Tooth extraction - cat - risks

[Dracarys1]

My 9 year old tortoiseshell is going in for a tooth extraction tomorrow as the tooth broke in half but the root is still in and the gum is swollen. She is a much loved cat and I'm so scared she won't wake up after the anaesthetic. Is this silly? Looking for reassurance that she will be fine!!

Oh bless her, it is worrying when they have a GA, hope she will be fine.
My ex feral street cat was really poorly when he had the op, and had all his teeth out at once, well apart from his fangs and tiny teeth at the front...He was absolutely fine afterwards,
and carried on as normal, still eating his biscuits.
It was an expensive op as the dentist said that cats teeth and roots are very fragile so it takes a longer time and more care to remove them safely.

Our old lady cat who is 14 had couple of teeth out last year. We were so so worried about general anaesthetic but she was perfectly fine, lil bit groggy for couple of hours but other than that ok. They did all her bloodwork beforehand to make sure there's no underlying issue before they put her under. Good luck 🤞

Thank you. I know she's still fairly young so should be ok but we've had her since she was a kitten and she was my baby before we had kids and I still adore her so will just be glad once tomorrow is over. I just keep thinking "what if?!" Shes going to be super annoyed when she doesnt get her breakfast in the morning! Thanks for the reassuring posts.

It is so worrying 💕

Balanchine was diagnosed with genetic kidney issues aged 5 & put on a renal diet. I trusted - for which I will never forgive myself - that the food from the vet would be healthy. The wet food was packed with sugar and, courtesy of his genetic dental problems, within a few months he had to have a couple of teeth removed. Despite plaque-off on his food; Petkin stuff in his water; logic paste every day; & his enjoying chomping on teeth-cleaning toys 😿 He hadn’t needed a GA for his ultrasound (because he is the very best of boys for the vet) so it was only his second (after saying adieu to his pom-poms & hello to a microchip) as a kitten.

9 in cat years is 52 in human years (53 if she’s 9.5) so she’s only middle-aged; & if she’s otherwise healthy & hasn’t had another one recently, having a GA is really very low risk. This article by Vets4Pets gives a really good explanation of how she’ll be looked after during surgery; how risk is mitigated against; how you’ll have a role in her aftercare - & an explanation of the risk levels, which is in a section of its own you have to click on, so you don’t have to read it if you think it would be unhelpful for you to know the statistics, even though the numbers are very low.

I hope it all goes well tomorrow.

She won’t be under for long. We had a cat about 15 that had serious and tricky stomach surgery. All fine.
Tooth issues can be painful and lead to bigger issues. You’re doing the right thing. You’ll be so relieved tomorrow when it’s all done and sorted.

Thank you everyone. One of the hardest things for me is depriving her of food as she's up there yowling now but nothing allowed. Will be glad when DH takes her (I've got school run to do) and it's happening because then I'll just have to get on with the day listening out for the phone. Will update later. Thank you for being so kind x

Hoping she’s home soon and tucking in!

She's home. They took 2 teeth out and cleaned all the rest. They said she might be off her food and to take it slow but since she got home she's not stopped asking for food. She's had some wet food and a few biscuits but still wants more but we're going to pace her a bit. Got some chicken leftover from dinner for her to have a little bit later as a treat. I'm so glad she's home and OK. Thanks for the reassurance everyone!

Brilliant news!

Excellent news - & pacing her with the food very sensible because even if she’s demanding food [with menaces] too much too fast is likely too have unfortunate consequences.