General Anaesthetics in older cats.

[StillMedusa]

I took Portia for her jabs today and for a general check up. She is 17, a tiny feisty torty who, while she is slowing down is still up for the odd chase of a bird or a slap of Obie, and is still fluffy and grooming herself well.

Her teeth are not great tho.. not bad but tartar build up and the vet suggested a clean under general would be good, but due to her age she'd need a load of blood tests as well.

I'm not overly keen to put her through it.. she is terrified of the vets and her vet basket, and currently she is eating ok.. she is very small 2.7kg but at her fattest she never made it much over 3kg.. really unless it's prawns or tuna she is not a foodie cat!

Should I put her through it? I'm not bothered about the cost..she's my lovely girl, but I'm not sure the stress on her is worth it!

Bad teeth are a horrible thing to have as a human - I see no reason why cat teeth shouldn't be just as troublesome even though cats are good at covering up pain and discomfort.

It's your call though. My own lad had a full dental at 16 and came through it OK with appropriate eg fluid support. My situation might have been a bit easier than yours though - his mouth was really horrible so my choice was fairly stark - but I was still mindful of the fact that that was really going to be his last chance for elective surgery. I can't see any vet taking the chance - and nor would I ask them - of giving him a GA now, 5 years later, even though he could probably have done, with hindsight, with having every tooth in his head out.

Remember that the vets can't always see the full extent of any trouble until the cat is sedated and they can have a proper look. I'd be surprised if she wasn't due an extraction or two at least at that age.

Thanks Cozie :) It is reassuring to hear that it's likely to be ok..and I certainly don't want her to be in pain (I currently have toothache and it's awful!)
We are away now for a week or so but I will schedule her when we get back.. they are going to the cattery so poor things have that to cope with first!

Have a word with your vet about the op. They ought to have a good idea how they will go about the whole thing and eg what support will be involved and be able to fill you in.

It won't be cheap, I'm afraid - my own CC still becomes quite tearful at thought of the bill even though I tell it to be quiet! - but having eg full bloods done anyway is no bad thing at her age. Seniorboy was scheduled for those even without his dental.

Dental disease is really debilitating to pets the most common thing that I hear at post dental check is X is better than they have been for months/years.
The blood tests will check a variety of things, but in old cats it is the kidneys that are of concern. In my practice if we find issues we put the cat on iv fluids before, during and after the anaesthetic to support the kidneys.

Seniorboy was certainly very very much improved after his dental. He had been vomiting a lot and that pretty well stopped right away.

We took our 10 year old girl to the vets after she started acting unlike herself, had vomiting and severe weight loss - and was generally unwell.
Well, after a dental she was a whole new cat - turns out she had pretty bad teeth, which in turn caused eating trouble and a uti. :(

Your vet should go through everything and do a full check - if they have any concerns then they wouldn't go ahead.
As cozies said the price can be a little hard to swallow, though.

I know he's a bit younger, but my old lad had a dental under GA at age 13 a couple of years ago. He came through it without a bother and it's made a big difference to him & how well he eats.

:) Thanks again everyone.. I will book her in. She is definitely too thin at the mo so if it helps her weight it would be brilliant. Just had a look at the guideline to costs tho... ow! Then again in 17 years she has never cost more than her yearly jabs so I can't complain too much, she has been a very healthy cat!

My old girl had a ga and major abdominal surgery at about 15! I would take the advice of the vet. If her teeth are bad she could be in pain every day.

My cat had a new lease of life after he'd had most of his teeth out, eating better. I wish I'd took him sooner.