[Rosebud2020]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Just don't freak out if they recommend pulling the teeth. And again, as long as he's eating primarily wet and and easily "mushed" by gums, it's OKAY to say "no root canal, please just pull it out." You don't have to, but it's okay. Gums and bone (jaw) are still a big deal for cats. Teeth, not so much. Glad you found a dentist to address the gingevitis!

Originally Posted by kathyspear

Dr Manganaro (Park Hts Animal Care) has recommended that our new rescue kitty see a dental specialist. She suggested Univ of FL Small Animal Hospital in Gainsville OR AVS (Affiliated Veterinary Specialists) in Orlando and Maitland. Has anyone taken their cat to either of these facilities and, if so, how was your experience?

Thanks in advance for any info.

kathy

Originally Posted by kathyspear

Thanks, everyone, for the info. We can't get him into either place for weeks/months so we are taking him to Buffalo Ridge for deep cleaning and xrays under anesthesia. (Buffalo Ridge was the vet's third choice and 1/3 to 1/2 of the cost of the other two.) If they find anything that requires ongoing/extensive treatment we will take him up to Gainesville.

k.

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

A couple of things to know about cats and teeth: domestic cats, if fed appropriately, would have no need for teeth at all. Ground food - raw or canned, whether home-made or commercial, in pate or minced form. Remember cats can't chew anyway; they don't have molars. Their teeth are designed to rip and bite - nothing else.

Some cats are genetically predisposed to losing teeth. It's not a medical problem as long as you feed it appropriately. My current cat lost a lot of her teeth while she was still a kitten. Definitely the genetic part, the doctor said she was healthy, but overweight, when I adopted her (I got her when she was just around 1-1/2 years old). She has her lower fangs but not her upper canines or incisors, and she's mostly gums on the left side of her mouth.

I give her those tiny little grain-free kibble bits as treats every night, but other than that she eats exclusively a wet diet, mostly pate, sometimes shreds. But I usually have to mince up the shreds for her since she has trouble breaking them into swallowable pieces.

Originally Posted by kathyspear

Malkie is a rescue. He was living with a feral cat colony in Wildwood for some period of time -- at least a year, possibly much longer -- although he is not feral. Vet thinks he is 6 to 8 years old. Although he may have had a home at some point he wasn't neutered until last January so who knows. I do know that his diet for at least the last year was not optimal.

He has some gingivitis that needs to be addressed. He is also FIV+ and so it is very important that his teeth be taken care of. After our initial evaluation at Buffalo Ridge I feel comfortable having his teeth treated there. Taking him in Thursday. Wish us luck. Thanks for the info.

k.

Don't assume your cat has gingivitis. That's what I thought but it was something far more serious.

I rescued a kitty who was found to have the calicivirus and unfortunately, transmitted the virus to one of my other cats. It is highly contagious. Both kitties had to have all their teeth extracted which ended up costing many thousands of dollars.

At that time Buffalo Ridge recommended a dental specialist in Maitland. That specialist, Dr. Brown, actually was brought in from her office in Boca Raton and that is where I took the cats to have the extractions performed. She was far less expensive than the quote the Maitland office gave.

Don't kid yourself . . . they can eat crunchy food as easily as soft food once their mouth has healed. Let them eat whatever they prefer. In addition, there are a lot of negatives regarding dogs and cats only eating grain-free food.