Concerned about risks for my cats dental?

Question

I have a 12 year old cat that really needs a dental. Her first one was done when she was around 4 years old. She has always had a problem with tartar on her back teeth, even though she is on dry food and I give her tartar treats.

My concern is, during her first dental she would stop breathing for several seconds. Now with her advanced age, I'm worried about the anesthesia and if she will quit breathing completely. She is my baby, I don't want to risk losing her. She is in good health all except for her teeth. She doesn't have a problem eating and she doesn't have gingivitis. I'm concerned about the tartar build up and her breath smells horrible. lol Plus, I know the longer the tartar stays on the more it builds up and cause serious problems.

My question is, what is your opinion on the risks and the benefits of a cat dental? At 12 years old is it worth the risk to have the procedure? Any serious comments are welcome. Thank you.

Answer 1

First good news, 12 is not old for a cat.  Cat's age is really less important than their health and your vets' skill.  Dental problems can lead to heart problems, so it is a very important maintenance item.

When I rescued senior cats, we would often have to spay or neuter them in addition to doing a dental.  We only lost 1 in all the cats we did, sadly it was my long term foster cat who had a really bad heart.  We knew it was a risk, but the risks of leaving her untreated were higher.

When I had a senior cat that was already neutered, our vet would do a clean/scrape without anesethetic.  They would sedate the cat and a vey skilled tech would perform the cleaning.  Thee are also anesthetics that can be reversed by injecting an agent.  So if the cat gets into any trouble, they can stop the procedure and wake her immediately.

Ask your vet if you can talk to him before you go in for the dental.  Talk to him about concerns, how it works, what he uses, etc....After, you might want to look into a better diet to avoid the build up.  Brushing cat's teeth is possible, but really not fun!

Answer 2

I have a 15/16 yr old and a 12/13 yr old cat, and a 4 yr old cat, and every one of them is my baby. My 12/13 yr old was just diagnosed w/ hyperthyroid.

The best thing I would say to do is talk over your concerns to the vet or the dental assistant who will be doing your cats teeth. There might be other "treatments" they can do w/ out putting your cat under to clean the teeth, since he/she may be a possible health risk under.

You say your cat is your baby, the question I would say, is yes having your cats teeth cleaned regardless of age and if your vet is confident nothing w/ happen, then it need to have his/her teeth cleaned regardless.

Your vet may say that simple brushing of his/her teeth may help w/out teeth cleaning from him/her. Simple brushing of your cats teeth can help your cat.

Talking to your vet about the concerns about age and what happened before, the vet may give options to other possible things that can be done.

This site is sooo adorable, also helps w/ how to help brush your cats teeth : http://www.boutiquekittens.com/Dental-Ca...

Good article for older cats and teeth : http://www.petshealth.com/dr_library/mou...

Totally agree w/ CatsRus ... thumbs up ... talking to vet about your concerns is the most important thing.

Answer 3

Maybe you should just try brushing her teeth, with special cat toothpaste, we do this for my dog and everything is fine.