Kylo Ren Sports a New “Do”
Last Wednesday Kylo Ren went in for his first dental. It was actually the first time I’ve ever taken any of my cats to get their teeth cleaned. I knew the day would eventually come, but I wouldn’t have guessed that Kylo would be the first to need a cleaning, since he is only just over a year old. Usually it’s older cats that need their teeth cleaned, or so I thought.
Kylo Ren had his annual check-up exam the week before. I mentioned to the vet that he had chronic bad breath, and when they checked his teeth they found that he had some dental issues going on. His gums were red, and his teeth were showing signs of decay. The vet recommended that he get a dental cleaning ASAP.
I felt awful. How did he have such bad teeth at such a young age? It it because of something I did or didn’t do? Is it my fault? What could I have done to prevent this? All of these questions were racing through my mind. My vet assured me that his bad teeth were not the result of any neglect or poor care on my part. He said Kylo could have bad teeth so early for a number of reasons – genetics, poor nutrition and care when he was a kitten, an autoimmune issue, etc.
While I was relieved that it wasn’t my fault Kylo has bad teeth, I still felt bad. My poor baby was suffering! I scheduled a dental for him for the next available appointment. I wanted to address the issue head on and as soon as possible!
Wednesday came, and I dropped Kylo off for his cleaning first thing in the morning. I was a big ball of anxiety; worried about Kylo having anesthesia and worried about what they might find when cleaning his teeth. I was glued to my phone all day, awaiting the call from the vet telling me that Kylo was awake and okay.
The call finally came, and they informed me that they had to remove 4 teeth, some of which were already falling out or broken. Poor Kylo Ren! 🙁 At least they are out and not causing him anymore pain or discomfort!
Though the vet said that Kylo will most likely need a dental cleaning at least once a year, he did say that it would help if I brushed his teeth myself every day. I will admit that I have never brushed my cats’ teeth (despite knowing that I should), so this will be an interesting journey! I’ll let you know how it goes…
In the mean time, Kylo Ren is sporting a new “do,” thanks to the vet. (They had to shave his legs to do the blood work and anesthesia.) We’ve been calling him Bootsie 🙂 What do you think of this new style? Does it suit him?
While I do think it is rather stylish… I don’t think it’s a look he’ll want to keep!
I’m glad Kylo Ren got his dental work done! The vet is right, there are any number of reasons a kitty can have bad teeth that have nothing to do with your care of him. He gets the same care as the other kitties, right? And they didn’t have anything pop up like this for them. So it has to be something in his own biology or history before you. The important thing is that that it’s being dealt with.
Well we know how much better he will fel with those bad teeth gone!
Poor sweetie! I remember my Angel Bobo had to go once a year from I think age 3 til he was 17. My Vet had told me at the time, that cats, like people have to be lucky “with the luck of the draw” in their gene pool He said that Bobo just didn’t luck out when it came to his teeth.
Awww, poor little Kylo Ren. We sure hope he feels a lot better now, with those nasty teeth out of there.
I used to try and brush Pipo & Minko’s teeth, even from when they were kittens, but it seemed to stress them out…vet man says so far their teeth look good. Pipo and Minko do chomp into boxes and plastic…like they are doing their own brushing, MOL! Vet man tells us we have gotten decent genes, because meezers often have bad teeth…our Angel-Groucho had bad teeth, very bad ones…
Dog guy does get regular brushings…and even at his advanced age, he has only had one dental…when he had to have a broken tooth removed a few years ago.
awww – bracelets 🙂 hopefully keeping them clean will help
dood….sorree bout de teeth…we hope ta cod de vet gived em bak two yur mom sew ewe can put em under a pillow coz over nite they will tern into CASH monee…ewe hurd rite….cash monee…20’s and 50’s ! 🙂 ♥♥
It isn’t your fault that Kylo has bad teeth, and you are doing a great job by looking into how to help so that his remaining teeth can be kept as healthy as possible. We can’t wait to hear how tooth brushing goes. It’s something the head peep says she knows she should do, so she wishes she could get us to accept the idea, too.
Aw. poor Kylo Ren. We’re glad his dental went okay. Don’t beat yourself up about it…it’s hard to predict what a cat’s teeth or health for that matter will be. Lots of it is genetics. We like his boots…very stylish. 🙂
Best to realize there’s an issue while he’s young and get it taken care of 🙂 Good luck with brushing his teeth… I tried on a couple of my cats and it didn’t go over so well. I read that some prefer malt or fishy flavored paste so maybe if you try a few he’ll actually like one of them.
Kylo Ren, the Tooth Fairy will visit soon!
I hear that shaved arms are the accessory of the year … all the cool cats are doing it! Please believe that Kylo’s issues aren’t your fault. I went through the EXACT same thing with Bear Cat. I’ve brushed his teeth daily or every other day since he had his first dental 10 years ago. While he’s still lost teeth, he’s only needed 2 dentals over that span of time (plus the original one). If Kylo has the same issue as Bear, a physical exam might not be enough to identify the problem teeth. I can’t tell you how many times the vet looked at his teeth and told me how great his teeth are (I ask them to check EVERY TIME I take him in) – only to have a tooth fall out at home. The vet explained that he develops pockets under the tooth that they can really only identify under anesthesia. The whole thing is frustrating. I could do everything right and the best I can hope for is fewer dentals. If you ever want to talk about this – let me know. Dental awareness is my pet project.
Poor Kylo Ren, we hope you feel better now ! Our Angel Isis had almost all her teeth lost or removed before she was 4, because she had bad teeth. And his brother Angel Hercule (from the next litter) never had any problem… Your boots are very stylish, we bet it’s going to be the trend of the season ! Purrs
I’m sorry Kylo Ren had to go through dental and had 4 teeth removed. But glad it’s over 🙂 Some kitties have dental issues no matter what while others are just fine. Niko had his dental at age 1 as well (lost two teeth) and has had several since then. Goro has done none so far. The main reason we started raw diet for them was because of Niko’s dental issue. We brush his teeth, give chicken neck bone every other day, give coconut oil, etc etc. Vet once said he might need dental every 6 months but the intervals between his dental got much longer with all the dental care. I’m sure Kylo Ren’s condition will be under much greater control with your care and attention. He looks very cute wearing boots 🙂
Kylo, we love the new look! Miss Emily, don’t feel bad. Mommy doesn’t brush our teeth. If she brushed Lexy’s teeth she’d have to sit on top of her – and that’s a scary thought! Even I won’t let her do it. You take very good care of your kitties.