abcessed tooth

[bridgy]

I have a 9 yr old simese cat that has an abcessed tooth, when we took him to the vet, they wanted $700.00 to put him to sleep and pull his tooth. I have no pet insurance and on a very limited fixed income and can't afford that kind of expense. He has developed a large cyst on the side of his jaw/neck where that tooth is located. He can only eat soft food now, and even at that, he's loosing weight. I can't sit by and let him starve to death because I can't afford to fix his tooth. I do have some Amoxicilllin 500mg tablets. Can I give him a smal dose, just a sprinkle on his food twice a day, in hopes of getting this infection under control?  God willing, my husband will find work and I'll be able to save enough money to get his tooth or teeth pulled...but in the meantime, please advise me on what to do for this beautiful little boy, named Simon.

[Savas]

I would guess they were charging "Emergency Visit" rates. The price of gonig in on an emergency visit can easily double the cost of a normal bill.

blech. Isn't that the pits?

[Cuddles01]

700?? our cats was pulled and he was put to sleep, plus they did 2 x-rays of his body plus blood work and gave him antibotics and pain medicine for 450.00. have you tried other vets?? this was the animal hospital where we took our cat. 700.00 is alot to pull a tooth!!!

[Savas]

Yes, you can try that. It's very close to one of the common feline used antibiotics.

Scrape a little off the tablet and put it on your finger; then rub it on his gums (the uninfected side). It's the most effective way to administer a med in this situation. Start with twice the amount you can fit on the head of a sewing pin. If he tolerates it fine, and you see no improvement, double the dose. Do every four hours for two days, then go to every eight hours. Do this for ten days, even if he improves (a full course to prevent return of infection).

Keep in mind this is VERY seat of the pants advice, and there is risk involved. If you can get your vet to just prescribe antibiotics, it would be a better way to go. Oral infections can cause loss of multiple teeth as well as deterioration of the jawbone.

Also; feed your cat a supplement like "KMR Milk Replacer"  (for kittens, not weaning)from your pet store. Use a feeding syringe. Cats can go into renal failure from lack of nutrition.

Good luck, let us know how it goes.