$250 to get my damn cat's teeth cleaned

[LynneSin]

:wow: :wow: :wow: :wow:

And it's the one cat that appreciates me the least.

Evita better be damn grateful I'm doing this to get rid of her kitty breath

:grumbles:

[pdx_prog]

1. Seriously?

I'm in the wrong line of work....



:hi:

[LynneSin]

2. Seriously -

You and me both

Someone is getting rich off of Evita's bad kitty breath and I know it's not me

[MissMillie]

3. from what I've seen

that's very inexpensive

[Fenris]

4. Yes, it is.

[Gormy Cuss]

5. Save money. Bring her to your human dentist and introduce her as your child.

Wow.$250? Do they sedate her or something?

[LynneSin]

7. I thinking for $250, Evita should get fricking Kitty Grillz for her teeth

[dropkickpa]

9. Yep

Doing a cat dental requires general anesthesia, and usually a bit of bloodwork prior to be sure they can tolerate the anesthesia.

Doing dental work on animals is really cool for a vet tech, most I know love doing them!

[Maraya1969]

36. They sedate cats and dogs and a lot of times they have to pull some teeth

It is a good thing to do because rotten teeth are associated with heart disease so it's good to get rid of the bacteria that runs through the system.

I've paid less though but that was a few years ago.

[ohiosmith]

6. Well! Guess you can forget those shoes.

[LynneSin]

8. Why in god's name would I do that

:shrug:

[ohiosmith]

10. I'm with you there. Let the cat deal with it's own teeth. By the way, just how did

cats clean their teeth before kitty dentists?

[femmedem]

55. They ate raw food which didn't cause tooth decay

Unlike commercial crap cat food. Just as bad as the crap we eat. :)

[toadzilla]

61. some still do!

no cat dentists for me.

[Rosie1223]

11. My husband went to the dentist yesterday

and it was just $185 for his teeth cleaning, including x-rays!

But then he doesn't need to be sedated.

[seemunkee]

12. spent $325 to get one of the dogs done last week

luckily the AKC insurance will cover it.

[Rambis]

13. Biggest scam in Vet med

I know a vet who has treated hundreds of thousands of animals in his 40+ years and he said he could think of one case where the animal having an infected tooth "might" have contributed to a premature death.

Check out his site-
Heart worm is the same as they give horse dewormer and it costs 5$ a bottle not 65$ every three months.


http://www.oldcountryvet.com/

[philosophie_en_rose]

17. It's not really about life threatening illnesses, as much as dental hygiene and comfort.

My family adopted our dachshund Penguin (RIP) when he was very old. His previous owner was an elderly man that died, and Penguin's family wanted to put him down for no reason whatsoever. :grr:

Unfortunately, Penguin didn't have very good teeth. It was painful for him to eat and he was surly when touched around the mouth. So my parents paid an ungodly amount to have his teeth cleaned (and some pulled). He was a very happy dog, after that.

My three dogs have all had their teeth cleaned, but only once in their 3, 5, 7 years of life. I don't want to subject them to teeth cleaning unnecessarily. (anesthesia is not good for them). However, I do want to ensure that their teeth remain strong and clean.

I don't know that it's entirely necessary, but I do the best that I can for them. Their teeth cost more to clean, but then again, I don't need to be put under to have my teeth cleaned.

[China_cat]

21. With so many owners not even bothering to give

heartworm preventative to their dogs, do you really think they'd bother to find out what the proper dose is for their animal and make sure it's administered? I don't.

I'm a bit lazy. I prefer the Heartgard that's all measured out and also keeps my dogs free of many other types of worms that are prevalent here in the south. It's such a pleasure not to have to worm (not to mention clean up the aftermath) once a year.

Oh, and the Heartgard is $65 for -6- months, not 3. Ever priced treatment for heartworms?

[Eurobabe]

22. Totally agree with you. Cash cow...

I've never had my cat's teeth "cleaned." One is almost 16 and healthy, the other is almost 7.

I like the idea of another poster to clean the cat's teeth on your own, but it sounds like a 2 person job.

[bullwinkle428]

14. Yeah, I recall paying close to $600 for our two, just about

3 years ago - I figured any procedure requiring general anaesthesia wouldn't be cheap.

[smoogatz]

15. A friend of mine has a cat with diabetes.

He has to give that frickin' cat an insulin shot twice a day--been doing it for eight years. It's cost him thousands, at this point. I'm like, dude, it's a frickin' cat. It's broken. Get a new one. He won't listen.

[BattyDem]

16. My dog has diabetes, too

He was diagnosed about 3 years ago and gets an insulin shot twice a day. I always have to adjust MY schedule to fit HIS insulin schedule.
He's on prescription dog food and biscuits ($24 for 12 cans; $7 for two boxes of biscuits a month)
He must eat twice a day, so along with the dog food, he gets chicken. I get chicken breast tenders (98% fat-free) - it's the highest quality I can get. I buy 2 or 3 four pound bags every month. ($12 per bag)
A bottle of Keto-Diastix every week to test his urine. ($12 a bottle)
A box of syringes every 7 weeks ($28 dollars)
A bottle of insulin every month ($35 dollars)
Countless blood tests, x-rays and urinalyses. (Cost has to be in the thousands by now.)
A few hundred dollars every year on two kinds of arthritis medication, Pepcid AC to help the stomach problems that sometimes occur because of the arthritis medication, Benadryl for allergies, antibiotics to combat the frequent urinary tract infections that come with the diabetes, and of course, medication for the occasional bout of bronchitis, colitis, ear infection, etc.
Cruciate ligament ruptures in both hind legs; surgery cost $1200 for each leg.
Dental problems which have cost about $1400 and ongoing costs for dental care supplies, checkups and getting his teeth cleaned.
Dog groomer every 7 weeks ($50)
On 12/5/06 - a nighttime visit to the animal emergency room ($800)
Countless dollars on toys, shampoo, wee wee pads, carpet cleaner for the occasional accident and other doggie necessities.

We got a credit card just for him and his expenses. My income is very limited because I can't work due to chronic health problems, so the cost is a big deal for my mother and I (she's in her 70s). Half of our relatives and friends think we're CRAZY! The other half have pets. :P

But you know what? WE DON'T CARE! We absolutely adore our "baby" - we would pay anything to keep him well and with us for a long, long time. He's not "broken" - he's FAMILY. I'm sure your friend feels the same way we do ... so please, try to be a little more sensitive the next time you address the issue with him, okay? :hi: I'm not trying to beat you up, I'm just trying to make you understand your friend's feelings a bit more. It's not as simple as "getting a new one." Like I said, they're family ... and they're not disposable. :-)


Note to LynneSin - A teeth cleaning at my vet costs $400, so you got a pretty good deal. :-)




edited to add pic :-)

[TheCentepedeShoes]

19. Awwwww

What a sweetie. We have a black standard.

[China_cat]

20. I've had 2 diabetic cats.

One is still with us the other died of cancer. At age 17. This cat has been here since he was about a week old. He's a member of the family. He's not broken any more than a child with diabetes is broken.

[Kajsa]

25. " It's broken, get a new one"?

You're kidding ,right?

[smoogatz]

28. Sort of.

Cats are virtually identical, as far as I can tell--eat, sleep, shit, purr (but they come in a variety of decorative colors, which is nice). The world is full of cats. Every animal shelter in the country is overflowing with them. I like them okay, but I don't really understand people who think of them as "part of the family"--they're not, for God's sake; they're semi-domesticated, not very smart, and if they were bigger they'd hunt us down and eat us. If I had one that turned out to be a super high-maintenance pain in the ass, I'd most likely have it put to sleep and get another one, yes. I tend to reserve my deeper affections for people, though. And guitars.

[Kajsa]

29. Oh well, to each his/her own.

It's a good thing you don't have a cat.

For the sake of any cat, please keep it that way.

[smoogatz]

30. What makes you think I don't have a cat?

And who are you to judge my cat-having credentials?

On edit: I do have a cat, and I've had a number of cats in the past--I liked most of them, and they were all well cared-for, thank you very much. But I think it's ridiculous the way Americans sentimentalize their pets. Totally absurd. The worst offenders are usually childless misanthropes who've convinced themselves that dogs/cats/goldfish are actually better than people, because, you know, dogs/cats/goldfish pretty much agree with everything we say, except when they're having diarrhea on the rug. I think Americans in general spend ridiculous amounts of money feeding and maintaining their largely decorative pets, which by and large eat better and receive better health care than most of the people living on the planet. If that ain't a symptom of a sick society, I don't know what is.

[China_cat]

34. And who are you to judge my cat-having credentials?

Someone who spends their time rescuing animals discarded by people like you who decide that they no longer match the decor.

Not better than people but also not disposable.

[smoogatz]

37. Entirely disposable.

Every time a cat in America gets euthanized, we do the world a favor. Less cat shit, more songbirds. But hey, I guess sanctimonious sentimentalizers like you have to have something to feel holier-than-thou about.

[Kajsa]

43. Smoogatz, you answered your first question to

me, " And who are you to judge my cat-having credentials?"
with this reply.

There is nothing I could add.

[Kajsa]

44. China-cat, I get what you're saying.

And I am in full agreement.

But we're arguing with someone who thinks cats are like
property, very disposable property to be exact.

That makes communication damn near impossible.

-sigh-

[China_cat]

47. I was hoping this was a 'devil's advocate' type of thing.

I see it isn't and see that this person doesn't see that this is the same attitude that allowed those kids to bake that puppy, allows people to think it's ok to set them on fire, bash them with hammers and perpetrate other horrors. They're disposable, they're just animals...and the attitude that also carries over to people who aren't 'like us'.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

48. I will never understand people who view animals as mere things.

How can anyone think like that? I just don't get it -- it's disgusting and appalling. And it goes along with the fact that serial killers usually start out abusing animals. A person who has no empathy for a helpless animal doesn't have to move too far in pathology to abusing people.

:nuke:

[Kajsa]

51. That's so true, ocelot!

We see that happening time and again.

Thanks for your support and understanding of our
animal buddies.

:hi:

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

52. A human who thinks it's OK to abuse or discard an animal

is an asshole. Period.

Animals are sentient beings who are deserving of compassion, like humans (who are animals as well). Caring about animals is not foolishly sentimental; it's moral. A very young human child has no more reasoning or speaking ability than a dog or a cat, yet some people think abusing an animal is OK but child abuse is terrible. In fact, both are terrible. No living, feeling creature should ever be mistreated.

I don't think of my cats as my children. I think they are entitled to kind treatement because they are feeling creatures. It's that simple.

[Kajsa]

53. Amen, Ocelot!

Well stated, my friend!
I feel the same way about my cats.

[Kajsa]

50. I know, and it's very upsetting to say the least.

We can try to educate people to think of animals
as the fellow living creatures they are.

We all share this planet, damn it!
No one has more right to it than others!!

Sorry, this isn't directed at you at all- it's the other mindset
that really gets my blood boiling. Animals suffer and are tortured
and killed because of that twisted mindset.

And here he thought our mindset was sick!

Thanks for your reply, btw-
we are so on the same page here!

:hi:

[Coyote_Bandit]

59. My dogs

accept and love me unconditionally. That is more than I can say for virtually all the people I know. My dogs don't care about my politics or my religion or my socio-economic status. They don't care how I dress or what kind of car I drive. They don't care about my sexual orientation. They don't care if I cuss a blue streak or pray fervently. They don't care if I'm old. Or young. They don't care if the house isn't perfectly ordered and tidy. They don't ask or demand much of me. And they try to earn their keep. One has fashioned himself into a guard dog of sorts while the other has assumed the role of backyard hunter.

My two dogs are small and weigh less than 35 pounds combined. The oldest is a puppy mill rescue. He was 9 months old when I got him. He had been attacked by another dog and had an open bloody gash in his eye. He had never been inside a building. He is visually impaired in the injured eye. The younger dog has had kidney disease since he was a puppy. He has bloodwork done every 3 to 6 months and eats a prescription diet. The annual expenses for caring for both of them is a total of about $1,000. That includes: Frontline application for nine months ($200); monthly Heartgaard ($70); prescription K/D food ($200); Science Diet adult light small bites food ($100); two vet visits including shots ($200); three renal profile tests ($120); four trips to the groomer ($120). Last year I had about $85 in various Science Diet coupons and rebates. I have used the same vet for about six years. Her office is nearby and her fees are reasonable. She has a lab on site and she has been very good about not running up charges and doing unnecessary testing even when she had the opportunity to do so. When the renal dog was first diagnosed he spent a week in her doggie hospital getting tests and IV therapy. The total charges were about $300. The groomer is also nearby and comes vet recommended. She charges a total of $30 to bathe and groom the two dogs. That includes a bath, a blow dry, a good combing, an ear cleaning, a foot trim, a nail trim, shaping their pantaloons and firkins, and a belly trim during the warmer months.

I have two dogs and I spend just over $40 monthly on each dog. Less than $1.50 daily. About $10 per week. But guess what? I don't eat fast food or dine out more frequently than once a week. I rarely go to the theater or rent movies. I prefer to read library books and buy only a few books and CDs and videos. I take more pleasure in the companionship of my friends, family and pets. Anybody that buys a cup of coffee at Starbucks everyday is spending more money there in a year than I am in caring for a dog. I will continue to care for them until such time that they begin to suffer and live without dignity. They are living creatures and I have undertaken to care for them. They are not disposable.

[toadzilla]

31. chewing on a nice raw chicken wing once or twice a week

is great for keeping cats teeth clean. i give them to my cat and dog, they love them. they eat they whole thing bone and all.

[toadzilla]

35. oops

i meant to reply to the origional.

[BreweryYardRat]

38. Okay, STOP DOING THAT. You've been very lucky so far.

Chicken (and other poultry) bones can splinter when they're crunched up, potentially choking a dog. Your cat might be able to get away with eating a bone because it takes much smaller bites, but even then I'd say err on the side of caution and find something else.

Do the research if you don't believe me. Or heck, give me a few hours (going to the bookstore momentarily) and I'll do it for you.

[toadzilla]

56. cooked bones splinter, raw do not

raw bones are excellent for oral health of both dogs and cats. i can point you in the direction of information about feeding raw food if you like.

edit to add: chicken bones in particular are very soft and flexible when raw, more so than something like a beef rib bone.

[femmedem]

62. Toadzilla is correct about the raw chicken bones.

Cats who go outside and catch voles and such munch on bones all the time. However, the cooked bones can be lethal.

Some people who feed their pets raw food grind the bones very fine. That is probably even safer, although you lose the teeth-cleaning benefits.

[I Have A Dream]

58. Some people consider the animals in their lives to be part of their...

families rather than easily discardable objects. Your friend obviously loves his cat. Sometimes animals are better friends than people.

(By the way, I don't have any animals that live with me, but I know that many people feel this way.)

[politicat]

18. So... now is not the time to tell you that brushing her teeth is a lot cheaper?

And just as effective?

There's even a song that goes with it, and it takes all of about 20 seconds, and only needs to be done every other or third day or so.

You only need to do the outsides; the insides get cleaned by the kibble.

(I learned this from a woman over at Salon's Tabletalk, so don't blame me if it gets stuck in your head.)

Here's the song, and the rhythm is to do half of an arch per line of the song (so top lefts, bottom lefts, top rights, bottom rights.)

Brusha brusha kitty tooofies,
brusha brusha kitty tooofies,
brusha brusha kitty tooofies,
Brusha brusha now we're done!

We started doing it after we had a kitty who reacted badly to the anesthesia and died, and I decided that I would never again have my kitties put under for anything not urgent. Since we started (they get brushed on MWF and teeth on TTS with Sunday off) three years ago, neither of the kitties have "needed" a dental, and their vet seems a bit suspicious as to why they don't.

[LynneSin]

23. Ok, if you ever saw my arms, legs and even breasts you'd think I was a cutter

but that's just from my cats

I value my life - it's worth way more than the $250 I'll willingly pay to have Evita's teeth cleaned

[Raven]

24. My Vet gave me a toothbrush and toothpaste...

I told him "not in my lifetime". I wonder how cats survived before Vets were pushing teeth cleaning?

[LynneSin]

26. I think if you start them when they are kittens it might be feasible however

when trying to clean the teeth of a 5-6 year old cat who lived at least three years as a feral - that's a suicide mission. Put the damn cat to sleep and clean out the crud

[madinmaryland]

41. Have you tried trimming their toenails (NOT DECLAWING).

My wife does it to all three cats twice a month (front ones only). They actually let he do it without a fight! Then try the toothbrush!

[politicat]

46. Ooo... I'm sorry!

Ours struggled that way for the first few weeks, then they realized that we were not going to stop, and it has actually improved their dispositions. Since they know they're going to get a certain amount of attention every day, they're much less stressed. (We also clip claws.)

[Kajsa]

27. It's damn uncomfortable to have plague buildup

on any teeth and excessive buildup leads to tooth loss.

As far as I know, they haven't made dentures for cats.

I've tried brushing my cat's teeth with a kitty toothbrush and paste
from the vet's office.

It would be easier to catch and cuddle up to a porcupine with your bare hands.

Hence, the sedation which requires a blood panel( blood tests) done on any
cat over the age of 5 yrs. prior to the cleaning. That's why the bill is
so high. The blood panel alone is close to $100.00.

She will thank you when it is no longer painful for her to chew.

[LynneSin]

32. Abbott might do that but Evita won't

she doesn't appreciate anything - damn mean cat. But I couldn't imagine life without her

[Magrittes Pipe]

33. Christ.

It'd be cheaper just to get them removed.

[LynneSin]

39. Where the hell have you been

You're like a cold sore - just when you thought it was cleared up, it comes raging back bigger than ever

[Magrittes Pipe]

42. I'm also sexually transmitted.

It's why mom divorced dad.

[tandot]

40. I spend that much on my little dog last month

and a couple $100 more on all kinds of tests and meds.

In the end, they had to pull all of his front teeth (they actually were already loose).

We now call him our little toothless redneck chihuahua. Sometimes his tongue "falls" out of his mouth because nothing is holding it back. Looks kinda cute.

Thank God he still has all of his molars so he can chew his food.

[mockmonkey]

45. We have to take one of our 7 cats in

to have her teeth cleaned too. Too much plaque. I think the estimate was about what you paid. After that we have three cats that need to be fixed, luckily two are males. I can't wait for them to grow out of their kittenhood, they are driving me nuts!:crazy:

[NC_Nurse]

49. Spent $375 on my cat's teeth last year...

they talked my husband into the $95 "senior labs" and she had to have one tooth pulled. Then antibiotics and pain meds.
I was bummed.

[sasquatch]

54. You see you could've avoided this if you let me kill her and trade her to matcom

for Mrs. Matcom and $20.

[Midlodemocrat]

57. Wow! Thank God the e-coli didn't kill you! Otherwise, Evita

would still have kitty breath.


:hide:

[LynneSin]

60. This is NOT normal kitty breath

this is kitty breath that woke me up in the middle of the night because Evita decided to sleep in a spot near my nose.