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Original poster

To ask vet to remove all the cat's teeth?

72 replies

Nimbostratus100 · 04/01/2023 17:24

Much adored 10 year old cat with severe heart defect, and dental caries. She is having at least 3 teeth removed tomorrow, under a general anaesthetic. Maybe more. The vet has given me the long serious chat about how dangerous the anaesthetic is with a heart in such poor shape. But reassured me the operation is the only chance of extending a pain-free life. He says if it was his cat he would go through with the op and take the risk.

I just wonder, if she survives this, how long will it be before we are in the same situation again? I wish I had thought to ask earlier - She gets dropped off at 8 am tomorrow, and we get called and told how it went later.

Can I send an note in with the cat tomorrow and ask for a full dental clearance? Would the note be accepted as my permission? Is it something the vet would or should do?

WOuld the cat be ok with no teeth? Any experiences or insight very welcome, thank you

OP posts:
EerieSilence · 04/01/2023 17:26

Are you seriously asking that? If you go to a dentist with a caries, do you expect to leave with a toothless mouth?

Original poster
Nimbostratus100 · 04/01/2023 17:27

EerieSilence · 04/01/2023 17:26

Are you seriously asking that? If you go to a dentist with a caries, do you expect to leave with a toothless mouth?

Yes I am seriously asking. If the anaesthetic the dentist gave me threatened my life, I might actually choose to go through the whole process only once, yes.

OP posts:
LiamNeesonIsADerryGirl · 04/01/2023 17:28

I think it highly unlikely the vet would remove all the teeth in one go. Healthy teeth are harder to remove than unhealthy ones. They would also probably want to keep the time she spends under anaesthesia as short as possible. Then there is the healing of the mouth to consider. They may find that when she's asleep and they can have a proper look in her mouth that more teeth may need removing than first thought.

Original poster
Nimbostratus100 · 04/01/2023 17:28

But the question is can I? and how would the cat be with no teeth?

OP posts:
Original poster
Nimbostratus100 · 04/01/2023 17:29

LiamNeesonIsADerryGirl · 04/01/2023 17:28

I think it highly unlikely the vet would remove all the teeth in one go. Healthy teeth are harder to remove than unhealthy ones. They would also probably want to keep the time she spends under anaesthesia as short as possible. Then there is the healing of the mouth to consider. They may find that when she's asleep and they can have a proper look in her mouth that more teeth may need removing than first thought.

OK, thank you

OP posts:
karmalama · 04/01/2023 17:33

It's not as simple as that though, part of the risk is the length of the anaesthesia, and obviously removing all the teeth would take a very long time.
Your vet will probably take dental X-rays and remove all teeth that have dodgy looking roots, in order to ensure they do the best job.
Yes you can have all the teeth removed and it is usually done if the cat has really severe non responsive gingivitis, and they actually manage very well with no teeth. You wouldn't do this by choice however.
Good luck for tomorrow.

Original poster
Nimbostratus100 · 04/01/2023 17:35

karmalama · 04/01/2023 17:33

It's not as simple as that though, part of the risk is the length of the anaesthesia, and obviously removing all the teeth would take a very long time.
Your vet will probably take dental X-rays and remove all teeth that have dodgy looking roots, in order to ensure they do the best job.
Yes you can have all the teeth removed and it is usually done if the cat has really severe non responsive gingivitis, and they actually manage very well with no teeth. You wouldn't do this by choice however.
Good luck for tomorrow.

Thank you

OP posts:
Theunamedcat · 04/01/2023 17:35

They will do a clean and remove the rotting teeth yes? Dental disease and heart conditions don't mix so im sure they won't take any risks

Alaimo · 04/01/2023 17:36

Sorry OP, don't know about no teeth, but mine had something like 8 or 10 teeth removed recently and is doing just fine. Like you, we knew she'd need to get at least 3 teeth removed, once she was under, our vet had a good look and recommend removing another 6 or so. They phoned us and we consented.

When you drop her off tomorrow, could you ask the nurse or vet in person?

DomesticShortHair · 04/01/2023 17:37

I’d certainly ask for your own peace of mind, but if the vet thought it was a good idea, I’m sure they would have presented it as an option during your discussion.

Ludo19 · 04/01/2023 17:39

Vet nurse here. One of my cats has now only two canines left and his small top and bottom teeth. He lost his teeth through neck lesions which is a very painful condition. He has had 3 dental in total, his last being when he was 14. He manages fine now he's no longer in pain. Dentals can be lengthy so i think your vet (rightly) will only keep her under anaesthetic for the rotten teeth to be dealt with.

BarbaraofSeville · 04/01/2023 17:39

We have a cat with no teeth at all.

She's currently nearly 15 but when younger had a history of extremely poor dental health and the vet described it as being almost like 'being allergic to her own teeth' so it was best for her to have them all taken out, but I think it took 2 or possibly 3 ops to get to that stage - I don't know if they'd do it all in one go.

However, she's been absolutely fine for around 7 years since she had the last of her teeth out, and I remember she was eating dry food within a couple of days of her final op. The only thing she's unable to do is eat grass, which they tend to do to encourage vomiting if they have an upset stomach.

Original poster
Nimbostratus100 · 04/01/2023 17:40

I cant go myself in the morning, so a friend is taking Nimbopuss for me, and it's before the practice is officially open. I'll certainly try and ring and speak to someone, if I can. Sounds like removing all teeth isn't a good idea though, from what posters are saying

OP posts:
Original poster
Nimbostratus100 · 04/01/2023 17:41

BarbaraofSeville · 04/01/2023 17:39

We have a cat with no teeth at all.

She's currently nearly 15 but when younger had a history of extremely poor dental health and the vet described it as being almost like 'being allergic to her own teeth' so it was best for her to have them all taken out, but I think it took 2 or possibly 3 ops to get to that stage - I don't know if they'd do it all in one go.

However, she's been absolutely fine for around 7 years since she had the last of her teeth out, and I remember she was eating dry food within a couple of days of her final op. The only thing she's unable to do is eat grass, which they tend to do to encourage vomiting if they have an upset stomach.

interesting, thank you

OP posts:
Nymeria6 · 04/01/2023 17:41

Hi. My cat is 18 months old and has had all of her teeth removed.

Vet discussed it quite a bit beforehand. It was done in 2 ops. First op recovery was horrendous. 2nd op (few months later) recovery was amazing, back to climbing and jumping within hours of coming home.

She eats everything now including dried food. She lost so much weight after first op (again she was really sick after 1st op) but 2nd op she was OK with eating wet food til fully healed.

The vet won't take any teeth out that don't need to come out. My vet took more teeth first time round then what was discussed with me due to how bad they where when inspected during procedure.

Your cat isn't young so just go with bare minimum removal. They may not need another op later down the line so it would be for nothing.

What I'm trying to say is that my cat is basically a kitten when first op was in the summer an her recovery was bad, so your cat is older with heart prob.

Good luck and my hearts with you. I honestly thought my cat was going to die after first op when I brought her home.

I slept on the floor downstairs with her as she couldn't walk upstairs to bed with me (she sleeps on me normally) as her litter is downstairs so didn't want her walking and falling because she was flopping about.

I removed all her climbing stuff too until she was more recovered.

Original poster
Nimbostratus100 · 04/01/2023 17:42

Ludo19 · 04/01/2023 17:39

Vet nurse here. One of my cats has now only two canines left and his small top and bottom teeth. He lost his teeth through neck lesions which is a very painful condition. He has had 3 dental in total, his last being when he was 14. He manages fine now he's no longer in pain. Dentals can be lengthy so i think your vet (rightly) will only keep her under anaesthetic for the rotten teeth to be dealt with.

ok, thank you - sounds like it wasn't a good idea then

OP posts:
VenusStarr · 04/01/2023 17:42

My 13 year old cat needed dental surgery this time last year to remove a couple of bad teeth (she'd previously had surgery to remove others before). When I collected her, they'd had to take out more than planned, so she only has her 4 canines and the tiny incisors. She cannot eat anything that requires chewing now as she'll just bring it back up. She's also quite dribbly now.

Interestingly, my other cat, her litter sister has perfect teeth, never had any issues, same age, same diet 🤷🏻‍♀️

It's a really anxious time when they're in surgery. I hope it all goes well tomorrow ❤️

Original poster
Nimbostratus100 · 04/01/2023 17:43

Nymeria6 · 04/01/2023 17:41

Hi. My cat is 18 months old and has had all of her teeth removed.

Vet discussed it quite a bit beforehand. It was done in 2 ops. First op recovery was horrendous. 2nd op (few months later) recovery was amazing, back to climbing and jumping within hours of coming home.

She eats everything now including dried food. She lost so much weight after first op (again she was really sick after 1st op) but 2nd op she was OK with eating wet food til fully healed.

The vet won't take any teeth out that don't need to come out. My vet took more teeth first time round then what was discussed with me due to how bad they where when inspected during procedure.

Your cat isn't young so just go with bare minimum removal. They may not need another op later down the line so it would be for nothing.

What I'm trying to say is that my cat is basically a kitten when first op was in the summer an her recovery was bad, so your cat is older with heart prob.

Good luck and my hearts with you. I honestly thought my cat was going to die after first op when I brought her home.

I slept on the floor downstairs with her as she couldn't walk upstairs to bed with me (she sleeps on me normally) as her litter is downstairs so didn't want her walking and falling because she was flopping about.

I removed all her climbing stuff too until she was more recovered.

Thank you

OP posts:
DomesticShortHair · 04/01/2023 17:44

Sorry, I was to focused on my response to say I hope you all goes well tomorrow, too.

Ludo19 · 04/01/2023 17:45

I hope all goes well tomorrow too OP

Nymeria6 · 04/01/2023 17:45

You're welcome. Let us know how she/he?? Gets on. Good luck to you both.

Knobblykneeshairytoes · 04/01/2023 17:49

Is the surgery still open now? It might be worth a call to them this evening for a chat.

3ormoredogs · 04/01/2023 17:53

There’s almost no chance of this.

Cat dentals are a nightmare. Extracting a mouth of healthy teeth would take too long, especially when trying to minimise GA time.

If they are borderline usually they come out, other than that it’s not worth the risk of extended time.

ClaireEclair · 04/01/2023 18:02

Our old dear had 9 teeth taken out and it was the best thing they did for her. She was like a new cat and the recovery was quite short. She was back to eating all her old food within a couple of weeks.

ZellyFitzgerald · 04/01/2023 18:03

No good vet will remove healthy teeth.

Removal of certain teeth (especially the canines) will make the jaw unstable and prone to fracture which is why root canals are often considered before extraction.

You should not be asking for this, and if you do the vet should say no.