Yes, he was just diagnosed 3 weeks ago. He had to have a mass removed that was not cancerous.Originally Posted by Carolina
hum.... whatelse is your doctor doing for your cat? That's all?
A dentist will not cost you more than a vet BTY, the only difference is that you money will be more effectivelly spentOriginally Posted by Dilly
Thanks. Bart is only 3, so hopefully he can keep his teeth for a while.
Not really sure where the closest dentist for cats would be.
She has given Bart a shot of Convenia 2 differnet times.Originally Posted by Momofmany
Back to your original question. The primary risk for giving prednisone to a cat is that it might trigger diabetes. Cats can tolerate pred far better than either humans or dogs (in case you've heard horror stories about it), and even if they develop diabetes, it is possible that they can self regulate their insulin and the diabetes resolves itself shortly. If a cat is kept on it long term, you should have regular blood work done to verify their insulin levels.
I have a completely toothless cat that had the LPGS form of stomatitis and he has been on pred for going on 4 years. His blood work has always been perfect.
Starting with a dentist is a good idea, as there can be multiple reasons why a cat gets stomatitis, and in order to treat it effectively (either steroids, extractions, diet change, dentals, etc) will depend on what is causing it.
If your cat has ulcerative stomatitis, I would be surprised if your vet didn't also prescribe some type of antibiotic to prevent bacterial infections in the ulcers. The mouth is a prime spot to pick up bacteria.
If this were me, I'd call the vet and ask why not an antibiotic and ask for a referral to a vet dentist.
As always Amy....... Great points on StomatitisOriginally Posted by Momofmany
I have a completely toothless cat that had the LPGS form of stomatitis and he has been on pred for going on 4 years. His blood work has always been perfect.
Actually, Bugsy had a harder trouble eating wet when his gums were bad then dry food. He only got more comfortable eating wet foods after he started his treatment... Before, whenever he would eat wet food he would keep rubbing his teeth (lower jaw against top jaw) as thought something was stuck in it an bothering him.Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy
I have no experience with this illness but from the comments in these posts, I wonder if a wet diet would be better than a dry.
Disregarding the usual benefits of canned over bagged, kibble is hard and dry and might cause irritations to the ulcers (like eating cookies with a canker-sore). Also, while healthy cats can handle lots of bacteria with no issues, I wonder if the kinds of bacteria found on kibble might not find a those ulcers a fertile ground for growth?
May be something you want to discuss with the cat dentist....
In any case, many, many vibes for you and your kitty!
AC
What you mean by that?Originally Posted by Dilly
They did also clean Bart's teeth while he was there.
Thank you, he has to go back to the vet on the 20th to see how he's doing, and if his medicine needs adjusted. She's hoping that he be on every other day, or every 3rd day. He's getting 1 1/2 mils once a day right now.Originally Posted by Carolina
Ok...
Look, this is my opinion, of course, and seems to be of many who have stomatitis kitties. This is a very different disease, best treated with a dentist. Since you did get the Convenia shot, a dental recently, and are on the pred, you do have a little time to look for a dentist - probably a couple of months or so...
My vet refused to do the dental for me - I requested not once, but several times. He told me that with stomatitis, because of the different types, because of the way the dental needs to be done and the treatments that it might require, a dental alone would be the same as taking my money and tossing it - I would only buy me some time.
Going to the dentist was the best thing I ever did, for Bugsy and for me. Since then he has been a different cat. His quality of life has changed entirely.
So..... that is that... I hope your kitty does well on whatever treatment you choose....