Kitten Has Stomatitis

Kitten (just about 1 yo) was diagnosed with really inflamed stomatitis. Case is quiet severe. We did not notice this while brushing her teeth as her front teeth are fine but both left and right side of inner mouth top and bottom are completely inflamed.

She has never shown us that she was in pain or had trouble eating so this was a shock to us

Vet gave us 2 options of medication or teeth extraction. But she mentioned medication is only temporary and might not help her case and that extraction would be the permanent solution

The Vet quoted us around 2400$. Is this the average cost for full extraction of teeth on a kitten?

We don't have pet insurance (didn't think we needed it this early) but the cost is something we can pay.

Comments

  • What's the question?

    Yes, $2400 sounds right.

    • It's in the middle. Sorry. Was asking if the cost was an average price

      Edit: thanks, just can't find anything online and one site I did find says they charge 750 for full mouth extraction which might be a dodgey vet

      • I'd still shop around. It sounds right from a per tooth basis (based of my dogs) but seeing as how it's a kitten and there's multiple, the cost of anaesthesia should be roughly the same and the difficulty of removal should be close to 1/10 since infantile bones are soft hence teeth removal should be a cake walk.

        • May I ask who you did your dog with? If it was a Sydney vet.

          • @Zabuza: Melbourne.

        • difficulty of removal should be close to 1/10 since infantile bones are soft hence teeth removal should be a cake walk.

          It's the opposite. Physically easier, but much more delicate. Kitten teeth are narrow and brittle. A little pressure the wrong way, and you'll shatter the crown. Then you'll have to remove gingiva to expose the root for complete extraction.

          OP, I also suggest shopping around. Get a quote from a teaching hospital like USYD in Camperdown. Depending on the education value, you might get a nice discount.

  • -4

    Or spend only $100 for a new kitten.

    • +5

      Ye, no thanks. To you they might be disposable. But not everyone thinks like that

      • -1

        I apologise. I didn't mean to say kittens are disposable, merely replaceable.

        • +1

          Oh boy.

    • That's cold man…

  • +4

    WTF? $2,400 for teeth extraction on a cat? Jeezus…

    If you can afford it, then why are you asking? Seems like your vet knows you can afford it and are pricing it accordingly… Try a different suburb perhaps? One where the vet doesn’t drive a top of the line AMG Benz…

    • I don't think I gave off signs that we could afford. But yes I did say we could cover the amount but it would put us on a tight budget for at least 2-3 months

      I'm trying to avoid the consultation fees vet charge just to find out the cost of the surgery. Can't find anything online so just asking around hopefully some people have done this and this supposed disease is common and teeth extraction is a common procedure to cure this

    • +1

      You know vets earn very little compared to a medical doctor right?

      OP, First of all, I would get a second opinion. Call another vet in your area and maybe one outside your suburb and ask to speak with the vet or have him/her call you after they’ve finished their consulting for the day. It seems like a big deal having its teeth removed at such a young age, They might want to see your cat but they will be sympathetic about you trying to avoid consulting fees and will help you where they can.

      I don’t think you’ve saved anything by not getting pet insurance. You are better off putting $50 a month aside for emergencies.

      • -1

        You know vets earn very little compared to a medical doctor right?

        How is this relevant?

  • +4

    Hold on, back that truck up… you’re brushing your cat’s teeth? You’ve got way too much time on your hands.

    • +3

      We do, 1-2 times a week plus giving her chicken wings to chew on.

      Too much time? I don't see how 5-10mins of your time a week is too much time on our hands.

      • -2

        That’s just weird

  • Poor little kitty. How old is she? Is the vet only removing the baby molars and pre-molars or is it a full mouth extraction? Either way, $2400 doesn't sound that bad.

    The cause of stomatitis is usually immune mediated, and while removing the teeth can help control periodontal disease and minimise the bacteria that provoke the immune system, most cats will still require long-term treatment with anti-inflammatory medications (and antibiotics intermittently) to control the condition :(

    • +1

      Shes just about to hit 1 YO, we are hoping this is not the case as the vet mentioned this was the Gold standard for this condition

      The cost was for the full mouth extraction although she mentioned the front teeth may not need to be extracted. We will need to wait for the blood test and the FIV / FELV blood test results before we decide what position we want to go on (full mouth or just sides) :(

      It's hard to find info online for costs in aus. Seems like the average cost by reading the first poster and yours. I will search vets on google and call up the best reviewed one and ask for a free consultation to talk about it.

      • The one good news is that cats do quite well without teeth :)

  • +1

    Definitely ask around for a good and affordable vet. Is there a Facebook community notice board for your area? Such group is usually great for local advice and recommendation.

    My dog needed medical treatment once. The charge for the four hours that he spent at the first vet (in a city area) was more than the four full days that he spent that the second vet (in a country town).

    The second vet said that it would cost about $500 for cleaning of a dog's teeth. That included $300 or so for anaesthesia.

    If you are happy to travel as far as Canberra, I can give you some recommendations :). The vets that I go to are generally happy to give me a rough figure over the phone, and the actual charge wasn't too far off.

  • Most pet insurance does not cover dental.

  • I’d try a cat only clinic if there’s one in your area. I’ve encountered many vets whose knowledge about cats are outdated and limited to what they learned from textbooks. I also recommend holistic vets.

  • Years ago (before the internet LOL), I had a cat that had a very severe cases of stomatitis. It was a rescue cat, very wild, quite old, took me months to catch/tame it. Had a very committed vet, who would even visit the university library (remember this was pre-internet) to look for different treatments for my cat. My cat's mouth had a terrible smell and was very inflammed and sore.

    We eventually did the operation, removed all teeth (was quite cheap in those days, I didn't pay over $200).

    But no, it did not cure the stomatitis.

    The gum infection did not go away after removing all the teeth. The vet even xrayed to make sure everything was out.

    So I would do a LOT more research before going down the tooth removal route. It does not always work and certainly didn't for my cat.

    I would give medication a good go first. My cat was old, lived an extremely hard life before it got to me, so it's immune system would not good, you'd think a younger kitten would do better.

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