It's Caturday! Let's Talk Teeth

This may sound completely crazy, but brushing your cat's teeth is a really good idea. I know, right? But seriously, how many elderly cats have you known that didn't have some sort of horrible dental issue? That bad breath? That means bad teeth. Bad teeth means a constant stream of bacteria assaulting your poor kitty, stressing their kidneys and making them feel icky all the time. I've known some older cats that had to have all their teeth removed, and were much happier afterwards.

The Hellions like windowsills. Especially windowsills full of breakable things.

Fortunately, most cats don't need to become toothless wonders. This is fortunate, because pet dental surgery costs an absolute fortune. How can you save yourself a thousand bucks in vet bills? By brushing your cat's teeth.

How do you talk your cat into letting you come anywhere near them with a toothbrush? (Actually my cats are incredibly stupid and somehow continue to suspect nothing despite having their teeth brushed on a near-daily basis.) Cornell University put together a really neat series of videos on how to introduce your cat to the concept, and work all the way up to brushing their teeth with a weird little pointy toothbrush.

A Briz-Face Update

We went to see our favorite vet today, and she poked around at Brisbane's face and said the bump was very likely a tooth abscess. However, she couldn't rule out cancer without tests. She decided that the most cost-effective test would be a two-week course of a type of antibiotics that target abscesses well. From there, one of three things will happen.

Brisbane and Sisci hunting gophers, just because.

1. The bump will go away for good.

If this happens we will know it was an abscess that resolved with conservative treatment.

2. The bump will go away temporarily, and then come back.

If this happens, we will know it is a dental abscess that did not resolve with conservative treatment, and Brisbane will need a full round of x-rays and a tooth extraction.

3. The bump will stay the same.

If this happens, we will know that the bump is not an abscess and can begin doing biopsies to figure out what exactly it is and how to treat it, without having spent a ton of money on unnecessary dental care.

So now we wait and see what happens. Ideally the bump will go away forever, but I think we can handle a dental extraction if necessary. Brisbane has lovely clean teeth, but I guess sometimes the roots of a tooth can just go bad.

Vet Time: My Dog Has a Bump On His Cheek

Brisbane has a big bump on his cheek, and it's probably an abscessed tooth. Poor Briz! At first I was worried it could be cancer, but several of my internet friends have suggested that it looks like an abscessed carnassial tooth. Those are the biggest back teeth in the upper jaw. Of course we're going to the vet later today. I noticed the bump on Friday night, when all veterinary issues arise around here, but Brisbane's doctor doesn't think this is an emergency situation so we're waiting for an available appointment.

What are the Symptoms?

The bump on Brisbane's face is very hard, it feels just like the other side of his face except for the shape. It doesn't feel warm to the touch, and he doesn't mind me poking at it so it doesn't seem to be causing him pain. He is still gnawing bully sticks happily on both sides of his mouth and basically acts like he is fine.

The bump has actually been there for about two weeks, but it has been slowly growing and wasn't big enough for me to really identify it as a problem until Friday. I didn't think it was an abscess at first because it isn't hot or painful. Brisbane actually has beautiful clean teeth, another reason I didn't suspect an abscess.

Is this an Emergency?

According to my vet, the probable-abscess is an urgent problem, but not an actual emergency. As long as Brisbane is eating normally, drinking normally, and breathing normally, he can wait a few days for an appointment with his regular vet. Given his various health issues, I'm comfortable waiting to see the doctor who knows him best. I did call the clinic that did Ru's dental a few months ago, but they were unable to see Briz before today either.

Paw Spa: PetzLife Oral Care Gel

PetzLife Oral Care Gel is a product designed to break down tartar without the need for brushing. It is made from grapefruit seed extract, grape seed extract, peppermint oil, neem oil, and thyme oil. The product is peppermint-flavored and intended to be applied twice a day to break down nasty tooth crud.

Doggy Dental Care

My dogs have pretty clean teeth, mostly thanks to raw bones. Ru did need a veterinary dental earlier this year because of his super-crooked tiny incisors, but despite being rotten the teeth were still quite clean. Brisbane's look amazing for a ten year old dog, and Sisci's haven't had the chance to develop any tartar yet.

I brush Ru's teeth every night with a Sonicare electric toothbrush because chihuahuas have notoriously bad teeth. Also because he is tiny and easy to hold down. The cattledogs are pretty leery of the noisy toothbrush, but I still rub some enzymatic toothpaste on their teeth every day or so. They also happily chew raw bones of all sorts, which does wonders for their teeth.

So Why PetzLife? 

I bought this bottle of PetzLife ORal Care Gel on the recommendation of several of my internet friends. Several of them had tried it and reported that they could brush or scrape the discoloration off their dogs' teeth with their fingernails within a few weeks of using PetzLife. The product website has lots of before and after pictures of fairly yucky-looking dog mouths that do look improved, sometimes after only two weeks.

My thought is that I don't really have anything to lose here. If the product doesn't work at all, nothing will happen. It says it can be used by humans and I haven't found any online reviews about sick pets. If it does work, my dogs will have yet another thing to help keep their mouths healthy.

Does It Work?

Though I've had the bottle for a few months now, I haven't used it consistently because my dogs hate it. I think it's the taste, the stuff is super minty and has a bit of alcohol in the base so I'm sure it tastes vile. If the cattledogs see me pick up the bottle they hide, so I have to sneak up on them. I keep it by the door so I can use it on them right before when leave the house, after I've put on their leashes so they can no longer escape.

My dogs all have pretty darned clean teeth, but the cats are another story. James and Solstice, my seven-year-old littermate cats, have lovely white fangs. I thought this meant they had clean teeth until this evening when it occurred to me to pry their whiskery faces open and look at their molars. They both have pretty big hunks of tartar on their back teeth, and their gums are a bit red. I smeared some PetzLife gel on their teeth, which they both hated. 

Fortunately my cats are unbelievably stupid, so they are unlikely to catch on and should be easy to test the PetzLife gel on. I just started this evening, and I will report back if and when I notice any changes. 

Product Review: Kong Dental

The Kong Dental is a durable rubber toy with ridges for cleaning teeth. It is hollow and stuffable, and comes in Large and Extra Large sizes.

Photo by Erin Koski

This is currently our oldest Kong, I bought it way back when Brisbane was only a couple of years old and eating premade ground raw food. I used to stuff his meals in sterilized marrow bones, but those were too difficult to clean so I switched to durable rubber toys. This one is amazing because it has an enormous capacity inside, and ours is the smaller of the two sizes. I can stuff it with half a pound of raw meat, or enough peanut butter to make Brisbane puke peanut butter all over the house. That's a feature.

Photo by Erin Koski 

We have large and extra large Classic Kongs, and those are big enough that Briz and Uly can't empty them all the way out. I always end up having to scrub that last bit of peanut butter or sweet potato out of the ends. This Kong doesn't have that problem because both sides are open. The dogs do most of the work so I don't have to scrub it every time I find it under the couch. This Kong went through the dishwasher regularly back when we lived in a house with a dishwasher.

Photo by Erin Koski

Pros: Large capacity with easy access for dogs who can't quite lick all the way to the bottom of a Kong-shaped Kong. Easy-to-carry dumbell shape for throwing and fetching fun. Hella durable, this one has survived at least seven years of relentless dishwashing, freezing, and gnawing.

Cons: Doesn't actually clean teeth. Maybe it would work that way if my dogs were both big enough and inclined to gnaw it like a bone? Doesn't come in ultra-tough black or x-ray opaque blue, only red.

Bottom Line: Definitely a valued part of our Kong collection.