Let me start off by saying that Koko is just fine now! But he's probably not been doing well for a while. Cats can hide pain so well! Thankfully his surgery went perfectly, and I wanted you all to see what a "gooboi" he was on the day, especially when he came home! I was really surprised to see how well he was doing. I think his surgeon must have done a great job because his recovery was so quick.

I also want to urge all of you to get your cat's teeth checked regularly, especially over 5 years of age. Feline Tooth Resorption affects 3/4 of all cats over the age of 5, and you may not even know it's happening! Cats have this weird way of reabsorbing their teeth! But the weirdest thing is that we still don't know why they do it! One theory is excess Vitamin D in commercial cat food, but that theory is unproven. How do you know it's happening? Well, you might not know it at all! At his previous dental checkup, the vet said he had resorbed one tooth and there was no way of knowing without that checkup. His behaviour was completely the same. But then when his lower canine was looking a little wonky, and he had trouble closing his jaw, something was definitely up. His bloodwork showed he was fighting an infection, and his lower canine would definitely be removed, perhaps with others depending on xrays.

In total Kodi had 5 extractions. Well, they're not technically extractions. Because of tooth resorption, the first thing to be absorbed is the root. And after xrays they found there were lesions in the roots of 5 teeth. Because there is a risk of jaw fracture when removing the lower canine, the vet chose instead to "crown" the teeth, essentially cutting the teeth and leaving the roots inside the gum to finish absorbing, then suturing a flap of the gums over the roots. While a more technical procedure than straight extractions, this is less invasive for the cat and then much less painful with a faster recovery. It also maintains the integrity of the jaw so much less risky.

And I guess it worked, because as soon as I brought Kodi home, he actually seemed good as new! He was walking and jumping and of course asking for lots of scritches and cuddles. He's on a pill, Tramadol, as well as a codeine gel that I rub on his inner ear. Thankfully, he took the pill in a pill pocket (a soft treat that you can put a pill into), because I really didn't want to pry open his mouth to put a pill down his throat since I didn't want to affect his sutures. Phew! But then, the next day, he spit out the pill. But the vet said that unless he was in visible pain, that the codeine gel would suffice and that he had prescribed both pain relievers to ensure he would be comfortable.

He had a followup appointment yesterday and they found he is healing really well. He has one more followup next week as well as bloodwork to make sure there's no other infections. YAY! I'm SO relieved my boy is home and well. Thank you all for your concern and well wishes!

Peace and purrs out.

Rob

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