Friday, May 27, 2022

Fewer Teeth, Less Discomfort


Renn’s surgery was a success, but it was more complicated than expected.


With the assistance of an x-ray, numerous teeth were found that were being resorbed, crumbling away and soon to be big problems for my big boy. Aside from the tooth that needed removing, six other teeth were taken out. As well, a tooth at some point in the past seems to have broken off from the a root, which was jagged. The gum had healed over it but it must have been uncomfortable at best. That too was extracted. I feel very bad that I didn’t have these seen to earlier, but without an x-ray, most of the problem-teeth were impossible to find.


Yesterday afternoon, Renn came home and wanted to eat. I like to feed a cat at such a time because he needs the nutrition, after having been starved since the night before, and the pain-medication that he was given at the hospital is still effective. Moderation must be used, though, so the anaesthetic, still in his body, doesn’t combine with too much food and cause him to throw it all up. Renn ate well, and kept it down.


That will stand him in good stead today, because, this morning, the pain-killer he was given after his surgery has worn off, and he is clearly feeling poorly. I gave him a dose of the medicine with which he was sent home; that will make him feel better for the next twenty-four hours. Even so, he ate very little for breakfast, as his mouth was probably smarting quite a bit. Hopefully, the pain will be dulled enough for him to eat something later today.


I was told by the veterinary technician not to feed Renn hard-food. This is good advice, as particles might get into the wounds left by the surgery, no matter how well they are bound up by sutures. However, Renn prefers hard-food and only licked at the soft-food I provided. I had a feeling about how my big boy would eat and decided to risk the hard-food. Sure enough, he ate a good amount without chewing the kernels. He may not have enough of the right teeth - or teeth placed rightly enough - to chew anymore, so he swallowed the kernels whole. It took him a few minutes to figure out how to do it, but I didn’t hear a single crunch while he ate. Even more rapidly than Tucker, my toothless roly poly, Renn adapted to the new circumstances. Thus, he was able to put something in his stomach, a deposit that will give him some strength while he recovers.


Now, it is a matter of providing pain-relief while he heals. After that, I expect Renn will be in good spirits, with fewer teeth, but less discomfort.

17 comments:

  1. So many bad teeth to go at one time. Poor Renn. But if his appetite holds steady like this, he'll be able to recover sooner.

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  2. Poor love. Derry certainly can relate, having lost 14 or 16 now, I can't recall. Renn will feel so much better in a few days, and we're sending our purrs and purrayers for speedy healing. ❤️

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  3. Huzzah, those awful teeth are gone!
    After the pain and healing are done, Renn will feel better, and hopefully, eat more heartily than previously.
    Cat teeth are so fragile; they shatter too easily.

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  4. Glad that surgery is out of the way. Hoping that Renn isn't in too much pain even with his medication.
    Being a little bit new to the cat world I didn't know cats have fragile teeth. I will keep a close watch on my crew.

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  5. So glad to hear everything went well for Renn and that he is eating. I had such a hard time getting Annabelle to eat anything. I ended up wasting a lot more money trying to find a solution. I was concerned because she had already lost too much before losing the bad teeth and I hated to see her not eating. Of course our teeth experience was exacerbated by the fiasco with the Vet who didn't give us the right pain meds. :(

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    1. Don't be afraid to ask what others find satisfactory for pain-medicine and to tell your vet that that's what you want for Annabelle or Boo, if the occasion arises. I hope Annabelle's bad days are behind her.

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  6. I am so glad Renn's very hard time is over for him and that he is back with you and his siblings. Extra glad he is eating his morsels and tossing them back without chewing for now. Bless you, Renn. Be comfy on bed and sleep with Dad every night.

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  7. Ah! Bless him..!x At least he's managed to eat,
    and keep it down, he'll right as rain in no time..!x

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  8. I am glad the dental surgery went well and hope Renn heals well. He will feel so much better without those teeth.

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  9. We are glad Renn got through his dental work - and glad that they found other problems and took care of them right there. He should feel better soon !

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  10. What great news to hear that Renn is doing well and that he is over his dental procedure. Once his mouth heals and he feels better, I'm sure his appetite will increase. As you noted with Tucker, cats can do very well with only a few teeth. (My Joey only has his 4 canines, and he eats hard food and treats without any problem.)

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  11. st francis blessingz two ewe dood with hopez ewe see thiz commint
    de gurl noe longer haz werk, noe mor sneekin round blogland for
    free. de eye padz takin a month oh sundayz ta load. hope ewe iz
    way better two day💜❤️

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  12. Poor Renn, but I'm glad he is doing okay. Brian lost 15 of his teeth to resorbtion so we know what it is like.

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  13. Poor Renn, but better to get all the problems out at once. You might want to ask the vet about mirilax to keep his stools moving as pain meds are constipating. And once the get constipated, they won't eat- that has happened to a lot of my cats over the years.
    Please tell him his Tooth Fairy gift is getting mailed this morning.

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  14. All those extractions at once! Poor Renn, all those bad teeth must have given him a miserable time. I hope he's feeling much better by now.

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  15. Ouch. Glad that is over and it seems Renn is well on the road to a good recovery.
    POTP to you dear Renn!

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  16. Hope you're feeling all better soon Renn!

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