Good morning! Last night I noticed Shooter has red swollen gum around his left front canine and definite tooth decay there. I know the vet didn't want to do a dental several months ago until he was more regulated and after doing an echo. What are your thoughts about it all? He is 17 and an acro. It's a LOT of money that I don't really have but I can get it. The other thing the vet keeps mentioning is to have basically a full body scan to check all of his insides out. @Wendy&Neko @Bandit's Mom 5/20 Shooter AMPS 171, PMPS 166 | Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB
Skip the full body scan. A GI ultrasound may be in his future if he starts seeing GI issues (vomiting, diarrhea, severe constipation). Or maybe not - ECID. He should have fairly regular blood work and urinalysis. I did every 6 months with Neko. Kidney issues will show up on b/w and urinalysis. He is more than regulated enough for a dental, the question is whether he can have anaesthesia. I would recommend an echo, done by a cardio vet. Heart issues can sneak up on you, even more so with acros. I had that happen with both Neko and a previous kitty. Heart issues can be treatable if caught in time. An echo will tell you if he can have surgery, may even suggest what type of anaesthesia. Or if there are no issues found during the echo, it's a good baseline for later. Neko had her first echo because of a heart murmur (and that she was acro), but echo just showed it was a benign murmur related to age.
I suppose now that he's 17 and an acro that might be a good idea. Like you said, because of anesthesia along with him having a possible heart murmur, I should schedule an echo. Thanks Wendy
