Fingers crossed and curb chains jingling!!!
All the kitties send jingles, too (though they’re using their jingle balls and mice). 
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Those are the best jingles for cats! 
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So on 4/18/22 I took Smudge to a veterinary dentist in San Jose. Poor little thing - that’s the furthest she has ever travelled.
The doctor and her staff loved and mentioned how good she was. Then came the bombshells - they want to check her for possible tumours so they want a biopsy. And the price $2500 - $3500. For the biopsy and the surgical repair - which they won’t guarantee will work.
w.
t.
f.
I was gobsmacked and said so. I was prepared for anything up to $2k but not above. Plus, they wanted to pull some teeth which was going to send the price even higher. I didn’t even want to see that estimate.
i don’t know what I am going to do. I’m choking on this. It’s been two day and I’m still boggling and have not made up my mind.
It’s ok to take some time - this is a huge situation with a huge price tag and no guarantee - Jingles.
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I’m so sorry to hear this. I can’t make decisions quickly. Especially big/expensive decisions. I always need time to wrap my head around it and do some research and think through the options.
If you like your regular vet, maybe you could talk about it with him/her and see what they think? Even if it’s not their area of expertise, they might have an opinion or they might have had another client that has been through the same treatment.
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What ravenclaw said. Take your time and talk to your vet about it too.
I’m sorry it wasn’t what was expected. Jingles
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Yeah, that is a bombshell. I am so sorry - everything you’ve gone through with her, and now this.
If it were me, I would okay the teeth and surgical repair, but not the biopsy. (The repair, for sure!!!) Have any other tests ever indicated she might have cancer? Do they see anything worrisome? Or is this just a “cover all bases” thing they’re suggesting?
You might have your vet contact them and have a chat about the procedures and why they suggest the biopsies. Is that something that your vet could do in-house, then send her to San Jose once the labs are back and she’s cleared for surgery?
Hugs and jingles. Dratted kitties are always making us make these hard choices!
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I think this is a “cover all bases.” I was asking them if they saw anything that made them think cancer, etc and could not get anything more definitive than because it didn’t hold shut there might be something making it pop open.
I don’t think there is but without expensive dental xrays I’ll never find out for sure. So I’m still thinking (reeling) about this. Will call my vet this weekend to consult. I am thinking of just having the surgery and if they find something to biopsy then go for it, otherwise leave it alone.
The teeth and repair was going to be well over the 4k mark.
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I am just heartsick for you and Smudge. I struggled with similar decisions about 6 weeks ago. It just about killed me but I went for quality of life. I hope you can find a suitable midpoint and then practice loving care.
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Have any dental radiographs been taken? Skull rads?
I would definitely recommend the biopsy. Cats love to get squamous cell carcinoma in their mouths.
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Now I did not know that. My little cat family has been mostly afflicted with the abdominal tumours that just grow and spread. If she had a tumour it would most likely be in the roof of her mouth into her nasal passages, etc. No rads yet, but will ask vet cost of dental xrays.
I left a message for my vet but they did say that they were extremely busy today so she will probably call me tomorrow.
@BrownDerby - That’s what I’m hoping for. There has to be something in between nothing and a zillion $$$
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Is there a vet school near by? It might be worth a call to see if they would fix it for cheaper since I would think it was a unusual case.
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Hugs and jingles continuing - I would think that the cancer cells would show up in routine bloodwork (at least, there would be some indication?) but I could be wrong.
I’m just thinking that if it was cancer (esp. squamous cell carcinoma, as someone suggested), there would be more outward symptoms. From what I was reading online, cats with SCC in the mouth have very short life spans (a few months) between diagnosis and death, even with treatment; Smudge has been dealing with this issue for a lot longer than that, IIRC?
Hopefully your vet could do the biopsy for a lot less, and maybe you can move on from there. Could a local university clinic do the dental x-rays and/or biopsy for less?
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Gotcha. Dental x-rays would absolutely be my first step (can rule out a lot of things-retained root tip, osteomyelitis, bony tumor, invasion of sinuses).
Not sure how things break down dentist wise but could consider anesthesia for dental rads and biopsy and then stage any extractions.
Another alternative may be to find a cat only specialty practice. They are typically pretty adept with extractions and dental rads.
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FWIW, I once had a cat with a squamous cell carcinoma in her mouth. The cancer was a hard lump, not a hole.
Also, my husband once had an oral fistula that was caused by a bad tooth extraction. He was on antibiotics for months, but it only healed after he had surgery to repair it. I know husbands aren’t cats, but still . . .
OP, just based on what you’ve described, if this was my cat I would get the biopsy and then decide about surgery. Your local vet could do the biopsy, and you should have results in just a few days. If the biopsy shows cancer there’s no point in doing surgery. If the biopsy is benign, surgery is the only way to cure the fistula.
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I would have to drive her to UC Davis and that’s quite a haul. I think you all have given me some good ideas and I think I will see if my vet will do biopsy and check cost of rads, then work from there. I mean, I’m willing to spend some $ but not $$$. I love my kitty but wow …
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Best wishes for the best possible outcome for both you and Smudge!
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