Dental Surgery

Question
Hello Ali! My 8 yr old domestic short hair cat recently had bleeding coming from his mouth. I made an emergency appt and I took him to a new vet. She said that his canine tooth should be extracted and maybe other teeth during the procedure. I am worried about my cat going under anesthesia because of what happened as a kitten. He came home the next day after being neutered, but unlike his litter mates, he was so groggy and laid so still that we even thought he was dead until we petted him. Now that he is 8 yrs old and obese, I worry even more. I'm torn between the risks and benefits of having this procedure done. Also, I had to take him to a different vet for emergency purposes since his vet was closed for a while due to a severe storm. So, I'm also nervous since I'm not familiar with the staff that treated in for his bleeding and they want to do the surgery.

Thank you,

Amanda

Answer
Amanda,

It sounds like your baby's teeth are in rough shape! His teeth are most likely causing him substantial pain and they have the potential to send infection throughout his little body which could do serious damage to his major organs... I would suggest that you sit down with your own vet, who you are comfortable with and have a chat about your concerns... They may be able to use a different drug combination for anesthesia which might not leave him quite so groggy. There's absolutely nothing wrong with telling the vet you brought him to when your vet was closed that you would prefer for your family vet to do the surgery and are in the midst of making those arrangements. This is a surgery that really should be done to alleviate pain and ensure his health long term, in my opinion chatting with the vet about your concerns is fair and you may come away feeling much more confident about your kitty's upcoming dental surgery! If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me again at any time - I'm more than happy to help in any way that I can.

Kind regards,

Ali