Greetings to Team Thomas!

Our loving orange boy (well, loving toward people, anyhow) has had a little dental difficulty this month. We keep a sharp eye on our FIV crew’s health, of course, and that includes their teeth and gums. Thomas was scheduled for a routine dental exam and cleaning. As he had to be anesthetized for this procedure, he was fasted the night before. Given his usual appetite, Thomas is not a fan of going without food for any length of time, but it was only for one night…or so we thought.

Although his dental exam was scheduled for the next day, that day brought a string of cases for our vet and veterinary technician that could not be postponed for a routine dental, so Thomas’ exam had to be put off for a few days. You could almost see the righteous indignation in his expression when he was released from his crate, but he quickly made up for not having eaten the night before.

The next week, Thomas was again fasted overnight in anticipation of his dental exam, but exactly the same thing happened all over again. The day of the exam brought too many cases that needed to be dealt with quickly, and Thomas’ dental was postponed a second time.

The third time, our vet and vet tech were finally able to perform this procedure. During the course of the dental, however, Thomas sustained a fractured jaw. Though that sounds very serious, at first our vet believed that no veterinary action was needed. Thomas was given a pain patch for a few days, but seemed remarkably unfazed by the whole matter, and he was eating well.

More recently, however, our vet decided that the jaw would not heal properly if left untended, and Thomas’ jaw was wired to provide stability. The wiring should be removed in a few weeks.

We do not expect Thomas to be in any pain as a result of this surgery, but his jaw probably feels odd to him, so we’ll watch him to make sure he’s eating well.

Fortunately, this whole ordeal is a lot more worrying to us than it has been for Thomas. His Orangeness continues to lead a leisurely life, basking in the sun in his solarium (as you can see in this photo), trying his hardest to get attention whenever anyone comes in, and making sure never to miss a meal. Thank you for helping us provide Thomas with such good care!