please help! Matter of life or death for my beloved himalayan cat.?

Question

The love of my life is a beautiful cat named Oscar who will be 14 in Oct. About 3 weeks ago his eye started looking bad & his cheek swelled up. I took him to the E-Vet where they took 6 cc's of pus out of his cheek. They also told me to have our regular vet give him a check-up. When I took him to do so he wouldn't let the vet anywhere near him. He was hissing & throwing a fit & our vet just said she thought he might have an abcess tooth & she wants to remove it which means he'd have to be put under anesthetic. I asked her if that was safe to do at his age & she said it would be a big risk but she felt it was best. So its been two weeks and his appointment is in 7 days & he's acting perfectly normal. He eats fine & is feeling good & I wonder if its even worth risking. She didn't even look at his teeth just assumed that was the problem. I'm terrified he'll die for nothing. Has anyone had this problem or have any advice to help me decide if I should go through with it or not? Please help!

Answer 1

I actually had this problem with my female cat. Bad tooth caused and infection. The VET gave antibiotics for the infection, the vet said like any bad tooth it would fall out but I didn't want her to suffer so, I made the appointment to have it extracted.5 days of antibiotics first and on the day before the scheduled surgery it fell out. I called the vet, canceled the appointment and she healed fine. Anytime your pet goes under anesthesia its a gamble. If your Oscar is fine, let it be. Look and see if that tooth is even still in there, sometimes life has a way of fixing itself.

Answer 2

You can call around and ask if any vets have experience with ferals--those are the vets who can handle cats that go ballistic and not over stress the cat. Usually they work with a squeeze cage and light dose of anesthetic gas to just take the edge off and make them groggy enough to handle. That way they can actually see the problem and treat it.

Your vet should be making another exam to actually determine if the tooth abscess is there. Often times it is a tooth that's causing the problem, not a bite on the cheek. Something that close to an eye would make it start discharging because of the pressure and infection.

The vet should run a blood panel (most do before operations or heavy anesthetic anyway to make sure of organ function), do a physical exam in and around the mouth, and determine from there. You're perfectly within your rights to ask for an exam first instead of the operation, so I'd suggest calling and rescheduling that for the other appointment and postphone anything further till you have more information from her.

Answer 3

If it's an abscessed tooth it will need to be removed, because if its not it will continue to get worse and eventually could cause organ failure. And it's extremely painful. But there are other things it could be. It could just be a scratch that has abscessed and could be treated with antibiotics. Or the worst possibility it could be a growth, at which point it may be time to put her down. If I were you I would ask my vet to sedate her, not full anesthesia, just a sedative so that they can examine her mouth. Sometimes the sedatives don't always work, but it's worth a shot. If it is not possible I would recommend doing the surgery, but do a full blood work up beforehand, it's worth the extra money. Also make sure they do an EKG (to monitor the heart) and are intibated (with a tube) when put under anesthesia. Ask also if they are equipped with an IV catheter and fluids when under. There is always a possibility that something bad could happen and yes there is more of a chance that it can happen when they are older, but if she is in discomfort and she is not getting better, it is worth the risk. I hope this helps and I hope everything goes ok. Remember you can always get a second opinion as well.

Answer 4

I am sorry to say this, but your vet sounds like a real weenie. How can she make a diagnosis without doing an exam?? Most vets become vets because they have a true love for animals and really want to help them, but then you have a few who only want to help their pocket.. I would defiantly get a different vet. I am sure he only acted that way because the e-vet had to drain that pus from him and that is not exactly a pain free procedure. He was just scared. Cats have a good memory. The proper thing for your vet to do would have to rescheduled the appointment and have you give him a little something to help relax him before you brought him back. Please find a different vet for beloved Oscar.....he deserves to have a loving and caring vet. Good Luck.

Answer 5

The vet cannot force you to allow her to put him under. If he is feeling better (which I hope he is) Take him to his appointment anyhow and let her take a look for herself. If he isn't going to let her touch him and she still wants to put him under to take the tooth out perhaps you can bring a large towel along and convince the vet to let you wrap the cat up so he can't attack with his legs, while she opens his mouth to take a look. If you are satisfied that she has taken a good look and still thinks it's necessary to remove a tooth then I can only say that then it is your choice to do that or not.

Ask the vet a lot of questions and make sure you understand the risks of leaving the tooth in and the benefits of taking it out, make sure also that he is as calm and healthy as possible before the anesthetic.

Your vet is a vet for a reason she studied hard to earn her degree, she will tell you what she thinks is best. However, he is your cat and what happens to him is your responsibility. You always have the option of taking him to a different vet if you think that this one is putting him in danger.

Answer 6

The Vet should not assume that it is his teeth, She should have checked further. He may have gotten the abscess from a bite or scratching. I hope they cleaned out the wound and gave him antibiotics. Sometimes these return as the infection is still present.
If he is fine, I'd just watch him and find a Vet that is willing to give you more information.

Answer 7

Is he on anti-biotics ? That may be keeping the infection in check.

If not, I'd still get your cat in one of those cat handling bags, have 2 people hold him steady and give him something safe to relax him.... maybe Valium.

At this time, she can go all over him and check the teeth. She can also draw blood and get a Complete Blood Cell count.

The thing about an infected tooth is that it can cause infections in the rest of the body..... most people know it affects the kidneys and can make the kidneys shut down.

This is why I say before surgery, get the teeth checked and get a CBC.

Answer 8

i bred himmy's and persians for years and the one thing i learned if you are uncomfotable with what your vet told you get a second opinion, a kitty that age any surgury is risky, and if the symptoms are resolved... was your kitty on antibiotics preparing for the surgury?
if that was the case he may feel better now but if it is an abcessed tooth it may come back, i would also be uncomfortable with the vet if she said surgury without an
exam. if you know your vet well and trust her call her before the surgury and talk to her about your concerns. if she does not give you satisfactory answers, look for a new vet

Answer 9

My cat Paco died at 21 only 6 month ago, but I do believe that if you have a good vet make sure he uses the best and safer anesthesia available I clean all of my animals teeth on regular bases and I remember doing Paco at about that age. good luck sometimes is better to take a risk that let him suffer later more. at the moment i have 6 cats.

Answer 10

She's not going to put him under if he is fine now. Dude, you had better get another vet. A vet that isn't such a chicken. When my cat Gemini (26 pound tom cat from hell) has to go to the vet, she has me wrap him up in a towel, hold him down, put a muzzle on him and she checks him over. I also tie rubber booties around his claws. He's a huge cat. He's also a fighter. You do what you have to to make sure your cat is healthy.

I don't like your vet. My vet wouldn't take that crap from my cat. She loves my mean old tom cat, even though he's not very nice. She would check him over and make sure he was okay even if it meant getting the crap scratched out of her.