kitty teeth

[threeplusfire]

Mike & I took Koshka to see Dr. Pittman today. When she tried to listen to his heart by putting her stethoscope on his side & belly, has assumed she was going to pet him and started purring too loudly to hear his heart. Silly kitty. He also has such thick skin at his neck that he bent the needle! Wacky. They had to take blood from his leg instead.

Poor kitteh! He has a broken canine tooth. He's also lost two pounds since December. They gave him subcutaneous fluids and an antibiotic. An antibiotic used in Europe for many years has recently become available here. It's a shot! One shot instead of two weeks of desperately trying to get the kitty to swallow pills or fishy paste. Sweet gods above, what a wonderful thing. It is only approved for limited uses but it was recommended for this situation. Hail Convenia. We're waiting on blood work to make sure he is healthy enough for anesthesia. They will probably have to pull the tooth.

Koshka is very annoyed with us. But it will probably get better as he adjusts to a life of roasted chickens just for him. My poor kitty.

Comments

[fleurdeliser.livejournal.com]

Strangely enough, I think my cat might be experiencing the same thing. From what I can tell, she hasn't eaten any dry food since the day before yesterday, perhaps longer. I gave her some tuna which she wolfed down. :/

*sigh*

I really can't afford a vet bill.

I hope it isn't!

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

Some other things you might look for - lots of drooling, drinking a lot of water, any signs of pain, really inflamed gums. If your kitty will let you, lift the lips on the sides of the mouth and see if you can observe any broken teeth.

You can pour water on dry food, and it will soak it up like cereal and get mushy enough to eat. If you think it is a tooth problem, go as soon as you can. They can lead to nasty infections.

Re: I hope it isn't!

[fleurdeliser.livejournal.com]

She seems okay when I try to look at her mouth, other than typical squirming, and none of her teeth seem broken. She seems okay when I put pressure on her belly, so I don't think she's having any stomach problems.

... An hour later...

Just talked to my roommate and she added some food to her bowl yesterday, so I am going to delay my worry and observe for a while longer.

Re: I hope it isn't!

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

Well those are all good signs! :D I hope you kitteh is all healthy.

[delchi.livejournal.com]

Best thoughts to kitty!

[sykii.livejournal.com]

Poor little guy!
The purring thing is so cute though; he sounds like an absolute sweetheart.

[mielikki.livejournal.com]

Kitty teeth problems are pretty common, from what I gather. Bolt in his time lost at least a few teeth, including one of his fangs... I only noticed it when he yawned and once he got over the dentistry yuck he was just fine.

That shot sounds marvelous! Getting pills in cats is such a PITA.

[mielikki.livejournal.com]

oh yeah- and they told me I should brush his teeth. They even gave me chicken-flavored toothpaste. That was one trick I could never manage.

[shawnari.livejournal.com]

I found you through chiite. I hope your kitty feels better soon. I'll have to keep an eye on my cat's teeth. I didn't know dental problems were so prevalent in cats.

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

Hello and welcome. Yes, it is a weird thing. There are many kinds of cat treats made to help fight tartar and such that are good for kitties. It also just varies from cat to cat - I've had kitties who never had a single problem too.

[brienze.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I will have to be sure to ask about that shot the next time Muriel (aka Terribly Violent Kitty) needs antibiotics.

We both know how miserable tooth pain is... Lily sends her condolences as well. She's had two of her four canines extracted and has a funny yawn, but is otherwise fine.

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

It's called Convenia. Mostly approved so far for skin infections here, but can also be applied in dental situations. It's a standard $50, plus $1 for every pound over 5 that the animal weighs. So we paid $53, which really wasn't too much different from the $8 I paid last time for liquid antibiotics.

[brienze.livejournal.com]

And not having to wrestle medication into a cat is definitely one of those things in life that it's worth spending some money on. =)