Gingivitis

urbantigers

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Can anyone recommend any good sites re gingivitis?

I took Mosi to the vets today for his vaccinations (his first boosters - he's 15 months old) and he has some gingivitis. The vet recommended he see a specialist to see whether it's anything to worry about and whether he needs any treatment for it. Fortunately my vets is also a referral centre so they noted the referral on the computer and I can just ring up in a few months time and book him in to see the dentistry specialist. But befoe I do that I'd like to find out as much as I can about gingivitis and treatments for it, so any advice, experiences or links anyone can provide would gratefully received.
 

anakat

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When I took Tolly for his booster they said the same thing, I will admit his gums were a bit red. They wanted £130 to clean his teeth

I bought some Logic to try that first, I got the first tube from the vet then found it online at half the price. I have been using it for four months now and it is wonderful, they don't mind the taste and he has no redness at all on his gums now.
 
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urbantigers

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I've been using logic gel for a while, although I have been a bit lax of late as I ran out a while ago. I think I will take him to see the specialist as he's insured and the insurance will cover the cost of referral (will be about £120 just for initial consultation) but I'm a bit worried about him having it so young, esp as somalis are prone to gingivitis. I'm not going to do that for a few months though so I'll get some more logic gel in the meantime and make a special effort to rub it on his gums where they're red and see if that improves it.
 

momofmany

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What I do know about gingivitus is that there are a number of different things that can trigger it. The younger the cat, the more chance that there is an underlying disease causing it, while with an older cat, it could just be related to dental hygiene.

My Oscar had it when he was about 4 months old and normal antibiotics didn't clear it up so he was on Zithromax for about 4 months (had to go to a pharmacy to fill that prescription). It knocked it out for a long time but it has just reoccured now that he is 3-1/2. We can't find the underlying disease that is causing it but assume it is something triggered by stress (we've had strangers in the house since early November with our kitchen remodel and he is afraid of strangers).

You can treat the symptoms, but it's probably worth your while to find out the root cause of the problem.
 

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I thought that with Orientals and Somalis it was genetic
 
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urbantigers

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Originally Posted by Momofmany

What I do know about gingivitus is that there are a number of different things that can trigger it. The younger the cat, the more chance that there is an underlying disease causing it, while with an older cat, it could just be related to dental hygiene.
That's what concerns me. Jaffa had some gingivitis at his last routine visit and had a dental as a result but he was 9 then and some gingivitis at that age is hardly unusual. However, Mosi's only a baby so if he has it now I'm worried it has a more serious underlying cause than just poor dental health. I guess that's why the vet wants him to see a specialist - so that he can find out if there is anything serious going on.
 

momofmany

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Originally Posted by urbantigers

That's what concerns me. Jaffa had some gingivitis at his last routine visit and had a dental as a result but he was 9 then and some gingivitis at that age is hardly unusual. However, Mosi's only a baby so if he has it now I'm worried it has a more serious underlying cause than just poor dental health. I guess that's why the vet wants him to see a specialist - so that he can find out if there is anything serious going on.
With my Oscar, they of course made sure that he had already been tested for FeLV & FIV, and with those negative, he offered that it could be calici, bordatello, something else, or just one of those genetic predisposition things that show up in young cats. We never found Oscar's problem, but because he eventually responded so well with Zithromax, we weren't too concerned.

I did happen to mention Zithromax to our humane society president and she agreed that it will clear up mouth disorders better than most antibiotics out there (humane societies are great resources as they see most diseases en masse in their shelters). You might ask about it. I had to cut a small pill into eighths and give him one section every other day for about 4 months. Once I got the pill cut, the rest was easy as the pill was so tiny.
 

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My Twitch has no teeth because her gingivitis was so severe. She was 7 months old, FIV/FeLV negative...the vet couldn't find any underlying cause. Twitch & I fought the gingivitis until there was no saving her teeth.
 

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I agree abuot maybe looking into what is causing it. My male cat Bradon was diagnosed with gingivitis when I adopted him at one year of age. Since it had not improved with better nutrition in the year since I have had him, my vet suggested I have him tested for bartonella. His test came back positive. Gingivitis can be a symptom of bartonella in young cats. Bartonella is curable. He was put on antibiotics (can't remember the name) for 20 days. His bad breath is completely gone, which makes me hope that his gingivitis is better as well.

The vet said we will have to re-test him in 6 months to make sure the bartonella is gone. If not, then I may have to give him another round of antibiotics. The test isn't expensive as I recall.
 
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urbantigers

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Is zithromax a brand name or a generic name? I'll make a note of that to mention to the vet if treatment is needed.
 

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Originally Posted by urbantigers

Is zithromax a brand name or a generic name? I'll make a note of that to mention to the vet if treatment is needed.
It's a brand name. There's some more info about it here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azithromycin

As I recall, those are a little expensive from the vet, so if Mosi needs a long course like Momofmany's cat did, then it would probably be cheaper to get them from a pharmacy like she did. It is very good stuff for a mouth/gum infection, though so well worth it either way.
 

momofmany

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Originally Posted by beandip

It's a brand name. There's some more info about it here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azithromycin

As I recall, those are a little expensive from the vet, so if Mosi needs a long course like Momofmany's cat did, then it would probably be cheaper to get them from a pharmacy like she did. It is very good stuff for a mouth/gum infection, though so well worth it either way.
My vet didn't even carry it so he sent me to a pharmacy. I remember getting a prescription for about 8 pills (cut in eight pieces or 64 doses) for about $35-$40. But it did last 4 months. Even though I'm on a prescription drug plan, the prescription was made out for a cat, so I couldn't get a co-pay deduction (my vet laughed at me when I asked to put it under my name). The pharmacist asked me "who is Little Oscar?"
 

beandip

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Originally Posted by Momofmany

My vet didn't even carry it so he sent me to a pharmacy. I remember getting a prescription for about 8 pills (cut in eight pieces or 64 doses) for about $35-$40. But it did last 4 months. Even though I'm on a prescription drug plan, the prescription was made out for a cat, so I couldn't get a co-pay deduction (my vet laughed at me when I asked to put it under my name). The pharmacist asked me "who is Little Oscar?"
A couple of mine have had just a weeks worth once or twice, I think I paid almost $20 for one pill (8 doses, like you said). And my vet is usually really reasonable so I figured that was a spendy one...but you did get a much better deal.
Too bad about the co-pay, huh? I know what you mean, the name "Beandip" always gets a good chuckle at Walgreens.
 
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