7/4 Binx AMPS 169 - Dental Day | Feline Diabetes Management Board

7/4 Binx AMPS 169 - Dental Day

Briana + Binx

Briana + Binx

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Just dropped Binx off at the vet. They’re going to call me in between each step. He’s getting fresh blood work this morning (then call), getting pre-surgery x-rays (then call). The thing that threw me off is the timing, I figured he’d be right into surgery but they likely won’t start until 11-12. They’ll message me when they begin. And then because it’s major extractions they expect, he won’t be out until about 5pm (post surgery x-rays as well). Going to be a long day waiting 😣

Because they’re doing new blood work, they’ll also be sending it off for new test related to his potential hyperthyroidism. Two birds one stone.

Wishing everyone a calm and stress-free day 🖤

Edit: Happy July 4th to everyone in the states! 🎉
 
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Interesting, that’s a shorter timeline than we had. Do you know what you’re going to do for shot tonight? Just wondering because you’ll probably be feeding less than normal later and that probably puts you close to your PMPS.

So many good vines headed your way!
 
Tim & Pookey said:
Interesting, that’s a shorter timeline than we had. Do you know what you’re going to do for shot tonight? Just wondering because you’ll probably be feeding less than normal later and that probably puts you close to your PMPS.

So many good vines headed your way!
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We'll take all the vines! Thanks, Tim 😊

Was Pookey out of surgery by 10am yesterday? Or what was your timeline in the end - would be great to compare. We'll definitely be close to our PMPS, but I want to see what his blood sugar is at before making the call on dose. Don't think I will be giving the full dose though, if I'm not sure how much he'll eat.
 
Briana + Binx said:
We'll take all the vines! Thanks, Tim 😊

Was Pookey out of surgery by 10am yesterday? Or what was your timeline in the end - would be great to compare. We'll definitely be close to our PMPS, but I want to see what his blood sugar is at before making the call on dose. Don't think I will be giving the full dose though, if I'm not sure how much he'll eat.
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He went in at 8AM, they were done at 9:45AM, and pickup at 2PM. So what is that, 6 total hours. I guess it’s similar to yours if they start at 11.
 
Tim & Pookey said:
He went in at 8AM, they were done at 9:45AM, and pickup at 2PM. So what is that, 6 total hours. I guess it’s similar to yours if they start at 11.
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That's helpful, thanks! I guess when the whole timeline is considered, it's pretty similar. I was just thrown that the sedated portion was 11-5, they said pickup will be around 6:30 (hopefully) but that seems too soon after he's done. I'm already dying for an update, but I know they haven't even started anything 😩
 
Briana + Binx said:
That's helpful, thanks! I guess when the whole timeline is considered, it's pretty similar. I was just thrown that the sedated portion was 11-5, they said pickup will be around 6:30 (hopefully) but that seems too soon after he's done. I'm already dying for an update, but I know they haven't even started anything 😩
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If it helps with the timeliness here's Nestle's. I dropped him off at 7:30am. They said he'll be going in around 8:30-9. At 10 Dr.Ted called with an update saying they have to extract the canine and that he's doing well. At 1pm i called for an update and they said he's awake and recovering but is slow to wake up and they will keep him till 5:30. I picked him up at 5:30 and he was so wonky.
I don't think Binx will be sedated from 11-5. He should be waking up soon after the surgery. I think they just wanna keep him there to monitor afterwards to ensure he's ok since he's also an older kitty. Hope that makes more sense and puts you at ease.

Sending lots and lots of healing vines and pawsitive thoughts
🤗✨️🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃✨️🤗🐈‍⬛💕
 
Sending you and Binx lots of good wishes and vines today for a smooth procedure 🍃🍀🍃🍀🍃🍀🍃🍀🍃🍀🍃🍀
We are all waiting with you 🫂

I’m glad they will be contacting you as each step goes on so you are kept up to date and hopefully that will reduce some of your anxiety.

Big hugs and prayers for you and Binx, Briana 😻💕😻💕😻💕❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹🙏🙏🙏🙏
 
Karolina & Nestle said:
If it helps with the timeliness here's Nestle's. I dropped him off at 7:30am. They said he'll be going in around 8:30-9. At 10 Dr.Ted called with an update saying they have to extract the canine and that he's doing well. At 1pm i called for an update and they said he's awake and recovering but is slow to wake up and they will keep him till 5:30. I picked him up at 5:30 and he was so wonky.
I don't think Binx will be sedated from 11-5. He should be waking up soon after the surgery. I think they just wanna keep him there to monitor afterwards to ensure he's ok since he's also an older kitty. Hope that makes more sense and puts you at ease.

Sending lots and lots of healing vines and pawsitive thoughts
🤗✨️🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃✨️🤗🐈‍⬛💕
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Thanks, Karolina 🥰🤗 That definitely helps! I did think it was a pretty long time to be under/undergoing surgery. I think I'll breathe a little easier too once I hear about the blood work and pre-surgery x-ray - but this has definitely helped, so thanks. Stressed that his teeth will be in much worse shape than I'm expecting.

All the healing vines and pawsitive thoughts are so so appreciated 🥰🐈‍⬛🤗🍃
 
Staci & Ivy said:
Sending you and Binx lots of good wishes and vines today for a smooth procedure 🍃🍀🍃🍀🍃🍀🍃🍀🍃🍀🍃🍀
We are all waiting with you 🫂

I’m glad they will be contacting you as each step goes on so you are kept up to date and hopefully that will reduce some of your anxiety.

Big hugs and prayers for you and Binx, Briana 😻💕😻💕😻💕❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹🙏🙏🙏🙏
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Thanks, Staci 🍃🤗🥰 Also very happy they'll be calling with updates, to hopefully stop my mind from playing out all the worst case scenarios.
Appreciate the support 😊🖤
 
Just got my first update call, blood work is done. This is a dental specialist, so not my normal vet. She threw A LOT of info that me, which was overwhelming because I don't know the names of all the tests and numbers, so I asked for a summary I could understand. Essentially:
- His BG is 157 right now
- He's still trending high with his thyroid so the additional tests will help indicate what this truly means (not for today)
- She thinks he may have kidney disease or an early stage of it
- His potassium is a bit higher, could be from a bit of dehydration so they'll give him fluids to help
- His blood pressure was a bit high, but they also checked it after he was in clinic for at least a couple hours... so, stress?
- Because of all the above, she'll be adjusting some of how they operate/what they use during the procedure
- From his awake exam, she thinks two of his canines need to come out... he already has one out too, so he'll only have one left
- Some inflammation elsewhere, but hoping to clear it with a cleaning
- She noticed a small nodule inside his mouth that she thinks is benign but they'll remove it during the procedure and we can send for testing later if needed

Honestly, I kind of wish she just gave me the summary and not the 15 minutes of panic chatter before with detailed info. It's made me a bit stressed about his overall health, but feeling okay about his dental specifically. I expected at least one canine to go and was mostly just hoping he wouldn't need full extraction, so hopefully the x-ray they're about to do confirms that. Also, stressed that it's already 12:30pm and they haven't started. Thanks for reading! 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗
 
I found dental days a great day to get house cleaning done, to burn off stress! Hopefully the vet will include all the details in the discharge instructions, including his BP numbers so you have record of them. Neko's BP actually went down at the dental vet, she was by herself in a dark room with Feliway going. Neko's dentals often didn't start until early afternoon, including the one where they had to remove a bony growth from her jaw.

Test when you get home, then test again at PMPS, that'll tell you what direction his numbers are trending, If he does lose two canines, eating may be awkward at first. Give him a small bit of food when first home, so you can see how he does with it. Space those small meals apart. If you haven't already, get some all meat babyfood or the TikiCat Mousse products as they'll be easy to eat/lick.

Make sure he comes home with pain reliever.

Will be thinking of you today.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
I found dental days a great day to get house cleaning done, to burn off stress! Hopefully the vet will include all the details in the discharge instructions, including his BP numbers so you have record of them. Neko's BP actually went down at the dental vet, she was by herself in a dark room with Feliway going. Neko's dentals often didn't start until early afternoon, including the one where they had to remove a bony growth from her jaw.

Test when you get home, then test again at PMPS, that'll tell you what direction his numbers are trending, If he does lose two canines, eating may be awkward at first. Give him a small bit of food when first home, so you can see how he does with it. Space those small meals apart. If you haven't already, get some all meat babyfood or the TikiCat Mousse products as they'll be easy to eat/lick.

Make sure he comes home with pain reliever.

Will be thinking of you today.
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Thank you, Wendy! 🤗🤗 Incredibly helpful and also reassuring that Neko's dentals also didn't start until early afternoon.

Noted on the small meals. I'm hoping since he's always a hungry guy, he'll at least have an interest in eating. Going to make a stop on the way home from work to get some TikiCat Mousse that you mentioned - will any flavor do? Also thinking of picking up a Feliway for home for his recovery, couldn't hurt is my guess. And I'll be sure to test when I get home and then at PMPS to see the trend, thanks.

For pain relievers the vet mentioned they're going to give him a nerve blocker with buprenorphine today, which they said should last a few days and then also send me home with buprenorphine and gaba.
 
Sienne & Gabby (GA) said:
I've had times with Gabby that she was ravenous after a dental. And then there was the one time that I anticipated she'd be hungry so I tested, fed and shot, and she walked away from her food. It was an ordeal to get her to eat. Cats do not like to be predictable! Make sure that Binx is interested in eating before you shoot!!
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Sound advice! It's so true that they can be so unpredictable, best not to chance it. Thanks, Sienne 😊
 
Buprenorphine - good choice!

Any Mousse flavour that you think he'll eat, it's more the easy texture that's important. Neko, being acro, hardly ever met a meat she didn't inhale. One time after a dental I had to lift the litter box. She was so "starving" cause I was offering so little at once she tried to snack on the corn litter.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Buprenorphine - good choice!

Any Mousse flavour that you think he'll eat, it's more the easy texture that's important. Neko, being acro, hardly ever met a meat she didn't inhale. One time after a dental I had to lift the litter box. She was so "starving" cause I was offering so little at once she tried to snack on the corn litter.
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Oh my goodness! Going for the corn litter, she was determined 😅

And just picked up the mousse, thanks for that tip!
 
Briana + Binx said:
Newest update: Binx is doing well under anesthesia and they're ready to go. They'll be extracting 10 teeth from what she told me - 6 incisors, 2 canines, and 2 premolars. Paws crossed all goes well 🤞

Edit: BG also holding steady.
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I see a lot of greens in his future. 💚💚 that's a lot of other health info but hopefully most is stemming from his mouth. I'll bet he's been in some pain like Pete was and hence the high numbers. Glad you only shot 1u this morning. 🤗

Petey had 11 extractions, gonna be a rough few days for you both, just keep the pain meds going. Petey ate well the whole time, I did make his food a little wetter. He did make a mess of his face and couldn't groom, warm towels just hold and dab helped, I used some witch hazel too to try and keep the outside of his mouth sterile.

Wishing Binx a speedy recovery and lots of hugs for you! ❤️
 
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Laurie & Petey said:
I see a lot of greens in his future. 💚💚 that's a lot of other health info but hopefully most is stemming from his mouth. I'll bet he's been in some pain like Pete was and hence the high numbers. Glad you only shot 1u this morning. 🤗

Petey had 11 extractions, gonna be a rough few days for you both, just keep the pain meds going. Petey ate well the whole time, I did make his food a little wetter. He did make a mess of his face and couldn't groom, warm towels just hold and dab helped, I used some witch hazel too to try and keep the outside of his mouth sterile.

Wishing Binx a speedy recovery and lots of hugs for you! ❤️
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Ah thanks, Laurie! 🥰🍃💚 I’m sorry you went through this before most of us, but so helpful to have your experience and knowledge.

Agreed, the 1 unit was a good call, glad the vet asked to keep to a quarter dose. And hoping the fresh teeth will help with those other issues too, I’m sure it also stems for the very long unregulated periods we’ve had and have.

Poor Petey and Binx really are taking the same journey, even with this. Thanks for the advice about cleaning him up, sounds like he’s really going to need it.

🤗🤗
 
Mary & Jude said:
🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃

I love that they are updating you, and SO glad to hear he's doing well so far.
That's a lot of teeth! Poor Binx!
Paws 🐾 🐾 and fingers 🤞🤞 crossed over here, Briana!
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Everything crossed! Thanks, Mary 😊🤞🥰

Definitely helpful to have updates! Stressful when they don’t come quickly but afterwards I’m glad I have the info.
 
Briana + Binx said:
Ah thanks, Laurie! 🥰🍃💚 I’m sorry you went through this before most of us, but so helpful to have your experience and knowledge.

Agreed, the 1 unit was a good call, glad the vet asked to keep to a quarter dose. And hoping the fresh teeth will help with those other issues too, I’m sure it also stems for the very long unregulated periods we’ve had and have.

Poor Petey and Binx really are taking the same journey, even with this. Thanks for the advice about cleaning him up, sounds like he’s really going to need it.

🤗🤗
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That was my thought too, they are sugar-soul brothers!

Also forgot Petey let me ice him too, I have an old fashion ice bag and then I would leave it for him to rest on.
 
New update: He's out! 😮‍💨🥹 He did really well and he's apparently already up and walking around the crate - also looking a little high from what they said. The extraction took longer than expected, but the post-surgery x-ray confirmed everything was removed.

They've given him gaba and they retested his BP, which has gone down. His BG is at 263, so not too crazy right now, but pick-up is set for 8pm and he normally gets insulin at 7pm, so I am thinking about giving him a smaller dose and then working back his dosing time over the next few days.

They put a product called Sanos on his teeth, which is supposed to help prolong the cleaning.

They also mentioned giving antibiotics and I immediately asked what kind. She mentioned Covenia and thankfully I saw @Wendy&Neko's comment yesterday and asked for an alternative, so they're sending me home with Clindamycin in liquid form. I have probiotics on hand (FortiFlora) and will give that to him as well.

I feel like I've lived an entire week today, but can't wait to see my boy!! 😸🐈‍⬛
 
Glad to hear all went well with the dental.

FYI - FortiFlora is not a great probiotic. It doesn't have enough of the actual probiotics to do much good. Visbiome is a very good general probiotic. If. you are concerned about the GI effects, S. boulardii is great! (It's great for both kitties and humans if you've ever having a bout of the runs.)
 
Clindamycin liquid tastes awful. Be prepared to follow quickly with a treat. From personal experience it does play havoc with the good tummy flora, I just felt nauseous didn't need S. boulardii, neither did Neko. But ECID. A good probiotic is important. The recommended dose of probiotics for cats is 5-10 billion CFU/kg/day. Multiple strains of flora is good.

See if the vet has something like Proviable probiotics on hand, if not, a human kind like Renew Ultimate also works. You can get a variety that helps with antibiotic effects. Visbiome in Canada, unfortunately, only comes in packets and is sold only on line. The packet version has sugar in it.
 
Sienne & Gabby (GA) said:
Glad to hear all went well with the dental.

FYI - FortiFlora is not a great probiotic. It doesn't have enough of the actual probiotics to do much good. Visbiome is a very good general probiotic. If. you are concerned about the GI effects, S. boulardii is great! (It's great for both kitties and humans if you've ever having a bout of the runs.)
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Wendy&Neko said:
Clindamycin liquid tastes awful. Be prepared to follow quickly with a treat. From personal experience it does play havoc with the good tummy flora, I just felt nauseous didn't need S. boulardii, neither did Neko. But ECID. A good probiotic is important. The recommended dose of probiotics for cats is 5-10 billion CFU/kg/day. Multiple strains of flora is good.

See if the vet has something like Proviable probiotics on hand, if not, a human kind like Renew Ultimate also works. You can get a variety that helps with antibiotic effects. Visbiome in Canada, unfortunately, only comes in packets and is sold only on line. The packet version has sugar in it.
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Thanks for the advice!!

Vet just called and said they don’t have the liquid form on hand, only tablet or injectable. I don’t really want to add another injection to his schedule so I’m considering the tablet. Have either of you had experience with this for?
 
Briana + Binx said:
Thanks for the advice!!

Vet just called and said they don’t have the liquid form on hand, only tablet or injectable. I don’t really want to add another injection to his schedule so I’m considering the tablet. Have either of you had experience with this for?
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@Wendy&Neko @Sienne & Gabby (GA) as a follow up to this, they have a different probiotic they'll send me home with. I should've asked for the spelling but I'll send it later... something like "r-axe" or "a-rax".

Edit: they confirmed it has sugars and so we’ve opted for FortiFlora Pro (not over the counter). They said if needed, they can order Proviable.
 
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Briana + Binx said:
Thanks for the advice!!

Vet just called and said they don’t have the liquid form on hand, only tablet or injectable. I don’t really want to add another injection to his schedule so I’m considering the tablet. Have either of you had experience with this for?
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Sometimes these injections are one time at the vets. I always opt for that when I can.
 
Laurie & Petey said:
Sometimes these injections are one time at the vets. I always opt for that when I can.
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Thanks, Laurie 😊 I was contemplating this on my drive to pick him up and once the vet started talking about all the after care, I opted for the injection. I know @Wendy&Neko said she has a hard no on Covenia but I am a little overwhelmed by all the medication he’ll be needing and the one time injection just took one thing off my mind. The vet is confident in it and for now, I’m trusting in that. I know we can’t always trust our vets but again, overwhelmed 😔
 
Like Wendy, I'm a hard "no" on Convenia. It's long lasting (a couple of weeks) and if there's an allergic reaction, there's nothing you can do. It's also not appropriate for anything other than skin infections. This is a link that describes the issues with Convenia.

Whether you opt for an injection or pills is your preference. I don't have difficulty pilling my cats but some kitties are not easy to pill.

Keep in mind that the meds are short term. Pain meds are helpful since it will keep Binx comfortable until his mouth is closer to being back to normal. The antibiotic is really helpful given that all of our mouths are a breeding ground for bacteria.
 
Sienne & Gabby (GA) said:
Like Wendy, I'm a hard "no" on Convenia. It's long lasting (a couple of weeks) and if there's an allergic reaction, there's nothing you can do. It's also not appropriate for anything other than skin infections. This is a link that describes the issues with Convenia.

Whether you opt for an injection or pills is your preference. I don't have difficulty pilling my cats but some kitties are not easy to pill.

Keep in mind that the meds are short term. Pain meds are helpful since it will keep Binx comfortable until his mouth is closer to being back to normal. The antibiotic is really helpful given that all of our mouths are a breeding ground for bacteria.
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Thanks, Sienne. I will read through the link, for next time unfortunately. I did end up allowing them to give him the Covenia, against what was noted here. Of course, I have to live with this decision, whatever the outcome. I am really inexperienced with giving anything but insulin - never given gaba, bup, or any other medication besides insulin, especially after a big surgery like this. So in the moment, I made the call - I hope I don't regret it. I will read through the link and monitor him for any adverse reactions. I do really appreciate the knowledge sharing 😊
 
Last update for tonight:

Binx is home and a little loopy, but ravenous for sure. I learned that they didn't give him any food today, which I was disappointed to hear. His BG is sitting just in the pink at 301. I've given him 3.0 units tonight (3/4 dose) and his normal food choice (reduced portion) and he ate it up. I'll continue to feed and test him tonight.

Like I mentioned above to Sienne, all of this post-surgery care is stressing me out a bit. I'm glad he's through the surgery but now we have a lot of variables at home and I have no experience in any. I'm sure I'll have loads of questions but for now, I'm going to read the vet's notes, the link Sienne sent, and spend some time with Binx while he recovers.

Hope everyone has a great night and thank you so much to everyone that comforted, supported, offered advice, and read through all my long updates. This community is something else 🐈‍⬛🖤
 
Briana + Binx said:
Last update for tonight:

Binx is home and a little loopy, but ravenous for sure. I learned that they didn't give him any food today, which I was disappointed to hear. His BG is sitting just in the pink at 301. I've given him 3.0 units tonight (3/4 dose) and his normal food choice (reduced portion) and he ate it up. I'll continue to feed and test him tonight.

Like I mentioned above to Sienne, all of this post-surgery care is stressing me out a bit. I'm glad he's through the surgery but now we have a lot of variables at home and I have no experience in any. I'm sure I'll have loads of questions but for now, I'm going to read the vet's notes, the link Sienne sent, and spend some time with Binx while he recovers.

Hope everyone has a great night and thank you so much to everyone that comforted, supported, offered advice, and read through all my long updates. This community is something else 🐈‍⬛🖤
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Sending you and Binx many vines of comfort, Briana 🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃
I hope he gets some rest and so do you. It’s been a long and anxious day.
Big hugs 🥰 for you both 🫂❤️‍🩹💕❤️‍🩹💕
 
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