Cat question/advice needed

[stepcutnut]

I am hoping I can get some advice from some of you cat parents.

Yesterday one of my kitties was at the Vet having a procedure done under anesthesia-so the Vet mentioned it would be a good idea to take a look at his teeth while he was sedated(he is not a happy camper when he's at the Vet's office, so she usually doesn't get to do too many extras during the exam process other than what we came in for).

So when I called in to get an update on how his other procedure went the Vet said I have bad news about his teeth. She said your kitty has Feline Odotoclastic Resorptive Lesions(FORL) affecting almost all of his teeth and that he must be in EXTREME pain!!! She said that we will need to take him to a specialist(that is 2 and 1/2hrs away) to get dental x-rays and have ALL his teeth extracted!

Mind you he just had his teeth cleaned this time last year, so all this has really just blown up in the last 12 months---but all his teeth!?!?!

So I guess my question is, has anyone else dealt with FORL before? If so, did they take all your kitties teeth out? How did the healing process go? How is your kitty doing now?

One of my many main concerns is that he is 12yrs old and will not eat soft food, I've tried on many occasions-but to no avail!!! So how is he going to be able to eat? Any advice to try and entice him? I've had many cats, so I don't feel like a newbie when it comes to this area-but I am sure there are things I've forgotten about---TIA

 

[Lorelei]

I am hoping I can get some advice from some of you cat parents.

Yesterday one of my kitties was at the Vet having a procedure done under anesthesia-so the Vet mentioned it would be a good idea to take a look at his teeth while he was sedated(he is not a happy camper when he's at the Vet's office, so she usually doesn't get to do too many extras during the exam process other than what we came in for).

So when I called in to get an update on how his other procedure went the Vet said I have bad news about his teeth. She said your kitty has Feline Odotoclastic Resorptive Lesions(FORL) affecting almost all of his teeth and that he must be in EXTREME pain!!! She said that we will need to take him to a specialist(that is 2 and 1/2hrs away) to get dental x-rays and have ALL his teeth extracted!

Mind you he just had his teeth cleaned this time last year, so all this has really just blown up in the last 12 months---but all his teeth!?!?!

So I guess my question is, has anyone else dealt with FORL before? If so, did they take all your kitties teeth out? How did the healing process go? How is your kitty doing now?

One of my many main concerns is that he is 12yrs old and will not eat soft food, I've tried on many occasions-but to no avail!!! So how is he going to be able to eat? Any advice to try and entice him? I've had many cats, so I don't feel like a newbie when it comes to this area-but I am sure there are things I've forgotten about---TIA

Hi steps,

I did have all the teeth removed from one of my cats some years ago, he kept getting chronic infections and I was back and forth to the vets with him, he was on antibiotics all the time. Once we took the teeth out it gave him a new lease of life and he was even able to eat hard food as his gums toughened up! Healing was uneventful and he did fine for many years after, I think having the teeth out gave him a better quality of life than he would have otherwise had.

Wishing you and your kitta lots of luck, hopefully he will do as well as mine did!

 

[stepcutnut]

I am hoping I can get some advice from some of you cat parents.

Yesterday one of my kitties was at the Vet having a procedure done under anesthesia-so the Vet mentioned it would be a good idea to take a look at his teeth while he was sedated(he is not a happy camper when he's at the Vet's office, so she usually doesn't get to do too many extras during the exam process other than what we came in for).

So when I called in to get an update on how his other procedure went the Vet said I have bad news about his teeth. She said your kitty has Feline Odotoclastic Resorptive Lesions(FORL) affecting almost all of his teeth and that he must be in EXTREME pain!!! She said that we will need to take him to a specialist(that is 2 and 1/2hrs away) to get dental x-rays and have ALL his teeth extracted!

Mind you he just had his teeth cleaned this time last year, so all this has really just blown up in the last 12 months---but all his teeth!?!?!

So I guess my question is, has anyone else dealt with FORL before? If so, did they take all your kitties teeth out? How did the healing process go? How is your kitty doing now?

One of my many main concerns is that he is 12yrs old and will not eat soft food, I've tried on many occasions-but to no avail!!! So how is he going to be able to eat? Any advice to try and entice him? I've had many cats, so I don't feel like a newbie when it comes to this area-but I am sure there are things I've forgotten about---TIA

Hi steps,

I did have all the teeth removed from one of my cats some years ago, he kept getting chronic infections and I was back and forth to the vets with him, he was on antibiotics all the time. Once we took the teeth out it gave him a new lease of life and he was even able to eat hard food as his gums toughened up! Healing was uneventful and he did fine for many years after, I think having the teeth out gave him a better quality of life than he would have otherwise had.

Wishing you and your kitta lots of luck, hopefully he will do as well as mine did!

Hi Lorelei-thanks so much for the reply I am happy to hear about a positive outcome about your kitty.

We were super upset to hear this news from our Vet as our cat has been eating normally and doesn't seem to be in pain from his teeth! I so wish your animals could just talk and tell you something is wrong!!!

Our Vet said too that he will probably act like a different cat after all this is said and done. I am just really worried that we put him through all of this and then he won't eat anything! We also do not know which type of FORL he has yet and won't until the dental x-rays are taken, but one type sounds like the tooth removal process would be much tougher than the other and he is no spring chicken. Ahhhh-so many things to worry about!

 

[purselover]

I don't have any advice unfortunately, just wanted to with you and your little one lots of luck with surgery, I hope he recovers quickly!

 

[tyty333]

Big hugs to your kitty...hope all is resolved for you and him soon.

 

[lulu]

I never had to have a cat's teeth extracted but it is certainly true that cat's can hide pain. You could get a second opinion if you're unsure about your vet.

 

[stepcutnut]

I don't have any advice unfortunately, just wanted to with you and your little one lots of luck with surgery, I hope he recovers quickly!

Thank you purselover for the kind words!

 

[stepcutnut]

Big hugs to your kitty...hope all is resolved for you and him soon.

tyty-thanks for the hugs, they are greatly appreciated!

 

[stepcutnut]

I never had to have a cat's teeth extracted but it is certainly true that cat's can hide pain. You could get a second opinion if you're unsure about your vet.

Our kitty is a great one for hiding pain too, I just feel really bad that we didn't know that he was having any issues since he won't let us brush his teeth or even really look in his mouth. I feel really good with our current Vet and trust her opinion and when we take him to the specialist it will be at one of the best Vet Med Schools in the nation so we feel very confident that they will do their own exam and diagnosis before we make any treatment decisions with them. I would love for them to have a better treatment option for us though!!!

 

[Lauren8211]

Awful! I've never had experience with this, but I hope your kitty feels better soon!

 

[Gypsy]

Duncan has been though 2 oral surgeries for his tooth disease. Going to a specialist is the BEST ADVICE. Hands down. Both time we've taken him to a vet dentist and it's been invaluable. Truly worth the trip. I promise.


TRUST ME on the vet dentist thing. NO ONE ELSE, not at a vet school or anywhere else compares (it's a really long story why I know this and it involves a lot of extraneous procedures and stuff by non vet dentists). There are only like 50 of them in the US extremely highly trained and they are worth their weight in gold.

 

[Cind11]

I have never had to have any of my cats have all their teeth extracted but one of my cats (for example) only has nine teeth left and my vet had commented that even if he had no teeth he would do fine and that he would even still be able to eat dry food. I hope things work out for your kitty.

 

[stepcutnut]

Awful! I've never had experience with this, but I hope your kitty feels better soon!

Thanks! We are hoping that the when he is all healed he will be feeling much better than he is now!!!

 

[stepcutnut]

Duncan has been though 2 oral surgeries for his tooth disease. Going to a specialist is the BEST ADVICE. Hands down. Both time we've taken him to a vet dentist and it's been invaluable. Truly worth the trip. I promise.


TRUST ME on the vet dentist thing. NO ONE ELSE, not at a vet school or anywhere else compares (it's a really long story why I know this and it involves a lot of extraneous procedures and stuff by non vet dentists). There are only like 50 of them in the US extremely highly trained and they are worth their weight in gold.

Glad to hear Duncan did well with the specialists. We will definitely go to a specialist. The one good thing we have going for us is that we are 3hrs from a major city with a lot of resources for us. The University has 3 board certified Vet Dentists on staff and I have called another private Vet Oral Surgery/Dental office with a board certified Dentist to get an idea of procedure and cost through them as well. I know we would have great care at either office, but think we will likely take him to the Vet Med Hospital at the University as we have had a good experience with another cat with another issue there. He is not a good car rider, so I am a little worried about the trip and stressing him out though!

 

[stepcutnut]

I have never had to have any of my cats have all their teeth extracted but one of my cats (for example) only has nine teeth left and my vet had commented that even if he had no teeth he would do fine and that he would even still be able to eat dry food. I hope things work out for your kitty.

Thanks for the well wishes! It is nice to hear about your Vet saying that even with no teeth he could still possibly eat dry food. I tried soft food mixed with his dry again today and he just stuck his nose up at it-argghhh, what a stinker!