I have a seventeen year old cat and concerns with her teeth?

I have a beautiful blue mink tonkanise that will be starting her 17th year of life in January. I have noticed lately that she has been pawing her mouth. This has concerned me because I had been told by a vet that her bad breath was most likely her teeth. This surprised me because she is a chunky cat. She eats just fine and she never seemed to be in any pain. Even lately the only sign the teeth are bothering her is this pawing thing she is doing. She is still grooming herself just fine and eating great. She seems happy and content. Are cats just this good at hiding pain? I am scared to take her to the vet and get these major things done to a 17 year old cat. I see a few signs of problems but not a lot. I would hate to put her threw all this and have her .......well die. She isn't five... and, this cat is my BABY. Nothing I have read out there talks about there 17 year old cat getting this done and enjoying the next 5 years with no teeth. Any advice or similar stories?

I have a seventeen year old cat and concerns with her teeth?
When our 17 year old cat began rubbing her face on sharp objects, our vet suggested bringing her in for a check up, and it turned out to be a dental problem that required surgery.





My cat was already on daily medication for kidney problems, and I was very worried whether she would make it through surgery at her age. The vet explained, that if left untreated, the bacteria in her mouth could become a source of infection that may result in damage to her heart, kidneys or liver. As a precaution against inflammation or infection, he prescribed antibiotics for a few days prior to surgery and then ran blood tests prior to surgery to check there were no other health problems he needed to be aware of. He also used a very light anaesthetic that was continually flushed through her system (sorry don't recall the correct name for it).





Admittedly, she looked a little worse for wear when I collected her, but the vet prescribed pain killers for her. She was quickly back to normal, and lived to be 19, when she succumbed to complete kidney failure.





Let the vet examine her teeth and discuss your options with him. A good vet will be happy to explain everything and set your mind at rest about any fears you may have. If it's your regular vet and you trust them, then I would be guided by their advice.





Good luck.
Reply:might just be rotton tooth or loose one,just get vet check teeth,they do hide pain,
Reply:Hi there...generally, when a cat exhibits bad breath it could be a result of either periodontal, kidney, respiratory or liver disease to diabetes, skin disease (involving tissue around the lips) or oral trauma, such as electric cord injury.





However, by far, the most common problem associated with bad breath is periodontal disease. All which will require a veterinarian's evaluation to treat respectively.





More about feline bad breath causes by Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine for Feline Health:


http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/news/badB...





Cats are very good a disguising their pain and when they do show pain it's very serious and requires urgent medical attention.
Reply:Pls. take to vet.


Cats do hide pain well, but your cat is obviously showing her discomfort (pain) by pawing mouth.


It may not be as bad as you thought.


Most likely a rotten tooth, but perhaps it's loose enough for vet to yank out without using general anesthesia.


OR badly tartared and a scraping would relieve.


Whatever, you can't let cat live rest of life in discomfort or with a bad oral infection, so please take to vet and decide then.


Gd. luck.
Reply:Look. It's a cat. Not a people. Not a baby people.





If your best human friend had teeth trouble, esp an elderly friend, would you tell them to avoid treatment? Of course not! Your best feline friend has no thumbs, she can't phone the vet herself so you'll have to do it.





Cats hid pain well. If she's pawing at her mouth, it must *really* be bothering her. She's 17; average lifespan for a domestic cat is allegedly 12 - 14 years. Please treat this poor old pensioner with dignity and love AND TAKE HER TO THE VET! A consultation doesn't cost much to get professional advice, and if you're on benefits there's the PDSA.





If you won't, perhaps someone else who gives a damn will.
Reply:It definitely sounds like she is having some discomfort, and yes, cats often don't display obvious signs of pain. It sounds like it is most likely problems with her teeth or gums. At her age I can understand your hesitation with the anesthetic, just like with people there is always a risk at any age with anesthetic, but it also increases with age and health problems. I would suggest letting the vet have a look in her mouth to see if the problem is obvious. Like one reply said, sometimes a tooth can be so decayed that it can quickly be plucked out without general anesthetic. Or maybe her gums are the source of the odor and an antibiotic may clear up the problem. If they feel the source is the teeth and a thorough dental cleaning is needed then the best thing to do is ask for a pre-anesthetic blood panel. This will check her liver, kidneys, glucose and other enzymes to check for problems that might otherwise be overlooked during a routine physical exam. At the clinic where I worked, the dentistries were done with a short gas anesthetic which is less risky than a long anesthetic such as in extensive surgeries. The cleaning can make a big difference and the source of the pawing could probably definitely be found. My fourteen yr old dalmatian had to have this done and I was really concerned, but in the end she had to have a biopsy of the infected tissue in her mouth. Luckily, it wasn't cancer, but the culture helped the vet find the proper antibiotic which finally cleared her problem up. Good luck to you, I know it's tough to decide what to do.
Reply:Cats are very good at hiding pain and illness. I would recommend that you talk to your vet regarding a dental cleaning with possible extractions if necessary....also recommend that you do pre anesthesia blood work to make sure her liver, kidneys ect are ok to have the anesthesia....they might also want to consider putting her on antibiotics before the procedure to knock down the the infection a bit before cleaning. Lots of bacteria in the mouth can seed to heart valves, kidneys and such during the dental when there is a lot of bleeding. If she is pawing at her mouth, she is uncomfortable or painful. Anesthesia is safe in older pets when proper pre anesthesia precautions are taken.....At least have the vet look at her and give an opinion......maybe antibiotics will make her feel better....
Reply:I've had dental surgery done on my 17 year old and she is still happy and healthy. She's 19 now.





I just adopted an 18 yr old and his mouth was so bad that all his teeth had to be removed. He is happy and gaining weight every day.





Not having the dental is a bad idea. Bad teeth can lead to heart disease, not to mention your cats quality of life is dimished by the constant pain. You would not be doing her any favors by forgoing one day at the vets.





Treatments today are followed with antibiotics and pain management.

boots