It shouldn't happen to a vet

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Smpl Mnmlst
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#3329876 10-Jan-2025 08:29

robjg63:

I recall from the last cat we had around 10 years ago, the vet said the better quality dried foods are nutritionally pretty good for them (and the cat loved it), but they can cause quite a lot of mineral build up around the teeth.

I would imagine that eating a more meat/flesh 'natural' based diet is proably better for the teeth - but who wants to be mucking about with meat.

So feed the cat what's easiest for you and don't worry about its teeth? 😀

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eracode

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#3329879 10-Jan-2025 08:43

gzt:

Pet stores sell cat toothpaste etc if you are confident in your household's cat safe wrangling abilities.

Just found this YT video about cleaning cats' teeth at home. This cat is quite relaxed about it.

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thewabbit

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#3329881 10-Jan-2025 08:48

eracode:

Do cats have to be anaesthetised for the cleaning and that accounts for the cost?

Yes, they do. A few years ago we considered getting one of our cats teeth cleaned, and much like OP balked at the cost. Questioned why it was so much and the bulk of the cost comes down to the prep of putting the animal under, monitoring its vitals during the procedure, then monitoring it post procedure as it wakes. The teeth cleaning was a minimal part of the cost.

They also needed to have the cat in for the whole day, not just 'come in at 2.30pm for a half hour visit'. We ended up going down the food route and mixing in dental biscuits with their standard food. It's slow progress, but has worked.

What you're seeing is the true cost of health care, baring in mind it is for animals, but a lot of the medications/drugs/tools/procedures are the same as what happens on us humans, just at a much smaller scale

robjg63

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#3329885 10-Jan-2025 08:56

eracode:

robjg63:

I recall from the last cat we had around 10 years ago, the vet said the better quality dried foods are nutritionally pretty good for them (and the cat loved it), but they can cause quite a lot of mineral build up around the teeth.

I would imagine that eating a more meat/flesh 'natural' based diet is proably better for the teeth - but who wants to be mucking about with meat.

So feed the cat what's easiest for you and don't worry about its teeth? 😀

Sure - dried foods are easier, but the better quality dried foods actually help older cats live longer - they have quite a lot of extra nutrients to help with aging.

The downside being that they might get more build up on their teeth if they arent dead by 5 years old 😶

EDIT: Our old cat was around 19 when she died. I recall the vet that we took her too said she had tartar build up around her teeth. I saw the vet actually flicking some of it off with her thumbnail! (The cat would behave for about 5 seconds before declaring war!).

She said the cat was too old for anesthetic to be safe - so we just left it. That cat (despite her age) always inflicted an injury on what was a very experienced cat vet.

Yes - they need anesthetic!

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

eracode

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#3329887 10-Jan-2025 09:00

thewabbit:

eracode:

Do cats have to be anaesthetised for the cleaning and that accounts for the cost?

Yes, they do. A few years ago we considered getting one of our cats teeth cleaned, and much like OP balked at the cost. Questioned why it was so much and the bulk of the cost comes down to the prep of putting the animal under, monitoring its vitals during the procedure, then monitoring it post procedure as it wakes. The teeth cleaning was a minimal part of the cost.

They also needed to have the cat in for the whole day, not just 'come in at 2.30pm for a half hour visit'. We ended up going down the food route and mixing in dental biscuits with their standard food. It's slow progress, but has worked.

In that case, $1,000 isn’t unreasonable at all. Wonder if OP is aware that the cat has to be anaesthetised - if it hasn’t been done before.

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Rikkitic

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#3329888 10-Jan-2025 09:07

I had another cat groomed at the same place and it had to be sedated for that. I'm not sure what the difference if any is, but the cost of that was not unreasonable. It sure wasn't anywhere close to a thousand.

I have become a fan of Bondi Vet, as may be apparent from my original post, so I have some sense of the procedures involved. I just wasn't prepared for a cost that high. I am still trying to decide what to do. Although I was and am shocked by the cost estimate, I guess my main issue is just with the way things are set up, which makes it difficult to just have a conversation with the vets about the procedure. If I'm to pay that much, it would be nice to be able to ask someone why rather than just having it dropped on me. I want to be informed about this before I have to make a decision.

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boosacnoodle

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#3329891 10-Jan-2025 09:19

Somewhat OT but your communication / customer experience with your Vet sounds like my doctors.

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robjg63

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#3329899 10-Jan-2025 09:51

Rikkitic:

I had another cat groomed at the same place and it had to be sedated for that. I'm not sure what the difference if any is, but the cost of that was not unreasonable. It sure wasn't anywhere close to a thousand.

I have become a fan of Bondi Vet, as may be apparent from my original post, so I have some sense of the procedures involved. I just wasn't prepared for a cost that high. I am still trying to decide what to do. Although I was and am shocked by the cost estimate, I guess my main issue is just with the way things are set up, which makes it difficult to just have a conversation with the vets about the procedure. If I'm to pay that much, it would be nice to be able to ask someone why rather than just having it dropped on me. I want to be informed about this before I have to make a decision.

Sedating would be just something to calm the cat - a shot of Valium. Cat thinks happy thoughts and is 'drunk'.

To clean the teeth, they would have to put it completely unconcious - a drip, breathing gear and monitoring vitals.

So an extra person to keep an eye on the vitals while the vet does the dentist work.

Then (just like people), there is a bit of a recovery period and monitoring.

Bondi vet has everything edited down to a few minutes - not real time.

I understand your frustration at not being able to discuss first though - that sounds annoying (and odd).

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tdgeek

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#3329910 10-Jan-2025 10:18

Rikkitic:

I will not permit my pets to suffer. But I don't want to feed an excessively greedy corporate system either. We pay too much for everything in this country.

Many years ago, our Company Secretary told me that a vet is a license to print money. People often forego a doctor or dentist visit, but they don't forego a vet visit for the pet

Paul1977

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#3329917 10-Jan-2025 10:32

Back in the old days (think 80s and 90s) the vet would just get a good grip on the cat and scrape the tartar off with some sort of dental implement. Was my parents cat and as even as a kid I remember thinking it looked a bit rough, but it didn't do the cat any harm and they were fine once home. Not as thorough I'm sure, but they did it as part of a regular checkup. Gone are those days unfortunately.

We have spent an absolute fortune on our current cat's teeth over the years, but $1000 for a clean sounds on the high end to me unless they know they are definitely extracting teeth as well. But probably not crazy high based on experience though.

The last dental adventure for our cat cost almost $2700 all up. But that was multiple visits, antibiotics, x-rays, and finally extracting 6 teeth (2 of them being the lower incisors, at least one of which was abscessed, and both requiring stitches) and a clean of the remaining ones (I think he only has about 3 left). The anaesthesia, IV fluids, cleaning, and extraction portion was $2080 (with the incisor extractions presumably being more costly that the others).

cddt

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#3329999 10-Jan-2025 13:00

You would have to pay me much more than a thousand dollars to clean a cat's teeth...

Cost inflation and price gouging, we've seen a lot of that since covid in particular.

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tdgeek

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#3330004 10-Jan-2025 13:07

cddt:

You would have to pay me much more than a thousand dollars to clean a cat's teeth...

Cost inflation and price gouging, we've seen a lot of that since covid in particular.

I think they call it greedflation. There is inflation, we don't need to raise prices but we will as people won't be surprised, and borderline expect it. Easy $

ezbee

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#3330037 10-Jan-2025 15:41

It is an area that 'supprisingly' we do not train enough people for.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/country/525761/shortages-in-vet-sector-hitting-rural-areas-the-hardest

I seem to remember itinerant vets being a problem in the pandemic, as we rely on gypsy vets now.

Though I did know someone in the vetenary supplies trade some time back, who noted their margins were astounding.
So some expenses maybe quite high too?

If you are at/beyond limits of your capabilities to handle work, you are probably going to increase your charges to mange workload.

Story indicates an aging industry where people are leaving due to workload?

eracode

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#3330050 10-Jan-2025 16:36

ezbee:

…

If you are at/beyond limits of your capabilities to handle work, you are probably going to increase your charges to mange workload.

Freudian slip or typo? 😀

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mattwnz

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#3330052 10-Jan-2025 16:50

cddt:

You would have to pay me much more than a thousand dollars to clean a cat's teeth...

Cost inflation and price gouging, we've seen a lot of that since covid in particular.

It would depend on the temperament of the cat and whether it is used to it. Maybe they price based on the worst cat. I know some cats hate to have their claws trimmed, while mine likes it.

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