Is my cat's expensive dental cleaning and extraction necessary?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I think you are between a rock and hard place. I would find a Vet comfortable with Harley's kidney disease and is fast with dental extractions. Specialists aren't always the fastest at removing teeth. Sometimes the general practitioner is quicker and what Harley needs is to NOT be under anesthesia for 3 hours. Your Vet may just not feel comfortable with the severity of his teeth, his age and underlying kidney disease. Who and how they monitor anesthesia is also important. For the sake of his kidneys they need to be sure his blood pressure is stable and doesn't drop too low. I think you can have his teeth done, but there is risk due to his age and kidney disease but you don't have much choice at this point. I would find someone with in your budget that feels comfortable and you need to be willing to accept the risks and go for it. I wish you the best!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The photo is slightly blurry for some reason, but I can see some inflammation on Simba's gum line. This can be caused by build up of plaque and bacteria, which can be removed by dental cleaning. I recommend feeding Simba hard food, brushing his teeth gently if he allows, and giving him dental treats for cats to prevent him from needing frequent cleanings in the future. $273 is a very fair price for the cleaning if it includes the anesthesia. For reference, in my practice in New York, a dental cleaning typically costs about $600.

Hi there. I agree having her teeth cleaned it’s a good idea especially if she has tartar buildup.I would start by having your veterinarian run some general bloodwork to make sure her organ function is good and if everything looks good and her heart is healthy and anesthesia is very safe. Having bad dental health can be more detrimental in the long run and getting this taken care of would be a great idea. Also make sure that wherever you have her teeth cleaned has full monitoring devices and that they do intravenous fluids during the procedure. This is a standard safety measure and you want to go somewhere that has that available. Hope that is helpful and have a wonderful day.

Hello. I am sorry to hear that Tiger is feeling sick. Tartar and tooth disease can worsen heart disease, especially if there is already heart disease present, however anesthesia in a cat with HCM is going to have increased risks. The decision to go to surgery or not will have to be made with you and your vet, depending on the severity of Tiger's heart condition. You can try feeding him a dental diet to help prevent more tartar build-up and if he will let you you can try brushing his teeth. You won't get the stuff on there off without anesthesia and a dental cleaning, but you can prevent it from getting worse. Good luck with Tiger.

That certainly will depend on the veterinarian you choose for treatment. First of all I would take him in to have his teeth examined. They may not in fact need dental care if he’s eating and feeling fine. If he does need dental care then I would request an estimate. You have the right to decline extra treatment as long as it is not treatment that your veterinarian feels is essential to having a safe dental treatment. You can always shop around for a veterinarian who understands your concerns about your cat.’s treatment. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for your cat.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Milo! Most of the time they do just fine! It is best for his health to have the diseased tooth taken care of. You can ask your Vet to prescribe a sedative to you to give to transport him to the Vet. Anesthesia is always risky but complications are rare and we do everything possible to eliminate risk. Monitoring is done during anesthesia and blood-work should be done prior I wish Milo the best

So sorry that your cat is having this problem. You could take him to a veterinary dental specialist and see if the specialist will remove his tooth. Or find another vet in your area and take him for a second opinion. If his blood work is normal and he is in otherwise good health, then the risk of extracting a bad tooth is low. Here is a link to search for a dental specialist in your area. https://www.avdc-dms.org/dms/list/diplomates-map.cfm