Take your pets to the vet - Periodontal Disease

[Jacqueline]

I took my big boy, Cody, to the vet last night for a general check up. I know this is terrible but I have not taken him (or my female cat who recently passed in May of cancer) to the vet since about 2001-2, I never felt it necessary b/c they were in door cats and always seemed fine (was I wrong). Meanwhile I had no idea there was something brewing! Here, when I took my female, Bella, to the vet in March for other reasons they found she had Periodontal Disease. I looked at Cody gums myself after hearing about this and they seem really red and sure enough, he has it- and SO bad, a lot worse than Bella. I only got a quick look at the front of his mouth but the vet showed me last night his entire mouth, it took my breath away. Some of his teeth actually FELL out, his gums are blood red, sore and some teeth are totally dead. And his breath could kill a skunk so thats a sign there too. He showed me one that was completely gray in color and when he pressed on the tooth, Cody's bottom jaw quivered, he told me its b/c it hurts him! I'm not even sure how Cody is such a moose b/c with his teeth like this, its a shock he's even eating. I have to start giving him wet food only, and next week he goes in for dental, and most likely he will get teeth removed! He will have to go in a few times to get stuff done and it can cost me up to $400 or more. So my point in this is to inform you of this, cats AND dogs can get it. Take your pets to the vet for annual check ups. I think about it now and I feel so mad that I never did this, b/c not taking them causes heartache, stress for them and not to mention a lot of $. I am going to attempt to take pix of his teeth before he goes in, and I will show you. I attached links with info and pix too.

 

Periodontal Disease in Cats

 

periodontal disease in cats - Google Image Search

[kristendotcom]

i'm sorry jac! at least you found out about it and cody will be ok!!

[Jacqueline]

Hey thanks! Yeah he should be fine once this is all done. They did a blood & urine test, gave him rabies shots, and another test that I forget the name, to make sure all is okay. PD can cause kidney failure, heart disease and things like that so they want to make sure all that is okay. OMG and Cody was NOT a happy camper- I could hear him meowing angrily and causing a fuss in the next room when they were taking blood etc. They had to shave his neck alil. lol

[JOSIE]

Oh no! That is horrible. I haven't taken my kitty to the vet in a few years either. He's still young (3) and I just figured he's fine cuz he acts that way. Your post made me think twice.

 

Cody will come out stong - no doubt!

[Jen_S]

I also use to not take my cat to the vet because he was an indoor cat and had reactions to shots but then we got a dog and took him and he had the beginning signs of PD they did a good cleaning and now I give him medicine whenever his gums are getting a bit red. Good Luck I am sure they will be able to help him just remember after all the cleanings and such to always keep an eye on it.

[KristinaM]

Thanks so much for sharing your story and the information!

 

Daisy goes to the vet at least once a year.. if not more... and luckily they always check her teeth and reccommend cleanings. They actually did her first dental and checked everything out while she was under when she got spayed and have checked regularly since. I feel lucky that they are on top of it because otherwise I never would have known to look out for it.

[Jacqueline]

Kristina that is good u take her!

 

If anyone dont, you should def try too. If I would have taken Bella to the vet, I would have known her white blood count was high (it escaladed from there but blood was the first thing they tested) and I could have found that she was sick sooner, so it's just really important. Cody is going once a year now. he needs to stick around for at least another 10 years! lol

[Inked1]

Thank you thank you thank you for your post. I work in veterinary medicine and at least 5 times a day I hear clients tell me "No Fluffy is fine, he doesn't need exams or vaccines!" So very untrue. At the very least rabies vaccination is required by law in most states due to the public health issues. A reminder that with most diseases, kidney and heart conditions in particular, obvious symptoms do not appear until the animal may be too sick to prevent progression of the condition. For instance by the time you see kitty urinating too much he may have lost up to 60 percent of optimal kidney function!

 

And for dog owners who don't think their indoor dog needs heart worm prevention....ever been bitten by a mosquito inside your home? About $8 a month can prevent a treatment course that costs our average client $600....and I am in NH where vet care is significantly less that other parts of the country.

 

I know I sound a little soap box but with routine physical exams and periodic maintenance procedures you really can get so many more years of love with your pet, and who wouldn't want that!!!

[Sparkles8300]

My dog also had that when I rescued him. He had to get a dental and they ended up pulling 5 teeth. He looks so funny now when he yawns and there are all of these gaps. His breath is still really bad from all of the neglect. Come to think of it, it's prob time for a good teeth cleaning. Thanks for posting this as a reminder!

[Vikki]

Good for you taking care of your kitty!

 

My Siamese has horrible gum problems. By his 3rd birthday we had to have 2 teeth pulled. I was so sad for him after the vet told me how painful it can be without treatment. I know how much it hurts me to have a toothache but I can choose my food, he's stuck with the food I give him so it's either eat in pain or not eat.

 

It's expensive but I'm a firm believer that if you take an animal into your home you take responsibility for their care so two of my kitties now get annual dental treatments. Technically it should be every 6 months but with some special food we've been able to help stretch it to a year. I'd check with your vet about some Dental Diet food, it might help!