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Teeth falling out normal? Cat is 13.



 
 
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  #1  
Old October 27th 05, 04:07 PM
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Default Teeth falling out normal? Cat is 13.

Hi all.

My cat George has lost a tooth. He was meowing into my wife's face,
and she noticed that his usual Four Big Teeth smile was down to three.


My wife took George to our family vet, who gave George his shots (he
was due) and pronounced his teeth okay. The vet gave no explanation
why his tooth had come out. George is an indoor cat, and other than
fighting with the other two cats (George is the biggest and the only
male) nothing should have happened to him.

I made an appointment for George at our local university clinic. They
are planning to anesthetize him and carefully examine his teeth. The
family vet wasn't able to get a good look at George's mouth, even with
the help of an assistant, because he kept squirming.

This doctor visit will cost about $250, and my wife and son think it
will be money wasted. It has caused a controversy in our family.

Have you-all had experience with older cats losing teeth? Is it in
fact just "something that happens" and not worth concern? George is
thirteen, healthy, and is slowing down just a touch as he ages. (He no
longer rushes the door quite so enthusiastically to get out.)

War stories regarding older cats' teeth are welcomed.


Regards,

Rick

  #2  
Old October 27th 05, 04:11 PM
cybercat
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Default Teeth falling out normal? Cat is 13.


wrote :

I made an appointment for George at our local university clinic. They
are planning to anesthetize him and carefully examine his teeth. The
family vet wasn't able to get a good look at George's mouth, even with
the help of an assistant, because he kept squirming.

This doctor visit will cost about $250, and my wife and son think it
will be money wasted. It has caused a controversy in our family.


You are right. George may be in pain, and bad teeth in cats, just
as in humans, can lead to bigger health problems. You are not
wasting money, you're being a good pet owner. Good for you!


  #3  
Old October 27th 05, 06:44 PM
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Default Teeth falling out normal? Cat is 13.

Thanks for the encouragement, Cybercat.

I still would like to know, what could make a cat's tooth fall out?

Has anybody else had their adult cat's tooth fall out?


Regards,

Rick

  #4  
Old October 27th 05, 06:57 PM
cybercat
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Default Teeth falling out normal? Cat is 13.


wrote in message
ups.com...
Thanks for the encouragement, Cybercat.


You're welcome, you're a good cat dad!

I still would like to know, what could make a cat's tooth fall out?


Gum disease, same as humans. And I suppose tooth decay, too.


Has anybody else had their adult cat's tooth fall out?


My RB cat had great teeth but her sister did not. At age 17 she turned up
missing a fang, and when we took her in we found that she had gum disease.


  #5  
Old October 27th 05, 11:20 PM
---MIKE---
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Default Teeth falling out normal? Cat is 13.

Rick wrote:

Has anybody else had their adult cat's
tooth fall out?


Amber, at age 10, lost one of her fangs. I then noticed that her breath
smelled awful. The vet gave her an antibiotic shot and scheduled her
for a dental a few days later. She has been fine since then. When she
lost the fang, I found it laying on the floor. I saved it!


---MIKE---
In the White Mountains of New Hampshire
(44° 15' N - Elevation 1580')


  #6  
Old October 27th 05, 11:48 PM
Spot
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Default Teeth falling out normal? Cat is 13.

I had a 10 yr old cat who cracked a tooth and it had to be extracted but he
never lost any other than his baby teeth.

Celeste

wrote in message
ups.com...
Thanks for the encouragement, Cybercat.

I still would like to know, what could make a cat's tooth fall out?

Has anybody else had their adult cat's tooth fall out?


Regards,

Rick



  #7  
Old October 28th 05, 01:18 AM
No More Retail
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Default Teeth falling out normal? Cat is 13.

Anything could have caused the cat to loss his tooth. If your cat has really
smelly breath it could be a sign of an abscess. The spot that he lost his
tooth could have an under lying infection. Best thing is to do what you are
doing.
Personally I would tell your wife and son it is money well spent they don't
like it tell them tough sh@t how would they like it next time that they are
hury and you told them they were not going to see a doctor


  #8  
Old October 28th 05, 04:06 PM
Mariebmk
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Default Teeth falling out normal? Cat is 13.

I was told that older cats exhibit a behavior where they start pretty
much absorbing their own teeth. No one knows why, but as a result they
will start losing their teeth. Its quite painful for them. My poor
old cat (age 14) before I had to put him down was down to about 5
teeth. The vet said that his gums were in such pain that even when he
was under anestesia, they passed a finger over his gums and he had a
"shudder response" to the pain. I think the dental appointement is
well worth the money as cats will try to hide their pain so much your
poor cat may be suffering with bad teeth.

Good luck!

  #9  
Old November 2nd 05, 07:53 PM
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Default Teeth falling out normal? Cat is 13.

Since people were so kind to answer, I should tell them the outcome.

George is scheduled for a dental examination this coming Monday. So I
guess that's not a medical "outcome" yet, but it's a social and
political "outcome."

Amazingly to me, after several days of quietly persisting, when I said
"George is going to get care and that's it," everybody said "Oh, okay,"
and seemed satisfied.

Regards,

Rick

  #10  
Old November 8th 05, 06:22 PM
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Default Teeth falling out normal? Cat is 13.

George had his exam yesterday. We got it done at the local
university's small animal clinic. It cost $680. (* Gasp! *) I guess
cats start out with 30 teeth. George went into the exam with a dozen
or so, and came out with 7. He only has one fang left.

Several of George's teeth had "resorbed." I guess the cat's body
replaces part of the tooth material with bone. Nobody knows why.

So several teeth had "crown amputations," where the root is good but
the crown is bad, and they cut the crown off. And one tooth was
extracted because it was rotten.

Interestingly, I asked the doctor about brushing George's teeth daily,
and he thought it wasn't worthwhile. George's main problem wasn't
periodontal disease. His plaque level was "moderate." And it's
annoying to both the cat and the owner. So okay.

Well, I just thought I'd tell you-all how it came out. Expensive.
George had a lot of work done. I'm not clear what the impact is on
George's long term health.

Thanks for your concern and input. Episode over.

Regards,

Rick

 




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