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

[Nimbostratus100]

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

Sorry but at what point do you accept the poor beast has suffered enough for your pleasure and put it out of its misery?

Humans live much longer than animals, and WADR to pet lovers, each and every one of them is replaceable. There comes a point where we've enjoyed the company and love of our pets for many years, but for them it's the end of the line. There is no reason to prolong their suffering.

Hi - I haven't read all the replies - but both my cats got a condition that meant their gums rotted - I can't remember what it was called but it made the cat smell like rotton meat!

The worst thing though was when they tried to eat it was too painful.

Both cats had all teeth removed - except canines which are apparently really difficult to remove and not as succeptible to the disease as the other teeth.

Both cats went on to live another 10 years or so - eating everything including dried food and had no issues.

We had to do it - they were both in so much pain but they certainly didn't seem to have any ill effects from it.

My pets certainly don’t suffer for my pleasure. You obviously have a very different approach and attitude towards looking after pets than I do.

How else would you define it? Why are you keeping the cat alive and putting it through all that suffering. Unlike humans who have dreams and goals, and a deep understanding of what it means to sty alive, animals just have instincts. So it's not as if by putting it down you'd actually be robbing it of its goals or the like.

Furthermore, it has more or less come to the end of its natural life without much human intervention, so it's not as if you'd be cruelly cutting short potential life, even animal life. This btw happens to hundreds of thousands of stray and feral cats (and other animals) on a daily basis. They reach the end of their lives and they die.

So what is special about your cat? I'll tell you what, it's because you bought or bred it to give you the pleasure of having a living companion that you can love. Which is not a bad thing in any way. But we need to recognise this is what it is. A cat no more inherently special than all other cats, except that you've bonded with it for years.

That's all fine and well as long as your outpouring of love doesn't actually hurt the cat. But when it comes to this point that prolonging its life means firstly going through the pain and suffering of the actual procedures, and secondly never again having the quality of life a cat naturally needs and has, I just can't see how you can justify this.

Sorry if I come across as harsh, I don't mean to be.

I was thinking the same as above, should a 10 year old cat with serious heart condition go through a GA and trauma of tooth removal. I think it is a hard decision if day to day quality of life is good. I just don't trust vets to do what is best for pets now really but OP I feel for you .

What you have just said is disgusting.

The OP isn't putting her cat through torture for her own personal gain and prolonging its suffering. The cats fine apart from dicky heart and teeth.

No vet would suggest treatments if a cat wasn't going to live or it was causing suffering.

My cat is my baby and I would never give up on her.

Honestly go find another post to inflict your negativity and harsh comments on. Some things just don't need saying.

The poor OP is upset and stressed about her cat going in without you just being awful thinking you are helping.

You aren't so go away.

Couldn't agree more.

”I just don’t trust vets to do what is best for their pets”.

I think that is a very insulting poison to take regarding the veterinary profession, and all the dedicated vets and vet nurses who work in it, and who do it for the welfare of the animals that they treat. Knowing the average salaries of vets and vet nurses, it certainly isn’t for the money.

By far the single biggest factor limiting vets from doing what is best for pets is the lack of treatment options due to the owners being unwilling to spend the money and not having sufficient, or often any, insurance.

Obviously you won’t care, but I hope that those of them who read this thread, particularly those who have commented, understand that there are people (and animals) who value what they do and why they do it.

@alittlequinnie feline stomatitis???

I am not saying individual vets etc aren't lovely and committed. But from experience as an owner , when I felt emotional and vulnerable treatment was suggested and I agreed when it absolutely was not in my pets best interest in hind sight . My personal view is and it is purely speculation that possibly pet insurance means the decision making around treatment has changed. I've had to make agonising decisions about pets over the years and had some lovely interactions with vets. They do an essential job. What is the quote though, just because you can doesn't mean you should.

An op with a heart condition is not a good idea and surly the vet will refuse to do it??

You’re best putting her to sleep. Is it the teeth that are affected or the gums too? If also the gums, removing the teeth won’t solve the problem.

It’s not really for a vet to decide the treatment options for a pet. It’s for them to present the options. They do have a responsibility for the animals welfare (and a personal interest, I bet the vast majority of vets and vet nurses value the animals they treat more than their owners). The might be able to advise and guide, but the decision comes down to owner, and the vet wouldn’t be doing their job both legally and morally if they didn’t present a viable option for treatment to an owner, for them to decide.

Please don't remove healthy teeth. Your poor cat may not handle it or get used to it.

We took our 8 year old cat to the vet a few months ago for a completely unrelated matter on examination the vet told us she had no teeth left, we were stunned but reassured when the vet said she would still be ok ... and she is she still eats her dry food with no trouble the gums do not look sore or bloody she seems perfectly happy gives lots of love and purring and just seems as she always did she is not even offended when we call her gummy :)

Mine had a dental and had all teeth removed except one lower fang
He's absolutely fine, eats anything and was trying to demand a raw chicken wing 48hrs after his op

Ask the vet what you can do to maximise the health of the cat's remaining teeth and her gums.

Look into getting a water filter drinking bowl so she'll always have clean water to drink, with no dust, dirt, soggy dry food, crumbs of other food, etc floating around in it. Tooth borne infections can spread amd pain in the mouth can make a cat go off food.

Hi OP - it actually wasn't a terrible idea, and no it actually doesn't take a ridiculous amount of time to remove all the teeth, unless they are very healthy and the gums too.

If your cat has what this above poster is talking about, it's called stomatitis and really can't be solved by removing a tooth or three. Our miserable, stinky and fearful kitten had this and at the age of 18 months was at the point of no longer eating. He had the surgery to remove all his teeth at 9am, was waking up in recovery by noon and home with us at 6pm, and within a week he was pain-free and overnight became a happy, adoring, playful cat. And he eats EVERYTHING (and barfs it back up if it's too big). He's an indoor cat of course, but he'd be that anyway, where we live.

If your cat has just a few rotting teeth, and all the others are nice and healthy, then the vet won't remove them. But I bet they will agree with you that the GA is not great for cats and animals in general, and that if they could do the whole mouth in one go, they would.

Our rescue cat had all her teeth removed at age 3, like another OP's cat she had become allergic to her teeth after a virus & was in constant pain. The impact on her was immediate, she was much happier so the pain before the op must have been terrible. Eats normally (the gums harden very quickly).

We had a young cat who had no teeth (rescue so no idea when they were removed). I didn't even know until the vet mentioned it. Never stopped him eating anything....

Nimbopuss was collected by a friend a few hours ago and taken to the vet. Big hugs with her this morning, and an anxious day ahead. The vet rang a few minutes ago to reiterate that this op is a big risk, and she might not survive the anaesthetic. There is no alternative though, other than have her put down, so nothing to lose by going ahead. The vet agrees he would if it was his cat,

I did say please take out any teeth that look like the are not healthy, because I dont want to have to do this again next year. He said he would check them all carefully and take out any he had doubts about

That’s good for the vet, he now knows he can use his best judgement t do what he thinks best, depending on what he finds whilst carrying out the dental. And that he’s got your consent to do so, which makes it easier an better all round.

My thoughts are with Nimbopuss today, who hopefully will be back home soon with less teeth, but none the worse otherwise. X

Hope it goes well today.

FME - full mouth extraction. Its done commonly in cats that get severe gingivitis/stomatitits complex. Often young cats. Nobody knows the true cause, but we do know that extracting all the teeth is curative in a large percentage of these cats. It eliminates the pain caused by the teeth disintegrating and gums receeding over years.

Cats with no teeth tend to do well, and eat well. They have a much better quality of life if they have the above noted condition.

Just some reassurance. My cat was the same age as yours when he had most of his teeth out. I don't know how many because he would never let me count but he kept some and his magnificent fangs!

He didn't have a heart complaint but I worried about the anaesthetic because of his age. He had some extra drug-based procedure to help him through the operation. I can't remember what it was called but I think it was specifically to help his heart because of his age. Your vet will probably know what I'm talking about.

I dropped him off at 8am and picked him up at 5pm. I cried on and off all day. When I got to the surgery I could hear him yowling in the back room. He wasn't unhappy, he was a very talkative cat and it was his way of saying hello. He'd kept it up all day but luckily the vets didn't mind - they said it was proof he was happy and well.

The vet said when she started the extraction most of the other teeth came out like dominoes so it wasn't too brutal and she was able to leave the healthy teeth. He had antibiotics to clear up any gum infection but was perfectly comfortable and in no pain.

He recovered so well I couldn't tell you what it was like because it was as if nothing had happened. He could eat as normal from the start. He liked soft food the best which was part of the problem - dry food is better at cleaning their teeth - but he could still manage to chew pieces of chicken and of course, Dreamies. He lived for another five years and even still liked the vet Dr Helen whenever he went for vaccinations and things.

I'm sure your cat will be fine. You will be the worried one!