Is the vet having them on?

[Toddlerteaplease]

My parents gorgeous boy, needs a dental. But their vet is going to do an examination under anaesthetic and then if he needs any extractions, bring him back another day for them. Apparently this is because he doesn’t like to keep them under anaesthetic for two long. I’ve just booked my pair in for a dental and it’s all done in one go. As has every Cat dental I’ve known. Is he taking the piss?

It doesn’t sound right to me. When Harry had his teeth out (all 12!) the vet did it at the same time as she repaired his jaw. He must have been out for quite a while.

When he had the second dental they told me they would do any extractions while he was under but thankfully there weren’t any.

Forgot picture!

He's gorgeous! When my cat had a dental, the vet did it all in one go and she was perfectly fine a few days later. Double anaesthetic = double grogginess surely?

yes, their vet is taking the piss.

Go to a different vet.

Looking at their teeth takes 5 minutes once under. It shouldn't matter, all the teeth can be pulled under 2h. There's more risk in putting a cat under twice than keeping him under longer once.

I wouldn’t want a cat to have any more anaesthetic than absolutely necessary. Harry has been under so many times now we’ve decided it’ll only happen again if it’s life or death. He was in such a state last time and I never want to see him like it again.

I agree. He’s already had multiple sedations for blood tests as he has a slightly high white cell count and was getting skin lesions. Concluded high WCC was normal for him and skin lesions were caused by anxiety and over grooming. I thought it was a bit OTT at the time and suggested a different vet.

My girls have had several anaesthetics this year already but It needs to be done.but no way would they be having two!

What glorious eyes
I haven't had a cat with dodgy teeth, so can't really give advice, although I always thought the usual thing was to do as much as possible with one anesthetic.
Current boy arrived with a bit of tartar on his teeth, so maybe he'll have problems later on?

It is standard to do everything under a single anaesthetic in general the riskiest parts are induction and recovery

Specialist veterinary dentists invariably perform dentals under two anaesthetics. Many reasons for this. Cat dentals are potentially complex surgical procedures, due to resorbing lesions of the teeth (this is very rare in dogs). The absolute gold standard in cats is GA, examine, xray all teeth, clean them and then - if there are multiple issues - plan for a second dental procedure. This first procedure can take 1-2 hours alone, and length of time under GA is important. In addition, having prepared the mouth (by reducing bacterial load from the plaque) and having prepared a plan for the teeth (ie going in to the second procedure knowing exactly what needs to be done, without having spent a couple of hours preparing) is in the best interests of the cat, trust me. The problem is that standards of veterinary dentistry varies WIDELY across clinic, and owners do not see that. They just see the protocols and naturally, the costs. Example: resorbing lesions in cat teeth often mean that the nerve is exposed above the gum (where crown crumbles away) but the root has actually resorbed (it's no longer present). If clinics do not have digital xrays (many do not), vets mat attempt to extract the non existent root by drilling down into bone. They cannot see what they are doing. The correct treatment is actually removal of the top of the tooth only- not drilling needlessly into the jaw which can can long term pain. And guess what, the first type of vet is unlikely to charge as much for this quick procedure. So, rather than automatically assume that your vet is taking advantage, please discuss with them exactly why they recommend the protocols that they do. It's your right. Ask questions, we're happy to explain. It makes me sad that people assume we are "taking them for a ride", when we are only trying to do the absolute best. (Side note- personally, wetry to be reasonable - so if during procedure one, we find 1-2 bad teeth, we do deal with them then and there. A second GA is relatively uncommon in practice.)

Rant over.

Thankyou. That does make sense. I’m just a bit sceptical as he’s had loads of repeated investigations that kept coming up with the same results. And it was all put down to anxiety anyway. What is a reabsorbing lesion?

I understand and you have every right to question what's being done. There are also sadly unscrupulous vets out there, as in every walk of life. The lesions used to be called FRLs - and you cannot identify all of them without xrays. Here's a useful link (and useful website in general)

icatcare.org/advice/cat-health/dental-disease-cats

And even more important to read:

www.bvda.co.uk/information-for-pet-owners/feline-resorptive-lesions

Thanks, my girls are having a dental on the 6th as well. (Different vet) one of them has a heart murmur, should she have prophylactic antibiotics? I’m a really over anxious Cat parent!

I think vets need to explain procedures more clearly. When Harry broke his jaw the first vet we saw was useless. At first she didn't know his jaw was broken, which I don't blame her for. Once he was under GA and had x-rays she phoned me to tell me she couldn't remove all his teeth that day because she didn't have a drill! She also told me he might die. I went mad as I didn't see why he had to go through two GAs because they didn't have the right basic equipment.

I was later phoned back by another vet who explained the procedure properly, that she needed to remove the teeth, wire his jaw and take a biopsy and, while she wasn't expecting cancer, she wanted to make sure. It all made sense then.

I don't think I was the only one who had a problem with the first vet as she left the following week and I was told by someone who worked with her that they all breathed a sigh of relief!

OP- I'm a cat parent too 😊 Can't really comment on antibiotics for specific cases I'm afraid (it's not appropriate professionally) but in general, in some cases it IS necessary (ie leaky heart valves more susceptible to bacteria lodging when released from the mouth during cleaning). That said, lots of cat heart murmurs aren't due to leaky valves- and sometimes there's no pathology at all! I'd suggest you a chat with your vet