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| Harley taken by her special little person Izzy |
When Harley was a year old
and went in for her annual check-up, our vet found her back teeth covered in
tartar and her gums very red. She was taken in for a dental clean up and
fortunately kept all her teeth.
She was tested for
Calicivirus, but it came back negative. Apparently the tests can give a false
negative, so it’s still a possibility that she had the virus before we got her.
Or it could be a genetic problem.
We know that she had a bad
start in life. She was dumped along with her brother over the sea wall onto the
beach when she was very young. Fortunately someone saw it happen and was able
to rescue them.
Those people who threw her away like rubbish have no idea what they're missing. She's such a sweet-natured and kind little cat and she has a very special bond with my almost-8-year-old granddaughter Izzy (even if she does wake her up taking photos of her!).
She was expected to have to
have a dental clean up every year, but at every six month check-up she hasn’t
needed one – until this time. The vet thought she might lose one or possibly
two teeth, but said she wouldn’t know until the teeth had been cleaned.
She had to have four out.
That was a shock. I didn’t think her teeth looked as bad as they had that first
time and that she’d just need a clean-up.
As she dislikes soft food in
any shape or form, I had to soften her kibble with warm water. She had to have
antibiotic capsules twice a day and a squirt of Metacam, an anti-inflammatory.
She is so good taking her medicine.
Since the problem was first
found two years ago, she’s had special food for oral health and a sprinkle of
Plaque Off on her food.
I took her for her post-op
check on Saturday and they were very pleased with how well her gums have healed
already. It’s very sad and frustrating to think this is an ongoing problem and
that she will probably lose more teeth no matter what we do.
But she is a happy and
content little cat and now those teeth have gone, probably a much more
comfortable little cat!
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| Blissful Sleep |
Oh what a nuciance for Harley and you can tell how much Izzy loves her by the beautiful photo's she's taking. No teeth is better than the ending those bullies had planned though. Lovely post:)) xx
ReplyDeleteThank you, Suzy - she does have a knack for taking a good photo! :-) xx
DeleteWell she certainly looks very content and pain free to me! My two cats used to have Iams that was meant to help with their gums but not easy to eat without good teeth!
ReplyDeleteThe dental food she has is big, but she never had any problem munching it up which was why I thought she'd just need a clean up and no extractions. She must have been sore though.
DeleteI have every sympathy with Harley as I hate dentists too. She is definitely in the best hands.
ReplyDeleteI hate dentists too and I know I'd have made much more fuss than she did!
DeleteOh, poor Harley. Hopefully she'll be a much more comfortable little cat now. Bob has lost several of his teeth now, poor old chap.
ReplyDeletePoor old Bob. I've only ever had one cat before that needed a couple of teeth out and that was when he was getting on like Bob - all this has been quite an eye opener about the damage that can be done so early in life.
DeletePoor Harley going through all that but she does look very contented and sweet. Love the photo Izzy took!
ReplyDeleteShe is a little sweetie - I've never known her be cross or out of sorts about anything, even when other cats come in the garden and threaten her she hides and waits for Dusty to come to the rescue!
DeletePoor Harley, just glad she has you now, Teresa. x
ReplyDeleteLovely photos too.
Sadly her life before you took her into your family could have contributed to her teeth problems. Hope there's no more dental work needed for a long time.
I'm glad we have her :-) We have fingers and paws crossed she doesn't need any more dental work for a while.
DeleteAh, bless her, but happy as you say. One of my childhood dogs was thrown from a car in front of us and practically landed on my lap. Bess was just a puppy then and we had her for twelve more years. Some people are heartless, or misguided. Flossie is having ear drops at the moment and both dogs are area on Apoquel - we do love pour pets don't we? Hope Harley's teeth stay put for a while. X
ReplyDeleteThank goodness you were there when it happened. Poor Bess, but I'm so glad she ended up with you in a loving home. People can be so awful. Hope Flossie's ears are soon better, I hadn't heard of Apoquel xx
DeleteMe neither - an expensive anti inflammatory I think. X
DeleteWhat a shame about her teeth, Teresa, but she must be so much more comfortable now. And how gorgeous she is, and so contented. And also how lucky she was rescued and has such loving owners. It's impossible to imagine how anyone can just dump such beautiful little kittens. xxx
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to imagine how anyone could do such a thing isn't it, Joanna xx
DeleteIt's bad luck for her about the teeth, but good luck that she has you to ensure she gets the treatment she needs and isn't left in pain.
ReplyDeleteI often wonder what sort of awful life she would have had if the sort of people willing to throw her away had decided to keep her, Patsy.
DeleteIt is really cute and charming i am expecting more thing from your blog so please say about teeth problems for human too.
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I think you're more likely to know about human dental problems than I am :-)
DeleteWell Teresa, you never fail to amaze me. You are so very kind and caring towards your animals, if only everyone was like you. They really don't know how lucky they are...
ReplyDeleteDo hope the tooth thing settles for Harley, I am off to the dentist in the morning. I cracked a tooth last week, and a huge chunk fell into my mouth!
Oh no, I hope you're not in too much pain with it, Maria - and that you can get it fixed/sorted tomorrow.
DeleteI had never thought about animals having problems with teeth, I always used to think how difficult it must have been for humans in the days before dentistry, but I never thought about cats. I'm glad you were able to tackle the problem for her.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of young cats having problems like this, Jenny. Since I've been reading about it, I've found out that some eventually lose all their teeth, so I hope it never gets that bad for Harley.
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