My cat needs dental treatment?

Question

He has always had one of his front fangs missing from when he came to live with us after being a stray. At first there seemed to be nothing wrong with it, it didn't look infected, sore and he could eat normally. Anyway i recently noticed that he wasn't eating. At least not dry food like normal. I had a look at his tooth and it looks all yellow, infected and sore. So we are taking him to the vet but i understand that dental treatment is expensive.

Does anyone know how much about it will cost? and what they will actual do? I expect that they will extract the remains of the tooth?

We are phoning the vet in the morning to book an appointment but i would just like to have a rough idea of the cost to soften the blow a bit lol

Oh and we are also going to ask the vet to check if he has been neutered. How much will it cost for the vet to just check? and what is the going rate at the moment for neutering?

If it helps, i am in the midlands U.K

Answer 1

Before you take your cat to the vet I would try to get insurance - now !  Make sure you get one that will cover dental work but you need to do this before you go to the vet as when the vet puts on the record that the cat has dental problems this will be knows as a pre-existing condition and he will not be covered.

Answer 2

Checking to see if your boy has been neutered will be part of the exam.

Dental work is expensive, but well worth it.  Your vet will be more than willing to give you an estimate.  Our boy recently had all of his teeth removed and it was done with four appointments.  The appointments were spaced about six weeks apart to give him time to heal and recover.  So I was paying as we went along.  My highest bill was about $300.00 and the lowest was around $150.00.  It really depends on what is needed.  And, remember most vets are quite happy to work out a payment plan.

Good Luck to you and your boy, I'm so glad you took him in!

Answer 3

Our cat had to have dental work done last year because one of his teeth had snapped and the root was still in the gum and got infected pr it cost £183.43, but he did have a pre op check first which took up £33 of that so having the work done and being sent home with anti-biotics it cost £150.43 to have the work done. It does depend on the vet though.

Hope everything goes well.

Answer 4

Ive had 2 cats that have had dental work done, 1 cost £80, and the last one cost £100 but this one did have a few teeth out and a scale and polish, hope this helps.  

Answer 5

Under general anaesthetic the vet can remove any teeth past saving & scrape the tarter built-up like concrete, over the years, from remaining teeth so that they have a future. He might give an antibiotic injection &/or tablets. When you take him in for the first full examination & mouth check, the vet will be able to tell you what he thinks needs doing & the approx cost. This much costs about £10 at my vets. In the UK, if your finances are a bit pressed, RSPCA, PDSA & Blue Cross run clinics where a `good` or specific donation is accepted. You would need to check to see if they have eligiblity conditions.Your vet ought not mind at all if you decide to go to one of these for the operation.

He`s a lucky cat to have someone see to this for him. For it to have put him off his food, the pain must be appalling.

Your vet will tell you if `he` has been neutered, but a full tom`s full s*****m should be easily visible.. or felt. Pardon me! Also, he`d probably be rather whiffy, if he`s a full tom! You never know, he might even turn out to be a neutered she!

If necessary, you can contact Cats Protection (08702099099) & they might be able to send a significant money-off voucher to your vets for both male & female neutering operations.

My Best wishes to you both. Will you keep us updated?

Answer 6

Hi there, I'm a veterinary nurse and the hospital where I work charge dental ops by time. Chances are it will be over £100, maybe even £200 as he will probably be sent home on a course of anti-biotics as well. Dental operations are covered by most insurance companies so if you haven't already, definitely get your cat insured! It can cost as little as £4 a month.

The actual dental operation could be anything from a full extraction to just a scale polish so it really depends on the state of the cats teeth but basically, its carried out exactly as a human one would but obviously the cat will be under a full general anaesthetic at all times.

Neutering can be anything from £60 to £150 depending on the surgery so shop around if you can as this wont be covered by insurance (unless you can get your vet to 'prescribe' this for behavioural reasons or something). Checking for this wont cost you anything if you get the vet to do it in the consultation for the dental. A basic first consultation will be between £20-£35.

Just be sure to tell your vet if you have any concerns at all before the op, they'll talk you through everything you need to know. Hope this helps :)

Answer 7

Needs a root canal..expensive..just have the doc pull the tooth..less expensive.  Probably have to put your baby on anyibiotics first to get the infection gone.  If the vet pulls it why your pet has an infection....the infection will go into its blood stream and kill it....same as a person.....HUGS!!

Go to the pound and get him neutered..only about 39.00..the Vet, will stick it to you....HUGS!!