to do the humidifiers and control for any irritants.
There are a couple of behaviors that, now that I think about it, have picked up and may be associated with Nimbus having discomfort in his teeth, or a dental infection. Sometimes he gives a little shake of his head, or goes to scratch an ear, but then doesn't. I thought he had itchy ears. But his ears are clean, so...maybe not. Also, once in a while I notice him licking his lips, not when he's eaten recently, when he's just sitting there.
These things have been subtle and occasional, but signs of trouble in a cat often are. Like, probably double true, with cat health AND with dental health (of any creature including us) that if you wait until you notice a problem, you've waited too long already, huh?
^
I hope you read what I wrote in post #13. I didn't even really suspect anything was wrong with her teeth, but in fact there was quite a bit wrong, after letting her go so long without a dental inspection.
^
I hope you read what I wrote in post #13. I didn't even really suspect anything was wrong with her teeth, but in fact there was quite a bit wrong, after letting her go so long without a dental inspection.
Yeah, I did read that. And I was aware. I am hoping that we get lucky but I won'd be surprised if not. And I sure do not intend to let his dental hygiene lapse after this. Regular cleanings, and I even bought a cat toothbrush kit and I'll be getting an oral rinse that the vet recommends, so I can help him out in between cleanings (which won't be YEARS.) My cat is very patient and sweet and understanding, but he is not gonna be thrilled about the tooth brushing and oral rinsing business. But where there's a will, there's a way, I guess.
I do feel bad about it, but at the same time...one human can only keep so many balls in the air, juggling. I've had a lot of fairly overwhelming human concerns. One step at a time in life and all that stuff.
I know how you feel about missing possible signs or symptoms. It had been years since my cat's last dental cleaning and at that time her teeth and gums were in great condition.
Had I not had that sudden urge to get my cat's teeth checked and cleaned, I doubt the vet would have ever thought of it. It's clear it's incumbent on an owner to be educated, vigilant, and proactive, which I wasn't. I learned an important lesson.
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