The day started with an ice coated car and went down hill from there. My first patient of Pet Dental Health Month was a sweet, but shy cat with teeth like Swiss cheese, very sore gums and a bad case of “dog breath”. To date no one knows why cats get these cavities, known as FORLs (feline odontoclastic resorptive lesions) after all most don’t drink soda or eat candy. But Iggy needed a full mouth extraction. Everything except his canines and incisors had to go. He’d be gumming it, but once healed would be a lot more comfortable.
My other patients had much better mouths but much worse attitudes. One repeatedly jumped for the ceiling at just the wrong moment during intravenous catheter placement. Gorgeous boy, “Sum Ting Wong” was also having none of this catheter stuff. After an especially memorable “cat tantrum”, my extraordinarily patient technician muttered “Should have called you “Sum Ting Bad”.
Eventually anesthesia was achieved but the brand new dental unit decided not to work. The old model had been temperamental and while we could scale and polish beautifully, the idea of attempting multiple extractions without a working drill was not pleasant. Did I then: Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits? (Psalm 103:2)