not to agree to £1500 dental surgery for cat

[catlover1000]

I am not convinced she even needs it. She seems perfectly happy, eating normally, playing etc. There is a risk with the anaesthetic, which is one consideration. She is not insured for dental work, and I would have to borrow, which is another consideration. She is 17 which is another consideration. I don't trust the vet, is another consideration..... He thinks she needs a tooth removed. But he also agrees she isn't in pain. And that health testing ( which is what some of this price is) might show she is not suitable for aesthetic anyway. He wants me to commit this money, have all the tests done to see if she is fir for surgery, then have the surgery, and I'm thinking, well, what happens if we just don't?

At 17 spending that much on an unnecessary surgery is madness! You're not unreasonable at all.

If she's that old and not in pain, then no way would I be putting her through surgery.

I absolutely wouldn’t do something unnecessary at 17.

get a second opinion from a different vet and go from there.

I wouldn't do this at 17. At 12 one of our cats had most of his teeth out and it was worth every penny as he was evidently struggling but all that for one tooth that isn't bothering her seems ridiculous and 17 is old for an unnecessary anaesthesia.

“What happens if we just don’t” is… nothing. Your cat carries on as normal.

Your vet isn’t going to report you for cruelty or anything of that nature. I’d also not be shelling out that kind of cash on a 17 year old cat.

your health is your reliability, so get a second opinion as you said you don't trust the vet. why don't you trust the vet?

You are not the vet, so for the sake of your cat, seek second opinion.

I would get a second opinion. I can't quote on the price done I'm in Australia but I paid $1200 a year or so ago for a clean and X-rays under anesthetic. Extractions would've cost more.

My old girl had to have teeth removed at 19 but she had stomatitis which meant her body was rejecting her teeth so was in quite a bit of pain.

See a different vet

Agree it's madness, especially if the cat isn't in pain. All the stress, trauma and pain after the op is something I'd be reluctant to put such an old cat through anyway tbh

At 17 absolutely not. That's a lot to put a very old cat through, particularly if she isn't struggling to eat.

It's completely up to you. Are you posting here because you think the vet has some legal hold over you or will report you to a higher authority.
I was in a similar position 2 years ago with a 15yr old cat. We had him PTS as he had other health issues on top. It's completely up to you. Don't let the vet pressure you.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/apr/06/vet-who-really-profits-from-poorly-pets?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Just don’t. It’s moral blackmail: the subtext is “if you don’t shell out a small fortune, you don’t love your pet.”

YANBU - I was recently told mine should have her teeth cleaned under anaesthetic. She’s absolutely fine. I’m not putting her through that to help a PE backed vets practice earn more money.

Absolutely no way would I do this to a 17yo cat.

I disagree with others about seeking another opinion. The cat is eating fine, doesn't seem in any pain and at 17 any trip to the vets is likely to be stressful for the poor mog. Leave her be.

What is the reason the vet is saying it needs removing?

You need to find a vet you can trust.

I spent almost that amount on my cat’s dental surgery. The difference was that he was clearly in pain, he was around 12 years old at the time I think, and he had extensive dental problems that really needed addressing.

My other cat has also needed teeth extracted and has a heart murmur, so we went through all the tests to make sure he could handle a general anaesthetic. £££££ but he was relatively young, and again - crucially - I trust the vet.

I don’t think I would be doing the same for a 17yo cat that had no immediate issues and where the vet could not give me a clear explanation of why this operation needed to be done, and done now. Even if the procedure was free, you would not put your pet through it unless there was a clear benefit to him over the risk, fear and discomfort (or pain) he was going to suffer.

I’d get a second opinion.

I paid £977 for my cat to have 6 teeth hour. And the difference in her in incredible. Even though she was showing no signs of pain. However she's only 3. At 17 I don't think I would

Most likely at a general check up appointment. I' don't take mine for routine check ups as I've honestly lost count of the amount of people I know who have taken pets to the vets for routine check ups and suddenly the vets find all kinds of stuff wrong with them. I'm very cynical though and suspect if it wasn't the cats teeth it would have been something else.

@ZipZapZoom that’s why it’s so important to have a vet you can trust. I took my cat to the vet because I was worried about him - nothing specific but some behavioural changes and sleeping more than usual (!!!) They checked him over and said they thought he seemed fine (giving various reasons) and barely charged me anything.

The cost wouldn't bother me as much as putting an old cat under a GA when it might not be necessary. We did that with a 20 year old, after much discussion with a vet we knew well and trusted, but the GA was too much and his kidneys started packing up.

If she was in pain and the vet thought it essential that would be different.

Also, I last paid £600 for dental, blood tests and removal of several teeth (18 months ago) on a teenaged cat and £1500 does seem expensive.

We got a second opinion who said it was completely unnecessary. No, YANBU.

I paid circa £800 for my 12 year old boy to have the rest of his teeth out bar one. However, he’d had a lot of teeth removed when he was younger and 2 different vets had previously mentioned his mouth issues . Since he has been left with just the one tooth he has been much happier. The poor boy must have had nagging toothaches and now they are gone. The price you are being quoted is high for the work being done. Get a 2nd opinion. Just because the cat 🐈‍⬛ is eating etc does not mean they don’t have toothache.

That sounds a lot - I paid about £250 for an extraction. As others have said, I wouldn't want to put a cat of that age under GA unless it was critical.