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?

hmm this is a very enlightening article, thank you

her immunisations were due

Our 13 year old had dental surgery recently and it was a lot for him. He was in pain for days. I definitely wouldn't do this to a 17 year old cat who isn't in pain. It's ridiculous how much they charge now for procedures. (Though we paid £900 for two teeth and a cyst to be removed so yours sounds incredibly expensive). Let your senior cat continue as she is.

There is no way I'd put a 17 year old cat through surgery if she is in no pain. Even if she has the anesthetic, she may not recover from it. Why does the tooth need to come out if it's not hurting her?

Thanks for everyone's input. I appreciate it

A good vet will present you with all the options. From the cheapest to the most expensive and allow you to choose the one which fits your budget. £1500 for a single tooth extraction is madness.
My cat is 16 and requires extensive dental work. Xrays, multiple extractions and I’ve been quoted £700. He is struggling to eat though and his mouth is a mess.
I would get a second opinion for sure

I wouldn’t pay it for something not obviously causing bother.

I would ring around vets for prices. My cats unfort have their teeth out a few times - all with a general - the cheapest was £250 but this was about 7 years ago...recently I paid about £500? Its a 15min op and then the after care for a day.

I think it would be cruel to put a cat through GA and all that surgery but vets these days are there to do a hard sell & get you for feeling guilty for not signing up to £££ of treatment.

Plus vets are now owned by big group companies who are milking the system https://news.sky.com/story/vet-prices-investigation-over-concerns-pet-owners-being-overcharged-13093017

I don't think you can say from the information we have whether it would be cruel or not. I have had a dog who had cararact surgery at age 14 because it would have been cruel not to as she was really not coping well with her blindness so it was that or PTS. Equally my last dog could have had further treatment for his cancer but it would have meant regular injections and blood tests and he hated the vets so we (vets and I) agreed with palliative care and no more vet visits. It really does depend on the individual pet. Not all vets are there for the hard sell and the guilt trip.

I've had similar.

I'd take her to another vet for a different opinion. But at 17 I'd only intervene if she was suffering.

Our cat needs all his teeth out (he is 14) and our haven’t said it would be £700 so o do think the cost you have been given is quite high…

I would say though that cats are very good at masking pain - you wouldn’t think they are in pain when they actually are. Just something to consider.

I would go for a second opinion

Same as mine.

Take out healthy pet plan and it'll cost less

It’s complicated weighing up whether to treat in this situation (I’m in a similar boat with my own 16yo moggy). It’s essential that you are guided by a vet you trust so if you really don’t trust them then seek a second opinion. Cats are excellent at hiding pain so one can’t assume they aren’t feeling anything just because they aren’t yowling at you. On the flipside, anaesthetising an old cat is always going to be risky. (Having said this, I’d far rather my beloved old mog died under anaesthetic while relatively healthy than have to nurse him through a terminal illness or watch him slowly fade away.)

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/apr/06/vet-who-really-profits-from-poorly-pets

Have a read of this, OP, it's eye-opening (and wallet-closing).

At 17 I wouldn't say immunisations were necessary. A vet told me (off the record) that by that age it's a bit of a scam between kennels/vets/medical companies.

Get a second opinion from a different vet. If you don't trust your vet, you need a new one.

interesting....

The vet needs to fully explain why this is the suggestion
we had to have some taken out Of old girl as the vet said although she was not suffering atm - ahe had a loy of tartar and this was a high risk of infection.
vet said it was preventative.
they need ro communicate !

If you don’t trust your vet there really is no point, get a second opinion

@LoserWinner I was just going to post the same article when I realised you already had.

If the cat is 17 and not in pain, why would you do this?

I think if your cat isn't in pain and is eating well etc. it's not worth the risk. That price also seems ridiculously high. Mine is 13 and was struggling, so she had pre op blood checks, general anaesthetic, a good clean and two extractions - it was just under £400.

As others have mentioned, maybe get a second opinion, but I'd be looking into changing vets generally anyway!

Your vet is scamming you OP

Yanbu, my dad is a dentist and their vet tried to Bellshill them in to unnecessary treatment - my dad said that his explanation was sheer crap - some vets (not all) are totally money grabbing charlatans- they give good vets a bad name!