Image: Coquet Vets, 2024
Homer is a 17-year-old male cat who came to us for a microchip, as the new law is coming into place on 10th of June 2024.
‘All owners must have their cat microchipped by 10 June 2024 and owners found not to have microchipped their cat will have 21 days to have one implanted, or may face a fine of up to £500.’ - www.gov.uk
Homer was checked over by one of our Veterinary Nurses, Rosie, who noticed he had severe dental disease. Homer was eating and drinking fine at home and showed no signs of dental issues.
An appointment was booked for him to come in for a dental procedure. He had a full clinical examination by our Vet, Emily, and due to him being a geriatric patient, Emily recommended in-house bloods to check his liver, kidney, and thyroid parameters, as well as a haematology to check his red and white blood cell count.
Homer’s bloods came back within normal ranges, so we proceeded with his dental procedure. He had a full general anaesthetic and full mouth radiographs. Radiographs are very important, as you cannot see what is under the gumline with the naked eye. Cats especially get a very common dental issue called ‘Tooth Resorption Lesions’. It is a process by which the dentin (a hard tissue that lies beneath the enamel of the tooth) erodes and eventually becomes irreversibly destroyed. See our resorptive lesion article for more details.
Homer had a large build-up of plaque, which had to be cracked off as we could not see the teeth underneath. He had four teeth removed, and his whole mouth was scaled and polished.
Homer was kept in for the rest of the day to be monitored by one of our Veterinary Nurses, and he was also given post operative pain relief and offered wet food. Homer went home with more pain relief and a home care plan for the owner. Five to seven days after a dental procedure, we always see our patients for a postoperative consultation to check if the mouth has healed.
We offer free dental checks with our Veterinary Surgeons for all our clients, so please call us on 01665 252 250 if you would like to make an appointment for your pet.
