Hi, I’m Dr. Karyn! Read my presentation to learn more about me and meet my five hilarious cats: Clutch, Cyril, Alex, Zelda and Zazzles.
This probably seems like a stupid question, right? Of course, cats need teeth!
But what would happen if they didn’t have one? Well, that’s a question I faced about my special little man, Clutch, five years ago.
We know nothing of Clutch’s childhood; he was about a year old when he was brought to my vet office, skinny, mangy, and in need of some attention after dumping on his own in a mall parking lot for several months. When no one came forward to claim him, I found myself falling in love with this confident, sassy, affectionate man. After neutering and chipping him, he came home to me, where he stayed for over nine years. Among the many things that were unique about Clutch was his cheesy little smile. Her mouth was open just a few millimeters, just enough to peek at her little fangs and incisors, and it was adorable. There was no obvious cause for this discrepancy, and he certainly had no difficulty swallowing food.
After about four years, I noticed he was starting to look a little sad and wasn’t eating as enthusiastically, which led me to look closely at his mouth. What I discovered was that the gums around most of his teeth at the front of his mouth looked red and inflamed, and his four canines (fangs) were a little wobbly. It appeared that over time, the constant exposure of his gums to air had caused inflammation and weakening of the tooth roots.
Because of the way the gums had been affected and because he was in pain, there was no choice but to have him go to the dentist and have all the affected teeth extracted, i.e. -say most of them. It sounds really horrible, I know, but it was a procedure I had performed dozens of times on cats with serious dental disease, and I knew how well they did after having it removed the teeth. I knew Clutch would be able to eat without his teeth, I knew he was fit and healthy so the risk of anesthesia was minimal, and I knew it was the best way to treat his sore mouth .
I knew all this. I am a veterinarian after all, a professional. So why did my partner find me in tears, completely inconsolable, at 11pm the day before his surgery?
Dr. Karyn, the veterinarian, is a completely different person from Karyn, the pet owner.
The conversation went a little like this:
Reece: What’s wrong? I thought he was just having his teeth pulled?
Me: He is.
Reece: But you do this all the time. He will be fine! He will be better without them.
Me: I know it.
Reece: You know better than anyone that he’ll be fine.
Me: Yes, I know that too.
Receipt: ?
Me, I do not know ! It’s just different when it’s yours! What if he’s not well? What if he was the rare case who didn’t wake up after anesthesia? What if he can’t eat?
I found myself plagued by all of the worries and concerns that I usually help my clients deal with, unable to listen to my own advice.
I was completely unprepared for the wave of emotions that hit me and I realized that when it comes to caring for my own pet, logic and objectivity are key and taking a bus to the next county. This is why doctors and veterinarians should never operate on a loved one, and I was happy to have asked a colleague to perform Clutch’s dental work.
As you can probably guess, Clutch’s surgery went smoothly. His pre-anesthetic bloods were perfect, his anesthesia went smoothly and the problem teeth came out with very little resistance, confirming that they really needed to be extracted. He got up very quickly, meowing loudly about his very empty stomach. Which brings me to our original question: Cats need teeth, right?
Clutch’s new and improved toothless appetite
One of the most common observations I hear from owners after their cat or dog has had a dental exam is how much better their pet is eating.
“We didn’t realize how much his teeth were affecting him,” is a common comment.
“She looks happier than she has in months!” is another.
Indeed, most of the time, if an animal’s teeth are causing them pain or discomfort, this has usually been going on for much longer than we think. Cats in particular are very good at masking pain; you just have to keep going until it becomes too difficult for them to continue acting. This doesn’t make us bad pet parents, but it does mean that if our cat starts showing signs of dental problems, we need to take it seriously. If it’s bad enough that they can’t cover it up, it’s usually bad enough to require surgery.
So when you remove the source of that pain, the results are often dramatic and almost instantaneous.
I had prepared a stash of Clutch’s favorite roast chicken as a recovery treat, cut into small pieces that could be swallowed whole. Many people think that pasty, liquid food is best after a dental session, but it is more likely to get stuck in the spaces left by extracted tooth roots; soft bits are the way to go. And boy, did they go!
I think if I had filled his chicken bowl to the brim, it would have disappeared in an instant. Clutch attacked every morsel I threw at him with the ferocity of a hungry velociraptor, and I was grateful he no longer had those sharp fangs! In a few days, he had regained his lively and energetic character of six months ago. After a week his gums had completely healed and after two weeks he had gained ten ounces. And, like any other pet owner, I said to myself: He is happier than he has been in months!
Clutch ❤️ Chicken (and pretty much everything else!)
Clutch was a big fan of cooked chicken before his dental treatment, but now he was obsessed. No more tiny pieces; he would grab large pieces and munch on them until there was nothing left. It was eat dry kibble also – he still has a few molars in the back for chewing, but most of the time cats still swallow the pieces whole. But it was the way he used his gums like teeth that was most impressive!
The other cats in our house, all with toothy mouths and healthy gums, still refuse to eat chicken unless it has been shredded. In the meantime, I’m sure that, given the chance, Clutch would plunge his lack of teeth into a whole roast chicken. In fact, the other night he tried to run off with a whole pork chop! He’s also known for biting off the end of a slice of pizza, nibbling on a fallen corn chip, and the other day he managed to steal part of a pancake! We’ve learned to be extra vigilant when Clutch and food are in the same room, but I have to admit that his desperate attempts to snatch treats and climb into the refrigerator are quite amusing.
But cats need teeth, right?
Of course they do, and dental health and hygiene is an essential part of caring for your feline companions. Being able to check your cat’s teeth and observe how they pick up, chew and swallow their food are simple and effective ways to monitor their dental health. In addition to this, asking your veterinarian for a dental check-up every six to twelve months can help identify and treat problems before they get worse.
However, there are certain conditions and situations in which cats need to have multiple teeth removed; sometimes all. If you find yourself in this situation, it’s completely normal to feel stressed, worried and emotional – I’ve been there! But you should also know that if your cat’s teeth are in bad enough shape that they need to come out, you can almost guarantee that he will feel 100% better once they are gone. And once the gums have healed and hardened, they can perform as well as teeth, maybe even better – just ask Clutch!