Do you think these are related?

Fang has stinko,, and I mean stinko breath. ugh, he grooms the other two and their fur stinks, but I digress.
Fang spent the beginning of his life outdoors in the freezing cold, eating garbage until he was rescued.

Fang has a broken canine(?) tooth.

Fang used to have mushy bowells, supposedly food allergy, cured by steroids and sensitive stomach food, no recurrance for more than 6 months.

FAng has struvite crystals managed by Carpon.

Dr. Belfield of Carpon fame wrote to me in an email that he is finding that the crystals may be a result of faulty kidney function and perhaps I should have
Fang's kidneys checked.

So I guess I will take him to the vet for a mouth check and blood work, but I hate to put him through that, and other than stinky breath, he is fine.

Do you think any of these things have a correlation?

the tooth likely is the issue

When my Twitch's teeth were basically rotting out of her mouth, the vet wanted me to watch her closely for secondary infections. She said that a cat's body is fighting teeth issues & something else attacks them. They often are not capable of fighting off the second infection. It is possible that the teeth are contributing to the crystals(well, if there was a UTI present). Did that make any sense?

Originally Posted by gailuvscats

Fang has stinko,, and I mean stinko breath. ugh, he grooms the other two and their fur stinks, but I digress.
Fang spent the beginning of his life outdoors in the freezing cold, eating garbage until he was rescued......
So I guess I will take him to the vet for a mouth check and blood work, but I hate to put him through that, and other than stinky breath, he is fine.

Do you think any of these things have a correlation?

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Your Fang reminds me of my Blondie when he first came here. It took a couple wormings and some quite some time on a steady diet of cat food for his system to settle down.

As it is he still has a different odor to him than all the other cats here.

Originally Posted by white cat lover

When my Twitch's teeth were basically rotting out of her mouth, the vet wanted me to watch her closely for secondary infections. She said that a cat's body is fighting teeth issues & something else attacks them. They often are not capable of fighting off the second infection. It is possible that the teeth are contributing to the crystals(well, if there was a UTI present). Did that make any sense?

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My vet said it was possible that Nugent got his urinary infection because of bad teeth. When he cleaned himself he may have transferred the bacteria from mouth causing the UTI. Of course Nugie also is overweight and wasn't cleaning himself very well after a poo and that too could have done it.

At this point I don't have the funds to have his teeth removed and I am making sure his bum is cleaner. Hopefully that will keep him in good enough shape till we can address the other issues.

If you get his mouth taken care of, that may eliminate his struvite problems.

I know that in people tooth decay/infection can lead to other infections and health issues. I'm sure it's the same in cats. I have a heart murmur, and I have to take antibiotics before I see a dentist. There's some kind of link between the heart and the teeth. Whatever it is, I'm sure that's the same for cats too.

I expect his bad breath is a result of problems with his teeth. Having problems with his teeth could result in far more serious health problems. Struvite crystals are a result of a pH that isn't acidic enough. I doubt this has anything to do with his teeth. Crystal creation is a combination of genetics and food. With Struvite crystals, acidifying the urine helps the problem. But it can be an indicator of kidney disfunction. So yes, it is always best to get the bloodwork done to make sure.

It can cost a lot to get dental work done, but the blood panels aren't usually too bad. And whatever discomfort your kitty will go through, it is FAR less than if he has a kidney problem or develops an infection from the broken tooth - or has rotting teeth, which will cause him pain eating. And getting teeth cleaned costs a lot less than having them removed later in life!

Laurie

I agree with the people who say it is more or less related to the teeth. The borken tooth and proabaly needs to have his teeth cleaned.

Well, although his tooth is broken off, from the pointed end, halfway up, it is not decayed, and his gums look the same as the other guys. Don't know how his tooth got broke, but living on the street, who knows?

I do intend to take him in a few weeks, waiting for better weather, make an appointment etc. It doesn't seem urgent, and as I said, I hate to do it because I hate the thought of that needle going into his neck for blood. I have seen that so many times, the way their pupils dilate, and I just hate doing it to him, but if it means a healthier existance in the long run, than I have to do it. That's just it, there is nothing definitive. But I should let the vet give him a once over. I sure hope he doesn't have kidney problems. I can't imagine what that would entail.
I will keep you posted, thanks for the input.

Originally Posted by gailuvscats

Well, although his tooth is broken off, from the pointed end, halfway up, it is not decayed, and his gums look the same as the other guys. Don't know how his tooth got broke, but living on the street, who knows?

I do intend to take him in a few weeks, waiting for better weather, make an appointment etc. It doesn't seem urgent, and as I said, I hate to do it because I hate the thought of that needle going into his neck for blood. I have seen that so many times, the way their pupils dilate, and I just hate doing it to him, but if it means a healthier existance in the long run, than I have to do it. That's just it, there is nothing definitive. But I should let the vet give him a once over. I sure hope he doesn't have kidney problems. I can't imagine what that would entail.
I will keep you posted, thanks for the input.

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with my Kandie they take blood from the front leg

When my old vet suspected kidney issues, he first smelled their breath. CRF cats often have a strange mouth odor and he correctly diagnosed my Bogart before the blood work came back. That said, the breath could be from the teeth. Get a blood test on her to make sure its not the kidneys then tackle the teeth!