My cat broke her tooth

[sumbride]

My cat Lucy loves it when I rub her chin and around her mouth so I was just doing that and noticed she was bumping her tooth up against me and it felt different... not smooth. I looked at it and she lost the tip of her canine tooth. She''s always had a bit of an overbite so her teeth stick out a bit, but now I''m not sure if I need to take her in and have it removed or if it will just wear down. We just spent quite a lot on bloodwork for Bill, who had anemia and has recovered from whatever gave it to him, so the vet funds are a little low, but I don''t want her to suffer unnecessarily.

 

[Iowa Lizzy]

I''d call your vet and see what they say. If they tell you she should be brought in, I''d ask if they can estimate how much treatment would cost.

Poor kitty. It''s so tough when you have an ill animal and you''re not sure what to do. Good luck!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 7/25/2008 2:12:07 PM
Author:sumbride
My cat Lucy loves it when I rub her chin and around her mouth so I was just doing that and noticed she was bumping her tooth up against me and it felt different... not smooth. I looked at it and she lost the tip of her canine tooth. She''s always had a bit of an overbite so her teeth stick out a bit, but now I''m not sure if I need to take her in and have it removed or if it will just wear down. We just spent quite a lot on bloodwork for Bill, who had anemia and has recovered from whatever gave it to him, so the vet funds are a little low, but I don''t want her to suffer unnecessarily.

Sum, I would take her down and get it checked, it could be nothing needs to be done, but you want to check that the tooth itself wasn''t injured when she damaged it, as that could cause problems for Lucy and further expense if this is the case and not attended to. Is she eating ok?

 

[sumbride]

I''m not sure how recently she did it, but she seems to be eating fine. They do eat wet food for the most part though, and I don''t think she needs her canines for that. I imagine she did it on a toy, but I don''t know. Lucy has always had bad teeth from her lack of nutrition as a kitten. She had SEVEN teeth removed right after I adopted her because they were all rotten. Cleared her bad breath right up! She''s had a couple more taken out, but has been doing ok since then so I guess I shouldn''t be all that surprised that it broke, but still... I feel bad about it.

ok, must call the vet.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 7/25/2008 2:57:53 PM
Author: sumbride
I''m not sure how recently she did it, but she seems to be eating fine. They do eat wet food for the most part though, and I don''t think she needs her canines for that. I imagine she did it on a toy, but I don''t know. Lucy has always had bad teeth from her lack of nutrition as a kitten. She had SEVEN teeth removed right after I adopted her because they were all rotten. Cleared her bad breath right up! She''s had a couple more taken out, but has been doing ok since then so I guess I shouldn''t be all that surprised that it broke, but still... I feel bad about it.

ok, must call the vet.

My Siamese had an infection in a canine, it was hanging out of his mouth as the tooth had broken, he also had that sort of overbite with sticking out teeth. But he was fine after the tooth was removed and was even eating dry biccies soon afterwards. Poor Lucy, it sounds as if she has been through a lot with her teeth.

 

[sumbride]

They didn''t seem all that concerned since she is eating but said they still wanted to look at it so she''s going in on Monday. I have that day off so I was planning to take Bill in later that evening for a follow-up blood test. Bill and Lucy don''t like each other so I can''t take them at the same time. Too stressful! I then remembered that Lucy and Jack are both due for their yearly exams/vaccines so Lucy and Jack are going at 11 am and Bill is going at 5 pm. Oh boy! So much for my day off!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 7/25/2008 3:08:55 PM
Author: sumbride
They didn''t seem all that concerned since she is eating but said they still wanted to look at it so she''s going in on Monday. I have that day off so I was planning to take Bill in later that evening for a follow-up blood test. Bill and Lucy don''t like each other so I can''t take them at the same time. Too stressful! I then remembered that Lucy and Jack are both due for their yearly exams/vaccines so Lucy and Jack are going at 11 am and Bill is going at 5 pm. Oh boy! So much for my day off!

Oh yikes! I hear you about some of the cats not liking each other!!

I hope the vets office isn''t too far from you.

 

[sumbride]

Luckily it''s only about 3 miles away, but it''s a loud trip! Thanks for the commiserating! I''m glad your cat did fine with his extraction. I think Lucy will need one because her tooth has a line up it that doesn''t look good... but I''m worried now that they''re going to do multiple extractions and it''s going to be expensive. Most of the money is for the surgery though, so best to just knock her out the once and take out what they need to. She''s going to be a toothless wonder at the ripe old age of 7!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 7/25/2008 3:19:10 PM
Author: sumbride
Luckily it''s only about 3 miles away, but it''s a loud trip! Thanks for the commiserating! I''m glad your cat did fine with his extraction. I think Lucy will need one because her tooth has a line up it that doesn''t look good... but I''m worried now that they''re going to do multiple extractions and it''s going to be expensive. Most of the money is for the surgery though, so best to just knock her out the once and take out what they need to. She''s going to be a toothless wonder at the ripe old age of 7!

LOL!!! I know, I can imagine all the eardrum bludgeoning wailing and howling!!

I will keep all my crossables crossed that she doesn''t actually need anything done! We had another cat who had constant infections in his teeth and gums, we were back and forth to the vets all the time, until in the end we decided to have all his teeth out - he never looked back once we did, the improvement was dramatic, and he still even enjoyed some dry food.....

 

[iheartscience]

Oh, poor poor kitten. I hope she''s okay and it''s just the one tooth. Little toothless wonder! (Not to mention your poor, poor wallet-I know how expensive multiple vet visits get, although of course they''re necessary to keep our kitty friends in tip top shape!)

 

[sumbride]

Whew! Lucy and I just got back from the vet. They don''t feel she''s at much risk for infection, but they would like to do a cleaning and can check it better then, but it doesn''t have to be done immediately. I''m waiting for an estimate to decide when I can schedule it but I was grateful that they weren''t worried. In addition to the vet work for Bill, my laptop died this weekend. Not choosing a computer over my cat, of course, but, well, it''s hard when it all hits at once. I think it''s going to be ok! Thanks to all who helped me cope!

 

[Lorelei]

Thanks for the update Sum! Glad Lucy is ok!

 

[Rhea]

My cat is missing half of both of her top long teeth (are they still k9 teeth in cats?). She also apparently broke her jaw at some point, probably when she got lost outside for a few weeks last year. The vet wasn''t at all concerned about her chipped teeth. As long as she eats as normal and goes to her yearly check-up everything is good. She had a couple of bad teeth removed a couple of years ago - I do need to brush her teeth more often. As she gets older the vet said that both of her top k9 teeth are likely to need to be removed because they might rot or have lots of nerve damage, but that that was somewhat normal in an older cat.

I''m glad your cat is okay.

 

[sumbride]

Thanks for the reassurance Addy! I just got the estimate in the mail yesterday and it''s $600-$1100 depending on the level of extractions that MIGHT be needed, but they wouldn''t know until they''re in there looking around. Ugh. I''m glad she didn''t feel it was urgent but now I feel guilty looking at the estimate, especially when I look at the bowl and realize that somebody isn''t eating as much as usual but I''m not sure who it is, and if it''s the summer heat, or something to do with teeth or other issues. Of course, Lucy weighs almost 14 pounds so if she''s cutting back a bit, she''s going to be ok, and I do know she''s eating something. GUILT city.

 

[Rhea]

My girly is eating less as well. The vet wasn''t concerned about that either, girl is overweight a bit plus vet mentioned the heat. She also an indoor cat so she doesn''t get much excerise.

I''m waiting until the vet says that she needs to have her two front teeth taken out before doing so. Don''t feel guilty at all. Surely your vet would let you know if it were an urgent situatition?

How old is your baby?

 

[sumbride]

She''s 7ish. I''ve had her 6 years. She has recently decided that she likes sitting next to me on the sofa. This is all new.... she was very anti-lap-cat but if I put a pillow in my lap, she''ll sit on it. I guess after 6 years together she''s realized I''m not going to hurt her.