Baby Teeth

I've got to stop taking Baby to the vet. I've only had her for a couple months, but every time she sees the vet she ages another year or two.

On Halloween when I first went to see her at the animal shelter, they told me she was two years old and had had two previous owners. I took her for her first vet appointment a couple weeks later. When the doctor looked at the severe tartar build-up on Baby's teeth, she told me that there was no way Baby could be just two; she had to be at least three or four years old.

So this week I took Baby back to the vet to have her teeth cleaned. ($450!) Bad news - her teeth and gums are not in great shape. Her gums are receding pretty badly, and she suffers from periodontal disease. One tooth was cracked, and she winced even under deep anasthesia, meaning Baby had to have been in some pain before I took her in. That tooth and another had to be ground out. This time, the vet told me that, with that kind of damage, she has to be at least five years old.

So my previously "baby" Baby is now much more an adult. She is home with me now, on antibiotics and pain-killers for a week. Dental disease in cats is pretty serious. With Martin, I never had his teeth cleaned because he didn't have any serious problems. And was was 14 years old.

Although Baby's problems are likely genetic, it's pretty obvious that Baby's previous owners fed her a lot of cheap canned cat food and didn't take care of her teeth. It took me a while to get her onto her dried food. She still gets canned food, but it's more of a daily evening treat for her. Also, she had unbearably bad breath. And, as it turns out, bad breath can be a symptom of dental disease in cats.

So, in the end, I'm glad I spent the money to have it done.