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Healthy Teeth = Happy Cats. Oral disease and infection is common in cats of all ages, although it is more common in cats 7 years and older. If left untreated, the infection can lead to gum disease, tooth decay and tooth loss. The infection can spread through the bloodstream to cause kidney, liver, lung and heart disease.Common signs of oral disease are: yellow-brown tartar near the gum line; red, swollen or bleeding gums, persistent bad breath, abnormal drooling, pawing at the mouth, loose or missing teeth, difficulty eating, and loss of appetite.

Laboratory tests are an important means by which your veterinarian can diagnose various disorders that could be affecting your animal's body. Blood chemistry panels provide useful information on the health and function of your cat’s internal organs (pancreas, kidney, intestine, liver, thyroid, and electrolytes). Complete blood counts provide information regarding anemia and oxygen carrying ability of blood as well as information regarding infection and inflammation.

General anesthesia is used every day in most practices. While anesthesia is not totally risk-free, the risk has been greatly reduced by the availability of pre-anesthetic blood tests, improved anesthetic drugs, state of the art monitoring equipment and increased veterinary expertise. Today, cats of all ages are acceptable candidates for anesthesia. Procedures that require anesthesia/sedation are: Surgery, dental procedures, x-rays, ear flush, anal gland expression, and management of aggressive cats.