Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I took Chris to the vet yesterday....finally! Since we lost SkuShi on 1/30/2006, I've been avoiding taking Chris in for various avoidance issues, I live in denial very well.
Anyway, my regular vet quit and moved to another clinic about 35 miles away so I packed Chris in his cat carrier and off we went. Chris is such a good traveller.
Joanna checked him out, pronounced that he is in wonderful shape for his age (18). His mouth and teeth of course are not in good shape so he needs more extractions. After a lengthy discussion about Chris' medical history and past tolerance for general anesthesia, we decided to go ahead with the procedure. No one knows Chris as well as Joanna does and besides, Joanna likes Chris and also does an excellent job of "treating" Chris' mommy.....me.
They did some labwork and we should get the results back by tomorrow, barring any bad lab values, we'll schedule the procedure. Joanna said that she'll use some nerve blocks that should last 8 hours and they have a new pain medication that is basically just brushed on the inside of the cheek and absorbed through the mucousa and it should keep him pain-free. Of course I'm worried but I can't see keeping bad teeth in Chris' mouth where they could infect, abscess and cause really horrible problems.
The new clinic where Joanna works is very nice, her boss is a woman vet who is just amazing. I met her and she brought out two teensy, 3 week old, bottle feeding kittens for me to "oohh" and "ahhh" over. She said, "I have a giant S for 'sucker' on my forehead". Evidently she takes in all abandoned animals brought to her, fosters them, and then finds homes for them. Ohhhhh those babies are so cute!! Teensy little ears, pink noses, domed heads, little paws all splayed out with needle-like claws.
If everyone could just send some positive vibes for Chris, I'd appreciate it. I expect him to do well, as he has in the past and I'll let everyone know how he does.

PRAY FOR THE BABYKINS!

Good thoughts coming from all of us over here...even from the greyhounds...(Trysta might be losing a couple of teeth at her dental cleaning next week, so she definitely relates!!!)

I'm glad you have a vet you can totally trust...I've been lucky like that too...it's really worth it's weight in gold!!!!

Yak,

We'll be sending all our good thoughts to you and Chris.
Emily has gum problems and bad teeth, too. She's due for her six-month checkup and I'm suspecting we might be going through the same thing.
Let us know how he does...

Carol, Emily, & Eddie

>>I took Chris to the vet yesterday....finally! Since we lost SkuShi on 1/30/2006, I've been avoiding taking Chris in for various avoidance issues, I live in denial very well.
>>Anyway, my regular vet quit and moved to another clinic about 35 miles away so I packed Chris in his cat carrier and off we went. Chris is such a good traveller.
>>Joanna checked him out, pronounced that he is in wonderful shape for his age (18). His mouth and teeth of course are not in good shape so he needs more extractions. After a lengthy discussion about Chris' medical history and past tolerance for general anesthesia, we decided to go ahead with the procedure. No one knows Chris as well as Joanna does and besides, Joanna likes Chris and also does an excellent job of "treating" Chris' mommy.....me.
>>They did some labwork and we should get the results back by tomorrow, barring any bad lab values, we'll schedule the procedure. Joanna said that she'll use some nerve blocks that should last 8 hours and they have a new pain medication that is basically just brushed on the inside of the cheek and absorbed through the mucousa and it should keep him pain-free. Of course I'm worried but I can't see keeping bad teeth in Chris' mouth where they could infect, abscess and cause really horrible problems.
>>The new clinic where Joanna works is very nice, her boss is a woman vet who is just amazing. I met her and she brought out two teensy, 3 week old, bottle feeding kittens for me to "oohh" and "ahhh" over. She said, "I have a giant S for 'sucker' on my forehead". Evidently she takes in all abandoned animals brought to her, fosters them, and then finds homes for them. Ohhhhh those babies are so cute!! Teensy little ears, pink noses, domed heads, little paws all splayed out with needle-like claws.
>>If everyone could just send some positive vibes for Chris, I'd appreciate it. I expect him to do well, as he has in the past and I'll let everyone know how he does.
>>
>>PRAY FOR THE BABYKINS!
>>

Well, Chris had his surgery on Tuesday. Turns out his lower left mandible is fractured. Joanna doesn't know if it was already fractured or if it fractured when the tooth was pulled.
My Babykins has no teeth and that past days have not been very easy. Chris is such a good boy. I'm giving him morphine shots and those make him very sleepy.
When the surgery was done, Joanna put in a suture all the way around Chris' lower jaw....in a big circle with the end of the suture coming out under Chris' chin behind the bone. She did it just to try to stabilize things for a couple of weeks. During the procedure, she ended up calling the Vet School to ask about the fracture. The orthopedic guy said that as long as Chris has no teeth, it shouldn't be a problem since Cats don't actually chew their food....they swallow it down and the GI tract breaks it down.
Chris is drinking well which is a blessing however he is not eating. With no teeth left, he keeps dropping the food out of his mouth. I got about a teaspoon of baby food down him last night. He seems to have these "spells" where his mouth either hurts or itches or maybe goes into a muscle spasm. He opens his mouth wide and then drops his face between his paws and rubs his whisker pads with his paws. I can't imagine that it is comfortable, whatever it is.
Yesterday, YakSpouse called me here at work and said that Chris couldn't seem to get his tongue out of his mouth so I called Joanna and asked if perhaps the tongue was stuck underneath that suture. She said it was possible so I called YakSpouse back and told him to burn rubber to the vet where the suture was removed.
I just want my Babykins to feel better fast. I want him to start eating and I want the pain to go away and I want his gums to heal quickly. I know he's 18 years of age and he'll generally heal bit slower but I'm worried sick about him. He's got two more days of pain shots and hopefully that's all he'll need.
Chris is my Babykins and he is essential in my life. I have, many times, questioned the wisdom of putting him through this, however I can't see leaving bad teeth in his mouth and possibly making the situation a lot worse.
Chris could use all the good vibes he can get. Thanks everyone!!

Oh Yak,
I suspect this is harder on you than it is on Chris.
At least he is drinking water. That's a very good thing.

When Emily had her surgery back in 2001 (on Sept. 11 -- I will never forget that day for so many reasons) she went under the bed and wouldn't come out. I had to extract her and take her in twice to be hydrated because not only would she not eat, she would not drink anything either.

Please know that I am sending all the positive thoughts I can muster to you and Chris.

Carol

>>Well, Chris had his surgery on Tuesday. Turns out his lower left mandible is fractured. Joanna doesn't know if it was already fractured or if it fractured when the tooth was pulled.
>>My Babykins has no teeth and that past days have not been very easy. Chris is such a good boy. I'm giving him morphine shots and those make him very sleepy.
>>When the surgery was done, Joanna put in a suture all the way around Chris' lower jaw....in a big circle with the end of the suture coming out under Chris' chin behind the bone. She did it just to try to stabilize things for a couple of weeks. During the procedure, she ended up calling the Vet School to ask about the fracture. The orthopedic guy said that as long as Chris has no teeth, it shouldn't be a problem since Cats don't actually chew their food....they swallow it down and the GI tract breaks it down.
>>Chris is drinking well which is a blessing however he is not eating. With no teeth left, he keeps dropping the food out of his mouth. I got about a teaspoon of baby food down him last night. He seems to have these "spells" where his mouth either hurts or itches or maybe goes into a muscle spasm. He opens his mouth wide and then drops his face between his paws and rubs his whisker pads with his paws. I can't imagine that it is comfortable, whatever it is.
>>Yesterday, YakSpouse called me here at work and said that Chris couldn't seem to get his tongue out of his mouth so I called Joanna and asked if perhaps the tongue was stuck underneath that suture. She said it was possible so I called YakSpouse back and told him to burn rubber to the vet where the suture was removed.
>>I just want my Babykins to feel better fast. I want him to start eating and I want the pain to go away and I want his gums to heal quickly. I know he's 18 years of age and he'll generally heal bit slower but I'm worried sick about him. He's got two more days of pain shots and hopefully that's all he'll need.
>>Chris is my Babykins and he is essential in my life. I have, many times, questioned the wisdom of putting him through this, however I can't see leaving bad teeth in his mouth and possibly making the situation a lot worse.
>>Chris could use all the good vibes he can get. Thanks everyone!!

i think you made the right decision to remove his teeth... it should be better for him in the long run. I just had my wisdom tooth out last year, and I was pretty miserable for a few days, in a lot of pain. I can only imagine it's how Chris feels. The baby food sounds like a good idea - no chewing and it won't fall out of his mouth. Just give him lots of love and try not to worry too much - they always pick up on that. You have our positive thoughts coming your way... hoping Chris is feeling back to normal in a few days....

Still sending all the positive energy we can...

Get well soon Chris...we don't want you to hurt anymore!!!

Sending positive vibes for Chris. Hang in there fella.
-----
Terry, confused human companion of Liat.

Well, we're 10 days post-toothlessness and Chris is doing much better. His appetite came roaring back day before yesterday.
I didn't get the babyfood down him however he is eating Fancy Feast Savory Salmon and Shrimp which doesn't have any chunks of anything in it. I add a little water and peak it all up with a spoon so that Chris can lick it easier.
I feel like some kind of cat servant. I fix his food and take it to him on our bed and hold the dish until he's done. Then I clean the food off of him and the bed. Then I get him fresh water and repeat the process.
We're such suckers for our kitties, aren't we?

ALL BOW TO THE TOOTHLESS ONE!!

We are so relieved that Chris is doing better...

Trysta lost 7 teeth on her dental last week but surprisingly it didn't slow her appetite down one bit...I am wondering though if next year I'll get a discount on the dental since there will be less teeth to clean...

Big smoochies to the Toothless Wonder from all of us here!!!!

Oh Yak,

That is such good news!!! We are so glad that Chris has turned the corner and is getting back to his old self.

And of course you should be feeding him on the bed if that's where he wants to eat ...

Please give him a hug from Emily, Eddie, and me!

Carol, Emily, & Eddie

>>Well, we're 10 days post-toothlessness and Chris is doing much better. His appetite came roaring back day before yesterday.
>>I didn't get the babyfood down him however he is eating Fancy Feast Savory Salmon and Shrimp which doesn't have any chunks of anything in it. I add a little water and peak it all up with a spoon so that Chris can lick it easier.
>>I feel like some kind of cat servant. I fix his food and take it to him on our bed and hold the dish until he's done. Then I clean the food off of him and the bed. Then I get him fresh water and repeat the process.
>>We're such suckers for our kitties, aren't we?
>>
>>ALL BOW TO THE TOOTHLESS ONE!!
>>

Oh good...I was just thinking Chris and glad to hear he's doing well!
So, Rigby's only 2 years old... should i be brushing his teeth on a normal basis? Do all cats/Tonks lose their teeth when they're older?

Tonks in general are prone to gum disease, so if you can get Rigby to let you brush his teeth you'll be one step ahead of the game.

Emily has chronic gingivitis. Unfortunately, she won't let me anywhere near her mouth so we keep it under control to the extent we can with antibiotics and regular teeth cleanings. Fortunatly, Eddie does not seem to have this problem.

Carol, Emily, & Eddie

>>Oh good...I was just thinking Chris and glad to hear he's doing well!
>>So, Rigby's only 2 years old... should i be brushing his teeth on a normal basis? Do all cats/Tonks lose their teeth when they're older?