Should my 12 year old cat have his teeth cleaned?

I'm afraid of him having the anesthetic at this age or maybe


if they work on his gums the bacteria might get into his bloodstream and cause sepsis. Isn't it better to leave well enough alone, the vet says his teeth are "nasty"

Should my 12 year old cat have his teeth cleaned?
All vets will do a blood panel to check adequacy of kidney function before putting a cat under anesthesia.





My old cat had "dentals" at age 21 and 22 and her kidneys were quite bad. The vets gave her extra fluids prior and after the procedure to help her get the anesthesia out of her system. It does really take a lot of time to clean the teeth.


Her kidneys were actually more at risk from NOT cleaning than the cleaning itself because bacteria is shed into the cat's system and that can be damaging to the kidneys.





"Nasty" teeth can lead to infections, abcesses and cause the cat to stop eating entirely because of the pain in its mouth. So I strongly urge you to have it done.
Reply:yeah! I really think you should have them cleaned! ask the vet about alternatives to the anesthetic and then ask about side-effects if the anesthetic is the only way to go.
Reply:Has he ever been under anesthetic before? If his teeth are that bad, it could be more dangerous doing nothing than putting him under.





Talk over your concerns with your vet and make your decision after being fully informed of the risks, drawbacks, and benefits.
Reply:Don't worry. Go ahead and have them cleaned. Bad teeth can affect other parts of his body, just like they can in a human. He's also very possibly in pain. The vet will know how much anesthesia he can handle.
Reply:They clean the teeth because it is much less risky than leaving them to fall out, which is what could happen if you do nothing. If your cats teeth start to hurt it will stop eating and die young. You can prevent many problems by getting them cleaned.
Reply:Did you raise those same questions to your vet? What did he say? I think your concerns sound reasonable, so talk over them with a veteranarian and see what they say.
Reply:Yes have them cleaned their like our teeth they need to get cleaned. But if you feel uncomfortable about cleaning them take him to the vets and they will do it but of coarse it does cost money
Reply:Poor dental health can lead to gum disease. It can also affect vital organs such as the kidneys and liver. At this age your vet should run blood work prior to its dental. You can have a choice of having a catheter put in so he can have a continuos flow of fluids and/or emergency meds if needed. Always consult your veterinarian about such matters.
Reply:by leaving the bacteria on the teeth you could cause more damage to the liver/kidneys/heart than if you have the teeth clean. After having the teeth cleaned your vet should put your cat on an antibiotic and will probably give an injectable antibiotic following the procedure. Bloodwork can be performed prior to anesthesia which will show the vet any liver/kidney damage and how well your cat will handle the anesthesia.
Reply:I understand your trepidations becuase I and my cat went through the same thing last year - but he was 8 years old then. The vet will assess if your senior cat is able to be put under anesthesia by:


1) listening to the cat's heart to detect any heart murmurs


2) taking a blood test to confirm that all vital organs are functioning well





If your kitty passes these tests, a good vet will MONITOR the cat's vitals throughout the dental procedure and support vital organs with IV fluids.





Ask vet to use the safest anesthesia gas available. With my cat, the vet used Isoflurane.





Check the vet's reputation too... I mean, have they had deaths in their clinic - cats or dogs dying on the table while doing routine elective surgery like spaying, neutering and teeth cleaning? This is something you need to know.





Call around and ask the clinic to describe to you what happens when a cat's teeth are cleaned. Their teeth-cleaning protocol should include blood test screening, full organ monitoring and kidney support during and the safest anesthesia and induction agents possible. If they sound vague or glib - RUN and take your kitty elsewhere.
Reply:Phoebhart gave some good advice. In addition to making sure they use isoflurane (or sevoflurane, which is almost as good) for anesthetic maintenance, find out what the vet is using for induction (ketamine and ketamine mixes are not recommended in senior cats especially, but propofol is an excellent choice). The induction anesthesia is what they will use to "put him under" and the maintenance keeps him anesthetized until procedure is complete. The combination of propofol for induction and isoflurane for maintenance is safer than the older type anesthetics and results in a much shorter recovery time (like waking up faster).





In addition to anesthetics, the blood work and the I.V. fluids, be sure to ask about pain medicine both during and after the surgery and antibiotics which are often started a couple of days prior to surgery. If your cat's teeth are really bad, then the vet may need to do extractions--antibiotics can help prevent the bacteria from getting into the blood stream, and the pain medicine will help keep your kitty comfortable.





I've had two senior cats receive dentals. The most recent used the above protocol and experience no problems other than his eyes being dilated after surgery. The other was wobbly and took a couple of days to recover, but he had the older anesthetics. Make sure your vet is familiar with the latest techniques and is open to explaining the process to you as well so that you feel comfortable with the procedure.
Reply:It's never too late to get your cat's teeth cleaned. I get my 17 year old cat's teeth cleaned and wish I had started earlier. The cat can get all kinds of infections. If the vet says they are nasty, get them done. I had a major problem last year and had to have 5 teeth pulled from my cat. If I had started to have the teeth cleaned earlier this wouldn't have happened. the cat was in horrible pain until the teeth were cleaned and pulled.