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Stomatitis

post #1 of 10
9/9/11 at 10:36am
Thread Starter 
Our little rescue has been diagnosed with stomatitis. We've tried 2 rounds of antibiotics, but all that accomplished was to shrink the lymph nodes and eliminate the stinky breath. But those returned shortly after each course of antibios.

Next step is a dental extraction. Has anyone's kitty had this done? I am very nervous about cost, the consultation already costs $95. Our next-closest city is San Antonio, would be grateful for recommendations if anyone here had it done there.
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post #2 of 10
9/9/11 at 12:24pm
Holland had (has?) stomatitis and had a full dental extraction done about a year and a half ago. She was only a year and a half old at the time. I live in Denver so I can't speak to where you live, but I paid $2000 for the whole thing. Looking back, I wish I had called around to see if I could get a better price or haggled with them or something. This was a pricey vet that we had been going to at the time, so that cost is probably pretty high. I'm not sure. When I was first given the estimate they thought she'd be able to keep some of her teeth, so the estimate wasn't nearly as high as what I ended up paying. But once they got in there they recommended full extraction or face the same surgery again in 6 months.

I used Care Credit for the surgery, as I didn't have anything near $2000 to spend. It sucked, but once she had healed she was like a new kitty - playful, healthy eater, no stinky breath... Good luck!

ETA: One thing I like to keep in mind is that at least now I will never have to pay another cent toward dental care for her...
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post #3 of 10
9/9/11 at 1:04pm
Thread Starter 
Wow, $2000!!
That's pretty awful. The lady we were referred to is supposed to be a specialist in stomatitis and other oral diseases. The appointment is next week, so we'll see what she says.
In the meantime, I talked to a friend and happened to mention the situation, turns out she had to have dental extractions done for her cat who also has stomatitis a few weeks ago. Her regular vet did it and it cost her around $700. She said he did a really good job, scraped the sockets and flushed them, and sewed everything up. He told her if any tooth debris or ligament is left, the inflammation will recur. Plus, he told her that success depends on how many courses of steroids the cat has been on. So it sounds like he knows exactly what he is doing.
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post #4 of 10
9/9/11 at 1:12pm
Wow... now I really wish I had asked around more!!! I had only had Holland for a little over a year when she had her surgery, she's my first cat (and first pet outside of the ones I had growing up) so I was a little clueless.

$700 seems like a bargain to me, and it does sound like this vet knows what he's doing. I can say that Holland never had a single problem after her extraction, and the dentist who did the extractions was very attentive, he called me before and after surgery, so the care was excellent. Just expensive!!
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post #5 of 10
9/9/11 at 1:30pm
Thread Starter 
I was happy to hear about the $700, though she only had molars and pre-molars removed, so for a full mouth, it would be more. But we'll have to see what the specialist says.

Strangely, he only has a red line along the gums, and stinky breath, as well as enlarged lymph nodes. I read stomatitis causes ulcers and lesions, which he definitely does not have.

Also read that many times a Bartonella infection will cause stomatitis-like appearance, and that can be wiped out with antibios that kill bartonella. Once the infection is gone, the gums go back to normal. When I mentioned Bartonella to our vet, she was not convinced and thought it definitely was not an issue. She might be right, but there is not way to tell without testing for Bartonella. So, lots to ask the specialist next week.

Your Holland is beautiful, one of ours is almost all black, with only a tiny white patch under his chin.
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post #6 of 10
9/10/11 at 10:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by txcats View Post
Your Holland is beautiful, one of ours is almost all black, with only a tiny white patch under his chin.
Thanks! I love black cats. Holland has a few white hairs on her neckline, but other than that she's completely black.
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post #7 of 10
9/10/11 at 11:23am
It seems like there is a huge difference in prices for dental work depending on where you live. One of my cats had a dental with five extractions done this past February and it was $1300. That included a half off deal on the cleaning and extractions because it was Pet Dental Health Month. The vet I go to now is one of the higher priced vets in the area. I had started going there because of a chronic health problem my other cat has that other vets couldn't seem to get a handle on. When it comes to extractions though you need to have someone do it that is good at what they do. Because the roots are so long and the jaw so small it is easy to fracture their jaw if it isn't done right. My cat was fine after. She even ate dry kibble that night. I gave her canned food but she wanted her kibble.
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post #8 of 10
9/10/11 at 11:30am
Thread Starter 
Denice, so it would have been $2600 for the dental and 5 extractions if it had not been for the discounts???
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post #9 of 10
9/10/11 at 11:54am
There was no discount on things like bloodwork, anesthetic, and x-rays just the dental work itself. If I remember right it wouldve been around $1700 without the discount. This vet is very cautious as well. I took her in the afternoon before for her bloodwork and she stayed there that night so there was the fee for inpatient care. She does that to make sure there is no food or water before anesthetic.
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post #10 of 10
9/10/11 at 3:45pm
Twitch & Cow (littermates) both had full dental extractions for the same reason. Twitch was 3 years, Cow was 5 years. (Both probably needed them when they were about 1.5 y/o).

I paid under $250/each. Then again, I live in a VERY rural area, my vet care is probably 1/4 of what the same thing would cost you.

Both kitties eat both dry/wet food just fine & have had no problems with their mouth/gums since the surgery.
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