That looks about right.

The only thing on your bill that I would question is the Partial day hospitalization. Would you leave him/her there until you get off work? If so then that charge is valid.

That's not a dental exam, that's a dental procedure. I do dental exams with every physical exam, which costs $34.

Preop Blood work: $60
Blood collection: included with bloodwork
IntraOp Fluids: not usually done, but if so, no charge
Anesthetic induction: holy CRAP! our induction is included with dental procedure
Isoflurane anesthesia: included with dental procedure
Dental Exam-clean and polish: $85
Tooth extraction 2 premolar: if not loose, $50 each, otherwise $5 each
Partial day hospitalization: included with dental
Pain medication: $30 average depending on size of pet, always dispensed with extractions
Antibiotics: $30 average depending on size of pet, always dispensed with extractions
TOTAL: $305

I had the same response as Meghane re: the induction.

My average costs have been $250-$300.

I just got an estimate for our 2 y/o dog this week. It runs between $250-$300 also. Thankfully she is young, so we don't think she will need the x-rays which would add another $75-$100 to the total.

Linda

That's on par with what our vet charges here in California (small dif between US & CAN $$). Our bill last year went quite a bit higher because she needed so many extractions. At least she is a lot happier now without her bad teeth, so I think it was well worth it.

I wish I had some of that 'mad money' and if I did, I sure wouldn't spend it on a dental exam for a cat or dog. I have had both cats and dogs for up to 16 years without ever having any sort of dental work. Where do rabbits, squirrels, coyotes, etc. etc. go for work on their teeth? As long as my pet's mouths look healthy and teeth look clean and bright, I sure am not going to worry.

BTW, they all get all the outdoor animals they want to devour and to clean their teeth on.

Carmen, you make a good point. I don't think of dental procedures for animals as routine, but I'm under the impression that in some areas, they are. My kitty has a mouth problem that seems to be more of an immune system disorder, so she needed her teeth pulled if at all possible. Her brother, who passed away earlier this year, had beautiful teeth all his life- I certainly would never had taken any risks associated with any surgical procedure unless it was really called for.

Some pets don't get dental disease. I think some of it is genetics, some of it is diet. Toy sized dogs and those dogs and cats with smushy faces have more dental problems than normally sized dogs and those without smushed faces.

If the teeth and gums are healthy, there is no reason to do a dental procedure. I don't recommend them unless there is a reason.

Wow -- I am reading this with disbelief as well. My cat is almost 4 and has only been to the vet to get his shots and neuter.

15 years ago I dated a guy whose family had three cats. They used to take the cats for teeth cleaning and I remember them coming home and being sick for a few days from the anesthetic. I thought it was crazy.

We had an indoor/outdoor cat for 19 years when I was a kid that never had his teeth cleaned either. I don't even think they did it in those days!

So, is the bottom line that a dental cleaning is recommended for a cat? If so, how often? Or is only if needed?

Since the OP mentioned
Tooth extraction 2 premolar

-- I would assume it is a needed procedure rather than a regular thing to do

My vet does dental prophys on my cat every year for prevention of disease and tarter build up. Wild animals eat the entire animal they catch, this cleans their teeth. If the wild animal gets a tooth abscess or loose tooth - it dies. My last cat went 11 years without dental care. She died of heart disease which can be related to lack of dental care. The bacteria that builds up on their teeth can go systemic and cause a lot of internal problems (kydney, heart, lungs). Really pull back the gums on your pets and look at the very back molars, if it's yellow/grey and built up, you are past due for a dental prophy. My current cat gets her teeth brushed and her yearly prophys and she still has some tarter built up. She also gets dental chews occasionally. I brush my teeth twice a day and get a prophy twice a year and still have tarter build up.

Prevention is key, yearly dental prophys mean shorter anethesia time which greatly reduces the risk, that and the pre-op bloodwork and monitoring makes it safer. If the bloodwork shows higher risk we don't do the procedure until it looks better.

Dentals cost $726 regular price for cats. This includes a long list of things, I'll list them in a minute. They offer a Wellness plan that spreads the cost of the dental and vaccines out through the year. If I had to pay the full cost of the wellness plan I would be paying $335/year for dental, 2 bloodworks, urinalysis, 2 fecals, 2 dewormings, 2 comprehensive exams, all vaccines,15% discount on not covered services, and free office visits.

Dental prophy:
$34.95 office visit
9.81 pre-anesthetic exam
8.50 blood sample collect/prep
62.06 internal organ function screen
34.87 manual differential of blood cells
36.19 blood cell count
47.59 ECG monitoring
16.89 recovery care after anesthesia
14.00 pet nurse care
18.17 doctor's supervision
29.97 hospitalization ward fee
25.01 IV fluids
17.89 IV fluid set
23.30 IV catheter insertion
70.22 anesthesia feline dental
31.12 pulse oximeter
18.94 tracheal tube intubation
20.93 propofol injection
34.09 torbugesic SA inj
26.54 floride treatment
21.32 polish teeth
52.31 dental prophy
16.01 hand scaling
23.07 ampicillin inj
21.65 Ace inj (pre-op med)
20.00 glyco inj (removed if not needed) glyco raises the heart rate if it drops below safe levels, the monitoring lets you catch that before it is unsafe for the pet.

The prices just went up this year for new sign ups, so I won't know current prices until my new dog gets his dental done later this year, he needs to gain weight.

My mom's cat has to go in this week for a cleaning and extraction, and the bill is nearly identical. My mom's cat may need antibiotics as well, which will probably tack a bit more onto the bill.

That quote looks about right.

Dental care for pets is just as critical as for humans - and for the same reason. Bacterial infections that get into your blood stream via dental inflammation can kill you and/or make you extremely ill. Our pets are not immuned to this risk just as humans are not.

So, would you rather spend money on extensive medical care due to a blood infection that can also impact the heart or spend the money on preventative dental care?

Due to the cost (as you are finding out...) people generally do not spend the money on this treatment. I have a new rescue kitty who's breath stinks beyond stinky due to an oral infection and will be getting her teeth cleaned/extracted for about the same cost. It sucks, but thinking of her being in pain when I can do something about it is something I feel is my responsibility as a pet owner.

It was recommended that my cat needs a teeth extraction. She eats normal, shows no signs of painful teeth, given dentalife treats, and thinking if she needs a teeth extraction. Can anyone recommend the exact estimate for a teeth exam only? Greatly Appreciated.