Dental Surgery?

My 12 years old cat is going for surgery. I have to call the vet to ask a few questions and costs. Has any had their kitty have dental surgery (tooth extraction). How much was it? It is stressful? How long will it take for him to get better?

Dental Surgery?
We've had teeth taken out on three of our cats (broken canine, hole in tooth, loose tooth, cracked tooth). The cats did great, and healing was pretty fast. The cats all got a pain medication to be given, because it was painful for the first few days--it was a liquid I think.





The extractions were about $150 for Fred's broken canine, $180 for two teeth out of Hershey (loose in sockets), and $100 for Merlin (hole in tooth). The majority of the cost is for the anesthetic and the person watching the vitals on the cat while the vet is doing the extraction. Multiple teeth done at the same time are not much more, it's the duration of the time the cat is under, any kennel fees for them being observed as they come out of the anesthetic, and anything given for the pain there at the vets. A lot of factors come into play. Our vets charge by the minute for operations (something I didn't know till recently), but the pre %26amp; post op care is a standard fee -- itemized on the bill.





The cats LOVED not having pain in their mouth anymore, and readily ate soft food soon as they got home. Hard food is held off for a few days till their gums have time to heal over.
Reply:I have never had a cat have dental surgery, but I have had a small dog have dental surgery. I would never, ever have this done to any cat or dog of mine. However, I did have a bad experience with the vet,, and I should not reflect on your question, except to say be very careful and be absolutley sure you trust your vet. and their staff. My sm. dog had complications, and pain, and a totally bad outcome. The cost was similar to the cost of my dentist's charges for tooth extraction, and anesthesia, plus after care. Please be sure that you do get a pain medication for your cat just in case. Wishing you the best for your kitty with it's dental surgery. I would like to hear that all is well after. PS My cat got a fractured shoulder which my vet said was very painful and he gave her pre filled syringes of Buprenorphine with instructions to give1 ml or 1 prefilled syringe by mouth twice a day for 7 days. I had to call and get a 2nd Rx for 7 more days, but only had to give it for 5 additional days, but I had it on hand if I needed it. cokoko
Reply:My 2 year old kitty went through this recently. He went in for a teeth cleaning and ended up having to have 4 teeth extracted (he has a bad case of periodontal disease). Is your cat getting all of his teeth extracted? If so, I don't know a lot about that, but I do know how it went for my cat to have just the 4 pulled. The cost was a little over $200 for blood work, the teeth cleaning, extractions, and medication.





I took him into the vet's office at 8 a.m. and he was done that same day by 3 p.m. At first he was very drowsy and slept most of the time. His vet advised me to feed him wet/soft food only for the first 2 weeks after surgery his gums could heal properly. He also sent me home with pain medication, enough for 2 days, along with an antibiotic that was to be given twice per day for a week. I'd have to say that giving him his medication was the most stressful part. Basically I had to hold him down and had to squirt it down his throat, otherwise the medicine would get everywhere except for his mouth. Also, right after its in his mouth, it helps to gently stroke his throat. This is supposed to help them to swallow it a bit better.





As for the healing time, I think it varies a bit from cat to cat. Mine was pretty quiet and sleepy for the first 4-5 days, but after that he seemed to be back to his normal self, except he could not eat his hard food (which he loves). After the 2 weeks were up though, he was very happy to have his regular food back and his vet said he was 100% healed =) If you brush his teeth though, you may want to wait a bit before starting that again. I'm not sure how long, it'd be a good idea to ask your vet.





Good luck to you and your cat! I hope his surgery goes well and he is able to heal quickly and properly. As long as he has a good vet and the right care, he will be just fine =)
Reply:my cat is 16 years old and has had her teeth checked and if needed , cleaned, every year since she was about 6. last time she had to have 4 teeth pulled, so she had a sore mouth for a while and had to take pain medication for a few days. she has trouble eating dry food now since she has probably had 8 or 9 teeth pulled over the years,so she gets a can of fancy feast 3x a day. it ran about $200 and was probably more stressful on me this last time than it was her. i was worried that at her age she wouldn't wake up. that is always a risk with any surgery, but she is getting up there in age. also i would ask the vet about doing bloodwork to make sure her kidneys, liver, etc are in good shape before putting her under anesthesia. it will probably run about another $50 but at least it does ease your mind a bit. good luck - i'll be thinking of you