Severe stomatitis....any hope?

Here's the story....several weeks ago we went to a no-kill shelter to meet several 6-10 yr old female cats we had seen on petfinder.  The one we thought was the best fit  for us (Sharon, orange tabby girl, age 6-8) happened to be in terrible shape.  She was short-haired but matted and dirty, had been drooling, and had a silent meow.  I expressed my concern to an employee and they said they were going to take her to the vet to get checked out.  It dawned on my during my ride home that dental problems and pain could have caused this poor sweet cat to stop grooming herself causing the mats. 

Fast forward a few weeks past our vacation (where we thought over the decision and hoped she was getting vet care.)  We visited for a third time and submitted an application for adoption....still no vet visit, though.  The director called me the next day to say our application was approved but that she knew the cat needed to see a vet so we could make an informed decision.  (And even though we were willing to take on a cat that needed a little TLC, this cat was in such rough shape that I though more info on her health would be a good thing.)

Yesterday a shelter employee delivered the news that Sharon has a severe mouth infection (stomatitis from what the vet said) and made it sound pretty dire.  She said the vet gave her a shot and she needs to go back for another shot in 3 weeks.  The prospect of removing all her teeth was discussed.  They are feeding her canned food now.

I spoke to the vet last night.  He also made it sound pretty hopeless.  He said even when every tooth in the head is removed the infection sometimes doesn't clear up.  (He couldn't remember what kind of shot was given and wouldn't venture a guess.)  Research I did on the internet also suggested that recovery rate after tooth extraction could be as low as 30 %.  I also learned that she could very well be infected with calcivirus.

Honestly, I think it would take a pretty special "calling" to take on a cat that would need this much medical attention and possible expensive oral surgery....especially without much hope for recovery.  It is also questionable whether it would be in the cat's best interest to uproot her while she is in pain, expecting her to endure new cats hissing at her under the door of her isolation room and expecting her to bond with a new family while she is so sick.  I'm not even sure the shelter would allow us to adopt her now that they know her health status. It breaks my heart that we probably will walk away.  (I had several weeks to dream about bringing this cat home and giving her a happy ending.  She was dumped at this shelter two years ago as a mom with kittens.)  At least the shelter is now aware of her condition.  Hopefully they will follow through with the vet care needed.

Just curious if there are any great success stories of dealing with stomatitis out there.  Any hope? 

Edited to add....Thanks for "listening" even if you have no hope to offer.  This whole experience has been so upsetting and it helps to have other cat lovers to talk it over with.

I'm pretty sure Carolina's Bugsy had severe stomatitis and it's AOK now, but she'll need to come on and discuss it herself.  BUT, all the rest (trying to integrate her during her recovery, etc.) is another story.  I also know there are several cats here that have had all their teeth removed, and they don't even seem to know it!  So that part shouldn't be an issue, IF they can get the infection cleared up.  I don't understand why it's so difficult to clear up the infection if all the teeth are pulled, but, then again, I am NO vet.  But don't give up yet!  Miracles DO happen and maybe she'll be in the 30% that do recover.

I just wanted to say I've heard (meaning you'll need to research this and check with a vet) from my days of crf kitties (tanya's website for crf discusses this I believe) that slippery elm powder can be used to coat and soothe - helps with nausea and I think may be useful in this situation.  I've only used it for nausea with one of my kitties in the past.  I hope perhaps Carolina will have used it or know of it.

I wish this kitty all the best..I wouldn't give up on her just yet.

My Merlin had severe stomatitis/gingivitis that my vet and I fought for over a year. He started with a full dental under anesthesia and then had prednisone shots every few months with increasing frequency and decreasing effectiveness. My vet finally sent him to a dental specialist who pulled all of his teeth. It was so bad the dentist wouldn't even let me take him home and bring him back a week later for the surgery. There was never any mention that chances of recovery were low, just that if he didn't have it done he would likely never get better.

Merlin never stopped eating and one of my other cats kept him pretty well groomed. However, he did a lot of drooling and he became a very quiet kitty, which for an abyssinian is not normal. I felt really bad that I didn't get have the extraction done sooner. He must have been in horrible pain and I thought he was just calming down because he was growing out of his kittenhood.

Yes, the surgery was expensive, but so worth it. Merlin was back to his usual bouncy self almost before he was out of the anesthesia. (I call him Monkey for a reason ). He's now a very happy healthy kitty, and he has no idea that he doesn't have any teeth.

Thanks for the input guys.  Sounds like such a happy ending for Merlin.    I'm seeing differing numbers on the likelihood of success with extraction.  But I think what your vet said was spot on, he would not get better without it (I'm guessing, from what I've read so far.)  I'm reading that treatment needs to be very aggressive.  I'm afraid the shelter won't be that aggressive and I'm not sure yet whether my family is up for the challenge (time wise, financially or emotionally.)  (Yes, any one of our cats could need extensive medical treatment at any time....but to take a new one on in that shape.....when she does have guardians responsible for her....) But it feels horrible to think of just leaving her there to suffer.

I've had a couple kitties w/ stomatisis - who have had all their teeth removed & had no re-occuring problems since then in regards to dental health. It has been 8 years for one of them w/o further mouth issues.

Yes, Bugsy has stomatitis, which was pretty severe, and he is doing wonderful now! I did not do extractions though.... I treated him in a clinic here in Dallas (how far are you from Dallas?) That specializes in stomatitis.... Then, after he went on a raw diet, his inflammation started going down..... And now he just went off meds- he is on holistic medication for it (from his holistic vet), and doing great so far.
I highly recommend the clinic that treated him.... The reason why I didn't extract is that almost 50% of the lps stomatitis cases are not resolved with extractions.... So it would be a lot of pain for a huge gamble.
One thing is for sure, don't lose hope.... It is a bad, frustrating disease, but you can manage/control it; it is not something to be hopeless about it. If your vet. Made you feel this way, imho, time to find a dentist that understands this disease.
If you want more information about the clinic, PM me, I will give you....

Any update? Have you decided if you can handle all the issues?

Any update? Have you decided if you can handle all the issues?

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Thanks for asking.  I didn't feel right about adopting when this cat could literally be at death's door (she sure looks the part.)  But, there is also a chance she could be just fine with treatment.  I e-mailed the shelter director the following proposal and she agreed to it.....

1)  We will pick up Sharon and take her to our vet to get their opinion on her condition.  I will have them run a blood panel to see how her organs are functioning.  (I sound like I know what I'm talking about, but only somewhat.  I do know the infection could have damaged her kidneys and liver and such and that there are blood tests for the function of those organs.  I also know the test could give some indication of whether she is eaten up with cancer or something.)  I will also have them do a FeLV/FIV test just to be on the safe side.  (I'm pretty sure this was done when she arrived at this shelter but I'm not sure they have record of it.)

2)  If her organs seem okay and our vet thinks there is reasonable hope for recovery, we will foster Sharon at our home to see if we can get her to the point of good health.  I wouldn't put her in the position of meeting our cats and integrating with them if I thought she was in pain.  She would stay separate from our cats.  (We have a spacious laundry room for this.)  If she needs tooth extractions, the shelter director said they would have the resources to cover at least part of the surgery.  I'm sure we would be covering a lot of vet expenses because a lot of things I would want done (as a potential adopter) are not things the shelter usually have done with the number of cats they care for.  For example, I'd take in a stool sample to test for parasites as a precaution but I'm sure the shelter never worries about parasites unless there is an obvious problem. 

I'm nervous about proceeding, but this seemed like a reasonable plan.  I'm nervous there will be no clarity about how sick she is and her chances for recovery.  Basically, I think it would be best for everyone if she is in a hospice sort of stage of things for her to live out her life at the shelter where she has been for 2 years.  If there is hope for a happy pain free life I'd love to give her a chance for it. 

I treated him in a clinic here in Dallas (how far are you from Dallas?)

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We're in West Texas (Lubbock), 5 hours from Dallas.  Sounds like a great clinic though.  I think yours is the only story I've read of a happy ending without extractions. 

txcatmom said:

Thanks for asking.  I didn't feel right about adopting when this cat could literally be at death's door (she sure looks the part.)  But, there is also a chance she could be just fine with treatment.  I e-mailed the shelter director the following proposal and she agreed to it.....

1)  We will pick up Sharon and take her to our vet to get their opinion on her condition.  I will have them run a blood panel to see how her organs are functioning.  (I sound like I know what I'm talking about, but only somewhat.  I do know the infection could have damaged her kidneys and liver and such and that there are blood tests for the function of those organs.  I also know the test could give some indication of whether she is eaten up with cancer or something.)  I will also have them do a FeLV/FIV test just to be on the safe side.  (I'm pretty sure this was done when she arrived at this shelter but I'm not sure they have record of it.)

2)  If her organs seem okay and our vet thinks there is reasonable hope for recovery, we will foster Sharon at our home to see if we can get her to the point of good health.  I wouldn't put her in the position of meeting our cats and integrating with them if I thought she was in pain.  She would stay separate from our cats.  (We have a spacious laundry room for this.)  If she needs tooth extractions, the shelter director said they would have the resources to cover at least part of the surgery.  I'm sure we would be covering a lot of vet expenses because a lot of things I would want done (as a potential adopter) are not things the shelter usually have done with the number of cats they care for.  For example, I'd take in a stool sample to test for parasites as a precaution but I'm sure the shelter never worries about parasites unless there is an obvious problem. 

I'm nervous about proceeding, but this seemed like a reasonable plan.  I'm nervous there will be no clarity about how sick she is and her chances for recovery.  Basically, I think it would be best for everyone if she is in a hospice sort of stage of things for her to live out her life at the shelter where she has been for 2 years.  If there is hope for a happy pain free life I'd love to give her a chance for it. 



We're in West Texas (Lubbock), 5 hours from Dallas.  Sounds like a great clinic though.  I think yours is the only story I've read of a happy ending without extractions. 

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Actually.... there are many.... many..... A few years ago Bugsy was patient 6 thousand something :lol3:
This clinic has been treating stomatitis without or with minimum extractions for over 30 years. Here is some info on the founder of the Clinic, the owner until 2009, and the developer of the treatment, Dr. Wiggs. He passed away in 2009, but it is still the same treatment. He was considered by many as the father of veterinary dentistry in the US. He was huge in the field. http://avdc.org/Bob_Wiggs.pdf
When it comes to LPS stomatitis, full mouth extractions ***can*** ba a solution, but it is also a gamble. A lot of cats still need treatment afterwards - It is a complicated disease, one of those that only time will tell.....
Good luck hun

Update for those who participated in this thread....

We took Sharon to our vet for their opinion on her condition on Aug. 2.  I was not satisfied with their approach to Stomatitis.  The vet only gave her a 1% chance of living a life without steroids.  I started calling around to other vets in town and on Aug. 4 one called me back and I knew she was "the one."  She said that as a last resort sometimes steroids do become needed but she has seen success with just surgery (removing all teeth behind the canines), surgery + laser treatments, or surgery + diet change. 

We picked Sharon up from the shelter on August 6 and brought her to our house for fostering.  We would like to adopt her if we can get her healthy enough to meet our other cats.  She saw the new vet yesterday (Aug. 7) and she advised we need to get her URI cleared up before putting her under for dental work.  She was very thorough....heard her breathing all the way down in her lungs so she did lung x-rays just to check and make sure she got the right meds.  Her lungs looked good, just a little inflammation near the top.  She is on doxycycline and a low dose steroid tablet.  She also got ear drops and ear wash for an ear infection.  (No evidence of ear mites but my vet had given her Revolution just in case....also tapeworm meds for obvious tapeworm infestation.)  Oh, and while she was at my vet they re-did the FeLV/FIV test and she was negative.  They also did a full blood panel and everything looked good besides some elevated numbers relating to the immune system, which is not surprising with the stomatitis. 

We took Sharon to a groomer today for a quick nail trim.  (We know how to do it but like to get to know a cat first.)  The groomer also combed out her mats for no extra charge.  They were near the surface and it didn't even seem to hurt when they pulled off.  I had been brushing her but was afraid to hurt her by getting the mats.  So glad that is taken care of....she looked like such a little ragamuffin with the mats (but a cute ragamuffin.) 

She is eating well and very playful, especially in the morning.  We never got to see her playful side at the shelter.  She does NOT like her ear wash and drops but she is a total sweetheart and we are enjoying getting to know her better.

Thanks for all the input I got here.  I may not have called around to find the right vet without your input.  And without a vet to treat the condition, I'm not sure we could have fostered her. 

I'm glad you're fostering her, and many good wishes that she can be treated and feeling great very soon.  Are we going to see some pictures of her now that she's been all "beautified"??

All my maine coons have struggled with this on and off.  I think it's genetic for them.  They've all been treated at different times, ruled out for infections, given different antibiotics and we've discussed extractions, but never went through with it.  

Samson is 5 years old and his totally cleared up on its own a few years ago.  It was a miracle!  

Sebastian is 2 and he had it really bad as a kitten.  Had a full cleaning under anesthesia.  It's better, but not totally gone.  He still gets some dark pink inflammation around the tooth line, but much better than the full bright red mouth he had a few years ago.  He's also the best about get his teeth brushed/rinsed with CET rinse, so I try to keep up with that..... 

Georgia is the one I'm really worried about.  She's 5 years old, but we've had her for 2 years.  Right before we got her, the breeder who owned her took her to the vet for a dental cleaning/extraction.  So I had the feeling it'd been a problem for awhile.  Way in the back her gums are very red.  We've tried antibiotics to no avail and she HATES getting her teeth brushed.  I just ordered some CET aquadent for her water and dental treats.  But I worry in her case, more extractions may be necessary...  She's happy and vocal with a great appetite, but I know it can't be good to have such an inflamed mouth...

She also has a chronic diarrhea problem we're working on and wonder if it's related.  With her new diet of ONLY w/d wet food and no kibble, she seems to be better (no diarrhea in 2 days!) 

Can eating kibble irritate inflamed gums?  At any rate, we're cutting it out for now to try and solve the diarrhea and if it helps the gums too - a double bonus!

Sorry if I don't have great advice!  It's a work in progress for us and with each cat it's been so individual!

Good luck!!

Are we going to see some pictures of her now that she's been all "beautified"??

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Well, sure.  We just got some today.  Here's one my son took today of her licking her lips after some commercial raw that we are trying as snacks with our cats....


And here's one that shows her pretty eyes a little better....


One more....

She's very pretty!  I want an orange cat next time around, just 'cause I've never had one .  And glad to see she's liking the raw!

I have a little old lady cat called cleo, She has got stomatitus and still isn't right, she is between 18 and 20 years old but the vet said she is in very good condition for her age, over the last few months she went off her food altogether and I had to feed her by syringe, I have also been giving her colostrum milk slippery elm and pain relief from the vet we were with, I changed vets because for me that just wasn't enough, the new vet has said she needs long term antibiotic's and has been on then for 7 or 8 days now, she has just started eating on her own again but is still suffering some times especially with her eye weeping and very sore and it still seems to bother her ears, is this normal or are the vets missing something because I have read up on stomatitus and haven't seen any referance to eye problems connected to stomatitusor ear problems for that matter, I am not a rich person and if I thought it would help I would have her teeth pulled tommorow but our vet said she didn't think it would do any good, I have seen improvement since the antibiotics but will she carry on improving or will she always be in pain? I have heard of a cocktail that an american ver who has since died invented and a vet named Mr Don De forge who also has a cure with surgery, I have emailed this gentleman and he was very nice and said I must see a dental vet and thats what i'm trying to sort out now but can anyone give me anymore adive that might help?

Hi I'm in the  UK, don't suppose you know if your vet could tell you if the treatment is available over here and if they know where they are in the uk if any

Hi I'm in the  UK, don't suppose you know if your vet could tell you if the treatment is available over here

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Hi.  If your question is referring to Carolina's post about the Dallas clinic, I don't believe they ship meds overseas.  I'm sorry your Cleo is having a hard time.  One factor in stomatitis can be certain bacteria and viruses that also can cause eye problems so I guess in that sense you could say they are related.

My Lucy (formerly named Sharon and the one who I started this thread about) had some extractions but still needed a steroid shot to control some inflammation at the back of her mouth and throat.  It is unfortunate, since steroids can have some serious side effects, but she was in pain and we had to do something.  Has your vet discussed steroids as a possible treatment?  My vet said we have to consider quality of life over quantity....and the steroids have indeed helped her feel much better.  Another thing I've seen mentioned but don't know much about is feline omega interferon.  Apparently it is available in the UK but hard to get in the US.  It might be worth asking your vet about.