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- Jan 12, 2015
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My 9 yr old cat started showing signs of pain in his mouth right around December 24th. He also had a large bump on his chin which I had never noticed before. We weren't able to get him to a vet until the 26th, but the vet took a look at him and told us he had to have a dental cleaning and would need at least two teeth extracted. He had previously had a dental cleaning and the lower right canine tooth removed eight months prior to this, so I thought that seemed very quick for another dental and more extractions. There was also a biopsy of the gum tissue at that time which came back negative.
So, we had the extractions (turns out he needed three teeth out), and a week later, he didn't seem to be doing great, so I brought him back in for a recheck. The vet didn't like how he was healing, and asked that I leave him with her so that she could sedate him and take a better look in his mouth. She cleaned the pockets, gave him a antibiotic injection and sent him home with liquid pain medication. She thought the bump on his chin was likely inflammation and possibly an abscess.
One week later, the bump is still there, and I took him back in for another check. The vet took xrays of the area, and he believes that is some sort of tumor, but won't know whether it is benign or malignant without a biopsy.
So, here is where my real trouble starts. The recommended treatment is the same no matter what kind of tumor it is. The vet is recommendeing a mandibulectomy. He said that they would likely need to take a quarter of the mandible. The tumor is near the front. I'm at a loss because I have seen pictures of these surgeries and read accounts that make this sound like a bad, permanent decision to make.
The vet even said that if the tumor is malignant that I should "do things my pet likes" instead of having the surgery, but either way, even in the best case scenario is having my pet's jaw amputated? Has anyone on this board had a cat that had this surgery who did well after it? My cat is easily stressed out and has had other conditions that are typically brought on by stress, such as a history of UTIs and urinary blockages.
Any advice would be very appreciated.
So, we had the extractions (turns out he needed three teeth out), and a week later, he didn't seem to be doing great, so I brought him back in for a recheck. The vet didn't like how he was healing, and asked that I leave him with her so that she could sedate him and take a better look in his mouth. She cleaned the pockets, gave him a antibiotic injection and sent him home with liquid pain medication. She thought the bump on his chin was likely inflammation and possibly an abscess.
One week later, the bump is still there, and I took him back in for another check. The vet took xrays of the area, and he believes that is some sort of tumor, but won't know whether it is benign or malignant without a biopsy.
So, here is where my real trouble starts. The recommended treatment is the same no matter what kind of tumor it is. The vet is recommendeing a mandibulectomy. He said that they would likely need to take a quarter of the mandible. The tumor is near the front. I'm at a loss because I have seen pictures of these surgeries and read accounts that make this sound like a bad, permanent decision to make.
The vet even said that if the tumor is malignant that I should "do things my pet likes" instead of having the surgery, but either way, even in the best case scenario is having my pet's jaw amputated? Has anyone on this board had a cat that had this surgery who did well after it? My cat is easily stressed out and has had other conditions that are typically brought on by stress, such as a history of UTIs and urinary blockages.
Any advice would be very appreciated.
