Quote Originally Posted by mrspunkysmom
I will ask about the cleaning. I think the infection was the first concern. His teeth are very yellow in the back and the gums were red. I cannot tell if there was build-up of plaque. Perhaps when I go back, he will look at them again and try to remove some of the plaque.

I'll remove the back teeth before I let him get sick and die, but if a cleaning every few years solves the problem, that would work also.

He said it depends upon the cat. Spunky, who has numerous problems, has excellent teeth. Now was for his four left feet.....

Yellow stuff could be either tartar (which requires a dentistry) or plaque (which can still be brushed off). A properly done dentistry requires your pet have light anesthesia and the tartar is scraped off very similar to a human.

Yes the infection probably would be the first concern. I've seen my boss many times have to prescribe an antibiotic for a week prior to a dentistry, I think sometimes it's to reduce the inflammation so he can get the gumline cleaned when doing a dentistry since that's where the bacteria get into the bloodstream.

Every pet is different when it comes to needing teeth cleaned (food can make a difference but genetics plays a huge part in all of it). Dusty was 17 when she passed, she'd only had 2 dentistries in her life; one at 13 and one at 15 years old. Jack had to have one done at 1 1/2 years and 3 years but hasn't needed one since (he's 7 1/2 now). Pooky & Bear (brothers) have only had one dentistry done this winter at 4 1/2 yrs old. Cami has yet to need one (she's 2 1/2). And the little ones (Sassy, Sabrina, Josh) are only 11 months old and have beautiful teeth yet. All my cats are fed basically the same foods, save for different lifestages (senior, adult, kitten).

Can't think of a thing to help 4 left feet though. If you ever find a solution to that, let me know, Pooky has a classic case of it! ROFL