Another question I see posted frequently is whether the caregiver should get a dental for their cat that is older and/or has health concerns. My answer is generally a resounding YES.
If it were my cat, I would get the teeth cleaned. In my opinion, dental problems exacerbate (and may even create) other issues such as pain (causing stress and impairing healing), infection (bacteria damaging/stressing kidneys), etc.
I had two major dental surgeries performed last year on my then 18 year old, Omaha. I feel he benefited. I’ve had dentals performed on cats with CRF and/or IBD. Latifah had a full mouth extraction, though she suffered from IBD, pancreatitis, and diabetes. I had a dental performed on Ralph before he’d recovered from his IBD, anemia, ringworm, or heart murmur.
I like the idea of starting antibiotics a couple of days before the dental, so they get a head start on the bacteria released during cleaning. I personally generally get gas anesthesia and/or the newer reversible injectable, propofol. I believe these anesthesias are cleared via respiration, not through the kidneys.
It’s absolutely a risk (and I don’t feel it’s a big risk) I would take. I’m a firm believe in quality of life, and I feel pain always hampers quality of life. When I’m 80 years old with health issues, I hope I still get dental work done. I can’t stand having tooth pain.
