cost of dental work

In article et,
says...

"Katrina" wrote in message
...
On 2006-06-14 15:41:44 -0700, "Elizabeth Blake"
said:
snip
I made the appointment for the bloodwork for next Wednesday but I'm
wondering if I should go back to the other vet or not. Does $400 sound
like
a lot for bloodwork and cleaning/extraction/anesthesia?

My vet gave an estimate of $350-400 for Boris (a small terrier D-pet) to
have his teeth done. As it turned out, it ended up being just over $300...
Boris didn't need any teeth extracted, just a good cleaning.

Katrina

Katrina,

Did your dog have bloodwork done first? I have a feeling that's what's
driving the cost up but he'll need it done in order for them to use
anesthesia on him. His teeth really do look bad (when I can actually pry
his mouth open for more than a nanosecond) and the vet said he thinks there
are 2 that need to come out. That was just based on a brief look at Otto's
last appointment which wasn't for his teeth.

--
Liz




The bloodwork adds approximately $130 or so to the total.

wrote:

Did they use the better gas or what? Not nasty Ketamine which is rough
stuff.

I assume they used isoflurane, but will check because if they used
halothane - that could be toxic to the kidneys if her blood pressure
was low (which it could have been since she wasn't getting fluids iv.

Rising creatinine is indicative of kidney problems, and if high enough,
kidney failure.

Her BUN/Creatinine levels are still within the normal range, but when I
examined her previous blood tests done over a span of the 4 years I've
had her, the levels keep rising with each test.

What are you doing?
I invested in a Catit water fountain (to encourage her to drink) and
have been monitoring her.

Before I even had her teeth cleaned, she and my other cat suddenly
decided they didn't like the dry food brand (Nature's Balance) so I had
been trying to find a new brand they would eat. It was very frustrating
and I ended up trying lots of different brands, which might have
contributed to both cats having episodes of vomiting. They were also
both shedding a lot and so some of it was hair balls. I started
grooming them daily and giving both of them laxatone (I'm currently
only giving them a non-petrolatum hairball medication once a week.)

Before the last blood test (and after the teeth cleaning) I finally
found dry food brands (my dental cat-B. refuses to eat wet cat food)
they both would eat (Wellness & Solid Gold).

But, I took B. into the clinic just to make sure there wasn't something
else going on & that's when they re-tested her and we discovered her
blood Ca++ was elevated. Most troubling was that in the month and a
half since her pre-dental test- she had lost over one pound. She's a
big boned cat and started out on the chunky side, so she still looked
normal.

The vets said ultrasound ($300), x-rays ($100), & hypercalcemia
blood panel test were options. But now that she's eating & behaving
normally (plays chase with the other cat, seems in good spirits, isn't
dehydrated, etc.) and the vomiting is more sporadic, I'm waiting to
see if she gains weight and if the vomiting ceases.

I'll like to re-test her in the future and have an ionized Ca++ test
run since I heard the blood calcium test is one of the least reliable
tests, but the ionized Ca++ test would give a truer picture.

Apologize for the length of this.

Elizabeth Blake wrote:

I made the appointment for the bloodwork for next Wednesday but I'm
wondering if I should go back to the other vet or not. Does $400 sound like
a lot for bloodwork and cleaning/extraction/anesthesia?


My vet is very reasonably priced. Senior bloodwork was approx $100.

Kira hasn't had her teeth done yet since she is recovering from an eye
infection right now. Thevet estimated $160 if things go well. Up to
$400 if she needs teeth pulled. Depends on what all has to be done,
whcih won't be known until they put her under and get a better look.
Considering how awful her teeth look, I am prepared for the higher
amount. I just need to wait til she is done will her meds and feeling
normal again.

So, with bloodwork included in the cost, it will be $260-$500. Sounds
like your vet is pretty reasonable.

wrote in message
ups.com...

Kira hasn't had her teeth done yet since she is recovering from an eye
infection right now. Thevet estimated $160 if things go well. Up to
$400 if she needs teeth pulled. Depends on what all has to be done,
whcih won't be known until they put her under and get a better look.
Considering how awful her teeth look, I am prepared for the higher
amount. I just need to wait til she is done will her meds and feeling
normal again.

So, with bloodwork included in the cost, it will be $260-$500. Sounds
like your vet is pretty reasonable.

I think I'm not going to bother checking any other vets. It's not worth it
bringing them to different vets for different things just to save a few
dollars, and the vet we're currently using has great hours and are open 7
days a week for normal appointments, not just emergency visits.

I was out all day Saturday at a music festival. When I got home last night
there were 3 messages from the vet saying he had seen my request for an
estimate and he just wanted to go over everything with me. The other vet
was on duty when I had first called and she's the one who gave me the
estimate. I'll call the main vet (who left the messages) tomorrow. Otto
will be going in on Wednesday morning just to have blood drawn and I'll make
the appointment for the actual work then.

Otto's teeth and gums do look bad, when I can pry his mouth open. He also
has bad breath so I'm prepared for at least the two extractions the vet
briefly saw last month, and possibly more. My poor baby, he is not going to
like being left behind at the vet. They DO pretty much keep them all day,
don't they? I can't remember now, but I thought whenever a cat had
anesthesia they kept them for at least X (6? 8?) hours to make sure they
recover well enough to go home.

--
Liz

Elizabeth Blake wrote:

Otto's teeth and gums do look bad, when I can pry his mouth open. He also
has bad breath so I'm prepared for at least the two extractions the vet
briefly saw last month, and possibly more. My poor baby, he is not going to
like being left behind at the vet. They DO pretty much keep them all day,
don't they? I can't remember now, but I thought whenever a cat had
anesthesia they kept them for at least X (6? 8?) hours to make sure they
recover well enough to go home.



Kira doesn't seem to have bad breath, but her teeth look nasty in the
back, and her gums look inflamed. I just wish she would get over this
infection so that I could go ahead and get it done.

Usually, they do keep them all day. Mine takes them in the morning, and
then they have the afternoon to recover with some supervision. I
always make sure I am off work so that I can worry at home and then be
with them all evening and night when they get home.