Would a 15-year-old cat fare better keeping its plaque covered teeth, or having them taken out?

My old cat has a heart murmur and might not be able to tolerate the anesthesia needed for tooth extraction.

Would a 15-year-old cat fare better keeping its plaque covered teeth, or having them taken out?
Okay....first of all, even at 15 your cat doesnt need it's teeth taken out unless, there are infections located in the tooth or at the gum line.





All she may need is a serious tooth cleaning, which in some cases she may need to be put under anesthesia, but with her heart murmur, that have equipment to monitor her heart rate, pulse an blood preasure just like humans.





And most anesthetics are safe for these types of issues, How do you think they fix people who have holes in their hearts.....can't do it while their awake!





Put trust in your vet, and if you can't trust the one you have now....find a new one. Your cat needs her/his teeth taken care of BEFORE INFECTION does develop and takes her life.





Don't let her suffer...if she already is. ( not talking about putting her to sleep) just get her the care she needs regardless.





If the age doesnt kill her, a tooth infection that travels into the blood system will almost def. take her life.
Reply:I think it would benefit most from having a vet do a full dental cleaning and checkup on their teeth. :)
Reply:If he is in no pain from the teeth and can still eat, I think keeping them would be better than the stress and anesthesia for the extraction.
Reply:Leave them alone, then what will he eat with after you take his teeth?? He's had them for this long, it would'nt be worth the money or the cat's health.
Reply:There's also the question of feeding the cat once it loses its teeth. It'll either be bottle-fed by yourself or you'll have to mash its food up really good.
Reply:Something as serious as that should be discussed with your vet. Its plaque that helps cause health problems in the first place!
Reply:keep them in! he can't eat with out having to chewe don't do that to that cat he will not like it but having them declawed is a way to go but i don't know?
Reply:Why would you get them pulled just because they have plaque on them? Get them cleaned..simple as that!
Reply:Seems like the risk of putting the 15 year old cat under anesthesia is too great. IMO, leave the teeth alone. But, seek the advice of your vet!
Reply:there are a few reasons to extract:





if they think it looks suspicious and it may have a cavity or looks in horrible shape.





if the gums around it are very inflamed it may be stomatitis. they don't know what causes it...one belief is that the cat gets an allergic reaction to the plaque and it causes a constant infection in the gums. the only way to stop the plaque reaction from occuring is to remove the teeth..... no teeth...no plaque...no irritation.





usually a vet will want to do a good teeth cleaning first to assess the teeth.


then do an xray to see if they believe there is a problem with the tooth/teeth.








basically it is up to the vet.





since it's an old cat... they first need to do a senior blood panel to check the health of the cat to make sure it can even be put under anesthesia. a teeth cleaning is usually $120. to extract a tooth...well that varies.
Reply:My 13 year old cat was overweight but pretty healthy. I had to have 3 of his teeth pulled because of rot, extreme plaque. It was very expensive but totally worth it, he is a different cat now. Cats can eat even dry food with no teeth at all, if its small they will simply swallow it.
Reply:Keep the teeth in. A 15 year old cat might not fair well in an extraction operation such as that.