Realistic Costs Revealed! The Day My Beloved Cat Kotaro Had His Precious Tooth Pulled

When your beloved cat reaches their senior years, you might start to worry about their oral health. In the fall of 2023, my beloved cat, Kotaro, had to have a tooth extracted. This time, I’ll share my anxious feelings from back then and the actual costs involved.

The day I noticed something was wrong with his behavior

Kotaro is quite cautious. In the past, I struggled to brush his teeth, but he would swat at me with his paws, so I gave up. Instead, I observed him while giving him dental treats.

It was around October 2023 that I started to think, "Hmm, maybe his mouth hurts?" After eating, he would paw at his mouth and make chewing motions repeatedly.

A few years ago, he would also make chewing motions when he felt sick and was about to vomit, so I thought, "Maybe he wants to throw up," but he didn't. I wondered if his tooth pain was unbearable, so I rushed him to our regular vet.

Kotaro, who is usually so assertive with Jiji, turns into "poor me, I'm scared" mode at the vet. As soon as he entered the clinic, he started shaking, and on the examination table, he trembled even more. The vet found his trembling adorable. (I did too!)

The diagnosis was pain in his upper right canine tooth (the sharpest tooth) and swollen gums. For now, he was given an anti-inflammatory injection, and we were told to observe if the swelling would subside. (※He hated it, so I couldn't take a picture of his gums, sorry.)

"If the swelling doesn't go down, I think tooth extraction would be best. If left untreated, bacteria accumulated in the gums can spread throughout the body, and in severe cases, a hole can even form in the cheek. However, tooth extraction carries anesthetic risks, and there will be pain as a healthy tooth needs to be luxated for extraction."

After receiving this explanation from the vet, I began to wonder if choosing tooth extraction was the right course of action.

The vet deliberately explained the seriousness of luxating a tooth in detail (which I appreciated), but I was completely scared and started to worry about what would be the best method for Kotaro.

After much deliberation, I decided to go to our regular vet for the extraction

After two weeks of observation, there was no change in the gum swelling or his pain level, so it was determined that the injection had no effect. The only remaining treatment option was tooth extraction.

I knew that cats could swallow food whole even without teeth. But even with that knowledge, when it came to my own beloved cat needing an extraction, even losing just one tooth filled me with alternating waves of worry and anxiety.

So, I wanted to hear firsthand experiences and consulted cat-owning friends whose cats had already undergone tooth extractions. Their encouragement finally helped me decide to go through with the extraction.

Because Kotaro has a larger build, he’s a bit on the heavier side, so we needed to check with a blood test beforehand if there was a high risk with anesthesia. In addition, we had an X-ray to check if the gum swelling was a tumor. I was truly grateful that the vet didn't just assume it was periodontal disease but considered various possibilities.

The blood test results showed that the risk of anesthesia was not high, and the gum swelling was not a tumor, so the tooth extraction proceeded as scheduled. During the surgery, the other teeth were also professionally cleaned.

At our regular vet, there was no overnight stay; he was dropped off in the morning and picked up in the evening. The total cost, including the pre-extraction blood test, X-rays, and teeth cleaning, was 73,920 yen.

The night before the extraction, he had to fast. Food-loving Kotaro stared intently at Jiji and Leon eating their meals. He then picked fights with both of them, saying, "You guys are unfair!" (He lost to Leon.)

I thought he wouldn't be able to eat right after the extraction, but...?

When I picked him up after the surgery, Kotaro was still trembling in his carrier. I spoke to him, saying, "You went through something scary. You did so well," while listening to the vet's instructions in the examination room.

The vet advised me to feed him soup-like food on the day of the extraction, and wet food from the second or third day, recommending soft food for one week after the surgery. I was also told to bring him back immediately if he didn't eat by the second day.

This is because if a cat cannot eat due to pain after a tooth extraction, their body can accumulate fat in the liver, potentially leading to liver problems (likely hepatic lipidosis), and forced feeding might become necessary.

Cats like Kotaro, who are a bit on the heavier side, need to be extra careful to avoid this situation. I learned a lot of information, but that day, all I could think about was, "Will Kota be able to eat today?"

Kotaro, who came home wearing an Elizabethan collar, slept soundly at home as if recovering from the fatigue of the vet clinic. When I gave him soup-like food at dinner time, he made chewing motions and brought his paws to his mouth after eating, as if the extracted area was still painful.

Watching him was very painful, and even now, recalling it makes my heart ache. However, even on the day of the extraction, his robust appetite was intact. Perhaps because he hadn't eaten the day before, he kept asking for more, saying, "Give me more! It's not enough!" and devoured it, which was a huge relief.

He also stared enviously at Jiji and Leon eating their dry food with a look that said, "Why am I the only one who can't have any?!" (He picked another fight with them later.)

I was determined to give him soft food for one week after the surgery, but Kotaro, on the other hand, seemed to be scheming to eat dry food. So, I offered him dry food softened with hot water, but he wouldn't eat it, as if saying, "This isn't what I want!"

Then, I told him, "You probably can't chew this," and gave him a small amount of dry food. He instantly dug into the dry food as if saying, "This is it! I've been waiting for this!" It's a secret that I quietly cried when I saw him crunching on his food with his usual crisp sound.

Since dissolving stitches were used, there was no need for suture removal. A week later, when we went to our regular vet for a follow-up, the vet said, "He's eating dry food, that's good," and I felt relieved.

However, it was discovered during the general anesthesia that Kotaro also had one inflamed tooth on his lower jaw, which couldn't be extracted because it could damage the jawbone. We were told to observe it and wait for it to fall out naturally.

Many things to prepare for a tooth extraction!

After my cat's tooth extraction experience, I realized that there were surprisingly many things to prepare before the surgery.

① Soup-like food... It's reassuring to have a week's worth to ensure they don't go without food for a day (we also gave him nursing paste).

② Wet food... It's reassuring to have a week's worth, just in case (it's also good to have some without chunks).

③ Elizabethan collar... To prevent them from scratching around their mouth after surgery. Many cats dislike plastic ones, so it might be good to have a fabric one.

④ Syringe... Useful if forced feeding is necessary.

I hope Kotaro's tooth extraction experience can be of some help if your beloved cat ever needs an extraction.