Eosinophilic Ulcer (Rodent Ulcer) - what helps???

chaoran22

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
20
Purraise
1
My poor kitten who we found on the streets around 3 months of age (now over a year old) has always had eosinophilic ulcers. so we've been trying prednisone which worked like magic at first, the ulcers went away within a day or two after he getting prednisone, and now i can't even tell if it's the prednisone (oral - 5mg) that's making them go away or if it's just time because it takes forever for them to go away (3 weeks for this last one! he got one right after another) even when he's on prednisone. the vet says the next option is an injection of steroids but i really don't want to subject him to that. (and it's not a money issue, i just don't think steroids are good and am afraid of them changing him personality-wise, he's just the perfect happy cat as he is now). but the ulcers are so big sometimes (usually on his lip and spreads to his gums on the inside of his mouth - only twice on his toes) that it really looks like he's in pain and they can be bloody when he licks his lips with his rough tongue. not to mention i can't brush his teeth because his lips are so bloody and his breath and dental health have completely gone downhill. it never ceases to amaze me that when they finally heal, his lips return to their pre-ulcer state as if he never had the ulcers because when he has them, his lip gets so deformed looking that i'm always afraid it won't heal back to normal.

does anyone have ideas on what to do next? my vet also suggested a hypoallergenic diet, but i don't want to do that either (i know they're nutritionally adequate but i can't help but feel a regular diet provides more) unless necessary. what options have you tried that worked? is he doomed to this forever? he's not even 2 yrs yet, will he be suffering like this for the next 20 years?
 

sharky

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
27,231
Purraise
38
HYPO = less... lots of OTC regular foods avoid the top allergens and are QUITE complete....

I have a list somewhere
... ie one meat and one starch or grain

L Lysine can help if it is herpes related

this is one time I would suggest a basic multiple for extra support ...
 

xxjustmusicxx

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Aug 28, 2005
Messages
52
Purraise
1
Location
nyc
This isn't really any help...my cat lived 14 years with rodent ulcers, he developed them around age 2. He started on the same prednisone doses as yours, but they didn't work, and then he got the steroid injections, didn't work. He had 2 biopsy's to see if they were cancerous, and they werent, and while the doctor was doing the biopsy's he took off his lip ulcers, and he appeared normal for about a month until they continued growing again. So he lived with it his entire life, the injections sort of worked, they never made them disappear, but having them kept them at bay. I never found anything that helped: i changed brands of food (went organic for a while too), his litter. I know other people out there have cats with RUs too so we need your help, im always looking out for things i could have done to help him, and im always worried one of my cats now will develop it. Best of luck to you.
 

chrissyr

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
May 14, 2006
Messages
784
Purraise
1
Location
Around the bend!
My Honey has one right smack on her chin. She's an exotic 6 year old persian and has has this since she was a year old. We tried everything the vet recommended and even changed food and water bowls to stainless steel. That worked for about a month then it came back. She hasn't had surgery because there's really nothing to remove and the vet said it would just come back. I was told as long as it doesn't stop her from eating, don't worry about it. The only problem she has is when it grows big (it will go small then big for some reason) her poor gums pull sideways and bleed.

If there's a successfull way of getting rid of this thing, I'd love to hear it, too.

Best of luck with your guy and know you're not the only one with a kitty with a RU.
 

momofmany

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jul 15, 2003
Messages
16,249
Purraise
70
Location
There's no place like home
Keep all food and water bowls sterilized as if you were treating for chin acne. Use stainless steel bowls, keep an extra set and sterilize them daily. If you are feeding off a plastic mat, either clean that daily or get rid of it. My Pinky has had it for many years now. If I don't do the above, it flares up immediately.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6

chaoran22

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
20
Purraise
1
maybe it's the mat! i hadn't thought of that, i'm good about cleaning his stainless steel bowls but hadn't thought of the mat underneath it. i only clean that when i clean the kitchen so i'll try to do that every day now. it's just so frustrating - i know it's not THAT bad for his health, harmless in comparison to some other conditions, but it definitely seems to make him cranky when he has a big one and i'm sure it hurts quite a bit too. It's frustrating because I would do whatever it took to keep these from flaring up but when I don't know what to do, there's nothing I can do! sigh.

Sharky - what's a basic multiple? And how do I know if it's herpes related? I don't think my vet tested for that..
 

jcat

Mo(w)gli's can opener
Veteran
Joined
Feb 13, 2003
Messages
73,213
Purraise
9,851
Location
Mo(w)gli Monster's Lair
Jamie used to have a problem with rodent ulcers, among other things, and two measures have helped. First, any foods containing soy and/or beet pulp were eliminated from his diet. Second, on the advice of others whose cats suffer from EGC, I started to give him salmon oil capsules containing Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. One 500 mg. capsule, pierced and squeezed over wet food every day, helps to clear up his ulcer(s); try that over a six-week period. Once the ulcer has disappeared, he gets one 500 mg. dose once a week for "maintenance".
ETA: This has really worked for me. I got the advice from a German EGC forum. You might want to Google to find a similar English-language EGC forum.
 
Top