CATS AND THEIR TEETH
Ugh, just ugh. If you're a cat owner, you already know that cats are extremely prone to dental problems. Do wild cat species have the same difficulties? Or are we doing something seriously wrong in how we care for domesticated cats?
My oldest cat also has an autoimmune condition that causes him to get mouth sores in reaction to normal plaque bacteria, so most of his teeth have already been pulled (he just had his canines left) and he needs frequent dental exams.
It was nearing time for his next exam anyway, but we noticed this weekend that he had some oozy discharge on his chin, so we brought him in to the vet. Three of his remaining canines had abscessed, so badly that the top two created fistulas up to his sinuses, and the lower one had eaten away at his jawbone, causing the two sides of his bottom jaw to separate slightly and get misaligned. It must have been incredibly uncomfortable for him, but the only signs we saw (until the oozing) were that he didn't want to eat dry food and he wasn't grooming his hindquarters quite as well as usual. And all that happened in less than six months since his last exam.
I'm sure this bill for this will be heart-stopping....
This entry was originally posted at http://loligo.dreamwidth.org/445021.html.
comments on that entry. Comments on Dreamwidth preferred.
My oldest cat also has an autoimmune condition that causes him to get mouth sores in reaction to normal plaque bacteria, so most of his teeth have already been pulled (he just had his canines left) and he needs frequent dental exams.
It was nearing time for his next exam anyway, but we noticed this weekend that he had some oozy discharge on his chin, so we brought him in to the vet. Three of his remaining canines had abscessed, so badly that the top two created fistulas up to his sinuses, and the lower one had eaten away at his jawbone, causing the two sides of his bottom jaw to separate slightly and get misaligned. It must have been incredibly uncomfortable for him, but the only signs we saw (until the oozing) were that he didn't want to eat dry food and he wasn't grooming his hindquarters quite as well as usual. And all that happened in less than six months since his last exam.
I'm sure this bill for this will be heart-stopping....
This entry was originally posted at http://loligo.dreamwidth.org/445021.html.
comments on that entry. Comments on Dreamwidth preferred.