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Vet visit

dendon

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jun 16, 2005
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124
Hi, brought my cat to the vet to get a rabies shot and since it was a new vet, they of course had to check her out. Well they took one look at her back teeth (2) and said they have to be pulled and it would cost about $600-$700. I asked if they thought she was in pain and they of course said, yes, she is just hiding the pain.

I've had cats all my life and none of the had to have teeth pulled. Just looking for opinions on this. My cat is eating dry and wet food and is drinking water and sleeps with me at night and purrs like crazy.

Of course I feel like a guilty mom so going to drop her off to have them pulled but what would you do? Would you go for a 2nd opinion or just take their word for it?

Thanks!
 
2nd opinion...if this were my dog, that's what I'd do....
 
Second opinion.

Totally.
 
I would get a second opinion.
 
Yeah. If she's eating normally, especially dry food, one wonders how true that is. I've had cats get their teeth cleaned, but never any pulled.
 
Hi Dendon,

I have a cat that has had several teeth pulled. They were rotted, yet she showed no pain. A rotten tooth is a rotten tooth, very painful. Cats are masters at hiding pain, and your vet has no reason to lie to you. That being said, a second opinion is a fantastic idea if you don't have a good relationship with your vet to believe what they are telling you, which it sounds like you don't. I would get one.
 
waterlilly|1294100685|2813603 said:
Hi Dendon,

I have a cat that has had several teeth pulled. They were rotted, yet she showed no pain. A rotten tooth is a rotten tooth, very painful. Cats are masters at hiding pain, and your vet has no reason to lie to you. That being said, a second opinion is a fantastic idea if you don't have a good relationship with your vet to believe what they are telling you, which it sounds like you don't. I would get one.

Yes, second opinion for sure. They could be right but you need to be positive.
 
I would find a vet with a lower fee. I had my dog looked at by 2 vets. The teeth were still just as bad and needed to be removed but one vet offered very over-the-top care (24-hr watch and extra pain meds) whereas the less-expensive vet offered a simpler recover plan. I went with the less expensive vet. I figured my dog could survive with less medication, recover at home and wouldn't know the difference in a couple of days.
 
I would get a second opinion.

I had a childhood cat who had a mouth full of rotting teeth. He never showed any pain, but I imagine it must have hurt. He did have bad breath, though. We adopted him after he took up residence in our backyard, and it took us about a year to figure out that his teeth were rotten. He had nearly all of his teeth removed, and he really thrived after the surgery.
 
Wow, that sounds like a high fee for pulling 2 teeth. I'd get a 2nd opinion too. Cats do have to have teeth pulled (I had one, adopted off the street, who had to lose them ALL. And he happily ate my dog's dry food whenever he got a chance...gummed it, I mean).

Not knowing where you are, it's hard to say if that cost is out of line, but it sure ain't no bargain. Another vet may not feel it's necessary or if so, won't charge you through the nose.

--- Laurie
 
Second opinion for sure. Does seem quite steep to pull 2 teeth...we had a dog that had to have a leg amputated, and she spent a few days at the vets until she could come home-and it was $300. And one dog who ate things she shouldn't have and had to have surgery which turned out to be waaaay more invasive than they planned, and even then it was $700 including her stay there, so I just can't imagine pulling two teeth costing the same.
 
DEFINITELY get a second opinion. I've had too many vets talk me into unnecessary procedures by way of guilt. No easier way to convince you to drop 700 bucks than to tell you that your pet is in pain!

My cat just recently had a two teeth removed, and had a growth removed from his mouth for biopsy, and it didn't even break 300. He didn't have pain, but the teeth were rotting, so while he was under anesthesia to remove the growth, they just pulled them.

Definitely get a second opinion, and shop around for vets who offer cheaper services. Our local humane society has a great vet's office that does things for a lot less than most vets in the area.

Good luck!
 
I would definitely get a second opinion. There is no way in hell that pulling two teeth should cost that much. My mother just had her cat's teeth cleaned and it was about 200 and the procedure is very similar, anesthesia, etc. Her vet is also on the pricey side for comparison.
 
I've never had a vet tell me that a cat needed to have teeth pulled (four cats, ~70 cat-years as an adult). So it would make me a little suspicious if a vet told me that a cat needed to have not just one, but two teeth pulled. Are they adjacent teeth, or on opposite sides of the jaw? My experience is that some vets are more aggressive in their pronouncements of what a cat "needs" - as do human human dentist.

That said, I'm sure my vets would charge at least $300 for a procedure like this. They won't use anesthesia on a "senior" (10 years+) without conducting a blood test not more than one week before the proceedure - $100. The anesthesia probably runs about $100. And then, there's the cost of the surgery and aftercare.

Personally, I'd get a second opinion.
 
We have had one tooth pulled for Cappo (9 yo cat) and it was a great relief for him. It was worth every penny (around $200 total, including cleaning the remaining teeth but no blood work)!

Maybe it is the area you live, but the price you were quoted with sounds very high. I would suggest you shop around by first calling the vet offices near you and ask them how much they charge to pull 2 teeth. Once you get a good idea of the price estimates in your town you can bring your cat in for the second opinion and procedure, if needed.
 
we've had cats that needed their teeth pulled. in fact, we're taking two in on wednesday just for that. one is a 17 year old cat with some health issues. however, its better to do it now rather than let any of his conditions worsen..

and realize that blood work is necessary prior to the actual extractions and is probably included in the quote.

MoZo
 
Hi

I'm a vet. I can tell you that dental disease is the most common abnormality that I find on physical exam. Think about it, we brush our teeth twice daily and go to the dentist 1-2 times a year for a cleaning and usually have dental xrays yearly. Imagine how diseased your teeth would be after years of not doing this. That is what is going on in your cat's mouth. Cat's also get something called feline odontoclastic resorptive lesions (FORL's). These lesions are caused by the tooth cells attacking and destroying the tooth. These lesions start at the gumline, so while the tooth looks "normal" it is in fact very diseased and very painful. In addition, sometimes the crown of the tooth looks normal, but below the gumline the root is diseased and painful A lot of the time, you need dental xrays to diagnose these abnormalities. I often have clients who feel that their pets are not painful (ie acting normal, eating dry food, etc) but after a dentistry to deal with moderate to severe dental disease, will tell me that after the procedure their pet is "like a puppy (or kitten) again". For the most part, vets are honest. Not only do we take an oath to do no harm and act as advocates for your pets, but honestly, I know my days are long and busy enough so why would I want to make more work for myself by recommending unnecessary tests and procedures!!

Veterinary dentistries are in fact very difficult and complicated. Not only do we use an electric scaler like your dentist uses, but when a tooth is diseased, it needs to be extracted since we do not fill cavities, do root canals, or place crowns. To do extractions, the gum associated with the tooth often needs to be surgically cut away from the jaw bone and lifted up, the bone underneath the gum needs to be drilled away until the roots are exposed, the tooth is extracted (which a lot of time is not so quick and easy), and then the gum is sutured back into place.

Depending on where you live, veterinary costs are different, mostly due to differences in overhead. For the most part, you get what you pay for in veterinary medicine. A more sophisticated practice which uses anesthesia monitoring, newer types of drugs (including pain medication), has more skilled staff members/licensed veterinary technicians, uses a dental xray, etc, is likely to me more expensive than a practice which has a different, and in my opinion a lower, standard of care. I personally would not want my dog or cat to be under anesthesia without monitoring equipment, iv fluids, and a trained/licensed technician.

Hope that helps
 
Hi Penskip,
Thank you for sharing this info. I know my dear sister who is also a veterinarian would never do an unnecessary procedure on any animal and she works so hard to do the best she can for the animals. I also agree you get what you pay for. I still think a second opinion is a good idea however it will most probably be the same as the first but then the op can go ahead confidently to do what is best for her baby. I would definitely not shop around for the lowest priced vet though and would go with someone I trust to do a good job or one that comes highly recommended by friends/family I trust.

Best of luck dendon!

Missy
 
Penskip, thanks for that insight. It is very interesting. Almost all of the vets I've used in decades of animals have been truly medical professionals, as ethical & concerned about their patients as human-doctors. I'm eternally grateful to them. There were a few bad apples, as there are in any field. One did unnecessary procedures & surgery -- I've run into many who left him for the same reason -- and one of my dogs died as a result. Another was very good w/dogs but simply unqualified to treat cats; I don't know if he slept through that part of his training or what, but his protocols for chronic bloody urine were ludicrous. As with doctors for humans, if in doubt with a new one, a 2nd opinion makes sense & I'm sure a good vet would have no objection.

I'd sure love to pick your brain on a few general subjects, super to have you around!

--- Laurie
 
I definitely wasn't trying to steer her away from a second opinion. I always encourage people to get one and will often give them several references. I was just trying to provide information for everyone, as a whole, regarding dental disease in our pets and what is involved in dealing with it. I don't think a lot of people realize what is involved.

It is really important to me that my/our clients are educated regarding their pet's health and treatment. There is a lot of misinformation, myths, and "expert" opinions out there. It breaks my heart when people take this information as truth. Sometimes, I think when there are complications with a procedure or treatment, the owner immediately places blame on the vet (which sometimes is warranted) as opposed to understanding what happened. all that being said, I do think that there are a lot of bad practices/veterinarians out there and routinely see referral cases where the first veterinarian definitely did not do the right thing. I think a lot of it comes from not keeping up with new treatments and techniques, and sometimes, just laziness. The new vet that Dendon saw may have actually been the "better" vet. I say this because she wrote that the new vet had to check her pet out before giving the vaccine. It is the standard of care to do a physical exam on a pet that is being seen for a yearly exam which includes vaccines.

In general, lower price = lower standard of care. There is a great book, written by a veterinarian, which explains what is important to find out when choosing a new vet and has a lot of other really good information. It is called Vet Confidential.

I am always happy to answer any questions, though I am not claiming that I am always right!!
 
Second opinion.

Also, I was told we HAD to have our dog's teeth cleaned plus ("maybe") a couple of extractions. I went to the little store we get our pet food at (little high quality shop -- NOT Petsmart/Petco) and they suggested this oral gel that cleans teeth. They suggest brushing with the stuff but even if you only get it in their mouth (I use a bit of peanut butter) it works GREAT. Our dog's teeth look MASSIVELY better. It is from Pet z' life -- a bit pricy ($30/bottle) but within a few weeks (less than 1 bottle!) we noticed big improvement.

Our dog is about 15-16 years old (rescue so we aren't positive) and I don't want to put her through anesthesia and major dental work.
 
Thanks penskip, definitely helped me. I don't ever want to think I am neglecting my baby by not getting something done that should be done!
 
Thanks to everyone for the replies!!!!
 
One of my cats has gone through two extensive oral surgeries. There are a number of diseases that are very prevalent that can result in tooth loss or erosion.

I would NOT, if I could at all avoid it, trust a regular vet for anything but a cleaning or a referral to a veterinary dentist. Trust me, it's a really long story why, but it will save you and the cat time and stress if you just go straight to an expert. Yes a specialist costs a little more but the difference in diagnosis, care, and recovery are just incomparable.

Unfortunately, there are only like 50 of them in the entire US. A rare breed. So there may not be one near you, but if there is one within even a couple hours it is REALLY worth it. We were lucky enough to live near two of them, one each time he needed the extractions, debriding and surgeries. At first our local vet tried and the results were just terrible, and our local vet had a lot of experience with teeth issues, a lot of sophisticated equipment and even had done a couple of seminars on teeth extractions.

If you don't live near one, they will do consultations with local vets long distance, you will pay for the consult, but again... totally worth it. Your local vet will send all the x-rays and tests and everything along with a report of their visual exams and speak to the dentist and the dentist will advise them an you on how to proceed.


ETA: As to costs, both times my cat needed NUMEROUS teeth removed (he's got barely any and he's only 8 ) and in one case his entire jaw debrided of dead bone. Total cost for it all surgeries (including the botched first one by the local vet) was about 5000.

My cat was 5 the first time. I have 5 other cats and have owned cats all my life. Never had any others need something like this. But there it is.
 
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