GC Rallicats Double Dutch

You'll find I have some pretty interesting cases occurring in my own home. This one I have to chalk up to bad luck and a klutzy 18 pound kitten.      I was grooming Dutch for a show. He was sitting on top of the washing machine where I always groom him. I had reached to turn the dryer back on when he decided to make a run for it. In my effort to stop him I either threw him off balance or he just missed his step but the result was the same. His paw went into the space between the washer and dryer and he did a chin plant into the edge of the dryer door. He came down at just the wrong angle and chipped the tip off of his upper right canine tooth. I still can't believe it. It had to be just the right angle.     Cats have very little tooth between the tip and the root pulp where the vessels and nerves live. Add that to the fact that the root of his tooth was still forming at 9 months of age. If an infection worked its way up the canal he would lose his tooth. I also knew from my dental training that a vital pulpotomy had to be done within about 72 hours. Mind you this happened on a Friday evening at about 7:30 pm.      As luck would have it Dr. ManWarren, the relief veterinarian that covers for me when I have continuing education trips, also works for a veterinary dentist. She called that practice and happened to catch Dr. Gleason, one of the dentists, still at the hospital. About an hour had transpired due to missed calls and checking messages. By 9:00 pm I was on my way to have his tooth repaired. Dr. Gleason doesn't generally do after hours emergency cases but happened to be there releasing another late afternoon emergency patient. She and her technician were very kind to stay extra late for Dutch. Mind you this was 4th of July weekend and Tuesday would have been too late to perform the procedure. Thanks to their professionalism and commitment Dutch has a much better than average chance of that tooth remaining viable and developing a normal healthy root until such time that a root canal becomes necessary.     I share this story for two reasons. First I want to illustrate that though I have expertise in many areas of feline medicine, surgery and behavior there are times when even my own pets need a specialist for a specific procedure. Advanced dentistry and orthopedics are prime examples. The majority of patients veterinary dentists and orthopedic surgeons see are dogs. The training and equipment required for these procedures is very expensive and cannot be justified for a few cases a year in a feline only practice. There are also times when a referral is necessary because specialty equipment such as a CT or MRI is needed for diagnostic purposes. I will always encourage the choice that is best for your cat's overall well-being. This means considering not only the actual procedure needed but the care your cat may receive before, during and after. If we can provide the same quality care in the quiet calm of a our feline only facility where your cat will have individual monitoring and the special TLC that comes from knowing just what our feline patients need then that's what we'll do. If I feel your cat will be better served in the hands of a specialist or they need diagnostics beyond my equipment capabilities then I will certainly refer your cat to a facility that can provide those services.     My second point is to stress how important it is to be financially prepared for emergencies. Minutes and hours can be critical to the successful recovery of your cat in an acute illness or accident but costs can mount with the same speed. The cost of quality veterinary care is rising for all of us and we can no longer afford to wing it when something goes wrong. Pet owners are expecting more for their pets as they become increasingly vital members of our families but that level of care and expertise is costly to provide. I encourage you to start a savings plan for your pets, keep a credit card just for pet emergencies or consider Care Credit. I personally use Care Credit for big expenses like Dutch's surgery. It allows me to work the overall cost of the emergency into my budget over several months. Care Credit provides several payment options. For more information please ask our staff.     Just FYI, if you think I did this just to save Dutch's promising show career you couldn't be more wrong. My mixed breed dog of 14 years had a root canal and titanium crown at 7 years old when she fractured her carnaisal tooth. I was a very financially strapped new grad in my second year out of vet school. I cancelled my cable, brown bagged it and stayed home most weekends for months to pay for her care. Where does your cat fall on your list of financial priorities?