Nel Has Mouth Sores... Help! (pictures included)

Hello,
My 2 year old Tortoise-Shell, Nel, has some sort of mouth sores(kitty cold sores?). She had a smaller one appear last year. It lasted approximately 3 months, healed up and went away. These two appeared about 1 month ago and have grown much larger in size than the previous. They do not seem to cause her any pain as she eats and drinks just fine. I am not sure of the cause or any way to remedy it... being in the mouth-region it is pointless to put any sort of healing ointment on them. 

Has anyone had a similar problem with their cats? Or have any sort of recommendation? (other than visiting a vet, that will come if my extended research does not help).

Any feedback is appreciated!
Thank you,
Concerned Cat Mom
     

Hi AlyssaM,

From my guess, I think it is Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex but it does seem rather concerning as your kitty's upper lip looks quite inflamed. My kitten had a small reddish bump on his lower lip a few months back which got progressively worse over the weekend and I got worried. He looked like his tongue was hanging out of his mouth. He was totally fine otherwise, ate/drank/eliminated/played without any real concern. Regardless, I took him in to my vet to be seen and was given a corticosteroid shot to help as an anti-inflammatory. It gradually did go away, but it took about a week for it to look completely normal again.

ECG or "rodent ulcers" (once believed that from bites or infection from rodents as the original cause) are thought to be an allergic reaction to fleas, chemicals in the environment, or food, but vets are still not sure of the root cause can be. Sometimes it is idiopathic (unknown cause) but it usually responds well with a long-acting steroid from a vet. If it doesn't clear up after the medication administration, it could mean something much more serious, so a biopsy would be needed. Hopefully that is not the case with your Nel. I'd look to see if she's been exposed to any of the allergens mentioned and try to reduce her exposure in the future and keep her stress levels low by engaging her in interactive play, keeping a routine schedule with her, and making sure my home environment has minimal chemicals being used, including: carpet freshners, scented litters, etc. 

Healing and positive vibes sent to you and Nel... Hoping it's nothing more serious, but I still recommend the vet visit since it does look distressing and cats are masters at hiding their pain.

An informative link:  http://www.askthecatdoctor.com/rodent-ulcer.html

A more detailed one: http://www.2ndchance.info/egc.htm

As far as scented litters and carpet fresheners, we do not use any of these. Baking soda is our primary deodorizer for litter boxes, and carpets. She does have a regular schedule, gets outdoor play, comes in occasionally through the day and sleeps inside with me at night.   Also let it be noted none of the other 5 cats have this problem and they all eat the same food and are bathed with the same shampoo.

Until I can get a veterinary appointment / afford medication for Nel I will try changing her food since that seems to be the only constant. 

 

@EmandJee  Thank you very much, and I will look into this ECG thing immediately. Could you possibly tell me how much it cost you to get the corticosteroid shot? 

AlyssaM,

I'm sorry, I've tried looking for old paperwork from my vet's office and I can't seem to find them...I don't think it cost that much, otherwise I'd remember it! I'm thinking it was probably around $35 or so? It may vary from region to region, or from one clinic versus another.  My vet was initially hesitant in giving it to my kitten but he was ok as she had given him such a low dose. I hope you get a good vet in your area for a proper diagnosis, though! 

Well wishes to you and Nel again. 

I agree with EmandJee.  My first thought was EGC as well.  Thankfully steroids are cheap.

We have switched her back to IAMS Original for cats ages 1-6. My boyfriend and I have both come to the realization that since we took her off of it (cost), is when we noticed she started to form the ulcers. Perhaps an allergy to the 9Lives Daily Essentials or Meow Mix we have always fed the other cats. This being said all of our cats have access to the outdoors (we live on a farm). We keep a full 2-sided cat dish in the garage for the kitties so they can eat at their own leisure. The majority of them have spent their entire lives outside, with the exception of Nel. She sleeps indoors at night and comes in frequently through the day to hang out with me.

Update! 

Nel's mouth sores are beginning to heal. As you can see in the above photo they are substantially smaller than when I made my first post a month ago.

The good news:
I made Nel an appointment for Thursday Aug. 14th. She is going to get ALL of her shots, a wellness exam and be spayed!  

My poor little girl, she has never been to the Vet before and will probably think we are leaving her  . 

I will update this thread again after we hear what the Vet has to say about her mouth, as well as how he appointment went.
 

So, I have been looking in Nel's mouth a couple times a day to get her ready for the Vet to do just that on Thursday so she is kind of used to it. I don't know how or why I never saw it before, but she has a similar sore on the roof of her mouth, near the back of her throat. 

More evidence pointing toward EGC I suppose. 

3 more days until her appointment then hopefully we will have some insight as to what it is and/or what can be done to help. 

Nel's appointment went well. Her surgery went perfect and she is recovering now. I can go pick her up anytime after 2:30pm.

The Vet said she indeed does have EGC/rodent ulcers and are giving her a steroid shot along with oral antibiotics to take at home. We also have to make a second appointment for 2 weeks from now for a second steroid shot.

I'm glad her appt went well!  I'm also glad her mouth isn't freaky X, Y, or Z disease that can't be dealt with.  I've been the owner of animals with rare conditions and it isn't fun.

Baby Nel is home safe and sound. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

Awww.... sweet little girl! Good wishes that she recovers well from the spay and that the steroid does what's expected for her mouth

Susank521 said:

Awww.... sweet little girl! Good wishes that she recovers well from the spay and that the steroid does what's expected for her mouth

Click to expand...

Thank you! The vet expects to see improvement by her appointment in two weeks.

She's still locked in her carrier for now, until she is less groggy. She is just sleeping anyway. [emoji]128570[/emoji][emoji]128522[/emoji][emoji]128151[/emoji]

The steroid and antibiotic seem to be doing their job.

This is her mouth this morning. Her ulcers are significantly smaller since the day of her appointment.