We have a kitty that got a gum infection. It has been treated and the vet says they can find no signs of infection or problems anymore. Yet hourly she has these fits where she chatters and scratches ferociously at her right jaw with uncomfortable meows. She is eating better now but still not nearly as much as she used to and only wet food. Any advice please!?
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Cat with mouth issues
- Thread starter demomom89
- Start Date
I suggest going to a veterinary dental specialist. They have been specially trained in dental care. Regular vets often don't know how to do a proper oral exam and notice signs of dental issues. You can find a dental specialist here: AVDC Veterinary Dentist Directory. The directory includes several countries in addition to the US.
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- #3
The closest one is 4hrs away
I can't get her there sadly.- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #4
Turns out she has Plasmactic-Lymphocytic Stomatitis They want to remove all the teeth past her canines >.< At least I know now. On to trying to find out how to afford this thing >.< If anyone has any input or experience with this disease I'd love to hear!
![IMG_6057[1].JPG](/media/img_6057-1-jpg.329094/full?d=1491794101)
They want to remove all the teeth past her canines >.< At least I know now. On to trying to find out how to afford this thing >.< If anyone has any input or experience with this disease I'd love to hear!
I don't know about the specific stomatitis you mentioned but maybe some of this may help. My 18 y/o is my third cat that has stomatitis and I'm in a battle as what to do. She has had most of her teeth removed except the canines. It helped, but the stomatitis periodically flares up on her gums. So the extraction may help your cat but be aware that the problem may re-occur. If it does, you'll have to consider other options. If you read around the forum and websites, you'll see plenty of arguments pro and con about the full extraction. If it were my cat, I'd try other options first - dental cleaning, diet, allergies, perhaps even a 2nd opinion.
I let my Vet talk me into trying a steroid (depomedrol) about a month against my better judgement. It helped but once it wore off, the inflammation came back making up for lost time. I really don't like steroids as they can cause all sorts of damage to the organs, especially long term usage. Because they suppress the immune system, it invites other problems as well. It is always possible that a one time treatment of steroids may work. That was the only reason I agreed to try the depomedrol.
Since the depomedrol wore off, my cat has been miserable and cut down on eating - due to pain in her mouth. I use mirtazapine to stimulate her appetite and fortunately still works. The Vet prescribed me another steroid, Prednisolone, but have yet to start her on it. I'm hoping a supplement I started 5 days ago called Duralactin, a non-steroidal antiinflammatory, will work. It reaches maximum effect in 14 days. I can't say that I've seen any improvement yet as she still paws at her mouth periodically. I'm hoping for a miracle as some people swear by it but others don't. If I don't see any improvement over the next few days, it's onto the Predisolone and hope for the best.
Good luck
I let my Vet talk me into trying a steroid (depomedrol) about a month against my better judgement. It helped but once it wore off, the inflammation came back making up for lost time. I really don't like steroids as they can cause all sorts of damage to the organs, especially long term usage. Because they suppress the immune system, it invites other problems as well. It is always possible that a one time treatment of steroids may work. That was the only reason I agreed to try the depomedrol.
Since the depomedrol wore off, my cat has been miserable and cut down on eating - due to pain in her mouth. I use mirtazapine to stimulate her appetite and fortunately still works. The Vet prescribed me another steroid, Prednisolone, but have yet to start her on it. I'm hoping a supplement I started 5 days ago called Duralactin, a non-steroidal antiinflammatory, will work. It reaches maximum effect in 14 days. I can't say that I've seen any improvement yet as she still paws at her mouth periodically. I'm hoping for a miracle as some people swear by it but others don't. If I don't see any improvement over the next few days, it's onto the Predisolone and hope for the best.
Good luck
I have the same vet do all of my stomatitis full mouth extractions, (I have a cat rescue group so I have dealt with it many times) and he knows how absolutely critical it is to get every tiny bit of root when removing teeth in order for it to be successful.
I have yet to have any cat continue with issues after their removal, so it convinces me that those who have issues, might have a small bit of root left behind.
X-ray will find it though.
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- #7
Thank you so much for the tips! @gooned I'm so sorry it's been a struggle Seems like different kitties handle the treatments differently. Good luck to your cat! <3 I did get a 2nd opinion and they suggested the same, tooth removal past the canines. She's only about 8 so I do support her keeping the front teeth and I'll learn how to brush them. The vet did give her a shot to hold her over till the surgery and she has been happier & eating a lot better. I hope it doesn't have any adverse after effects!! Do you have any diet suggestions? That is certainly something I want to improve on for her but she is rather picky.
@catwoman707 THANK YOU for your suggestion to check with a 2nd vet about pricing (on - I have found a place that will do the surgery for 1100-1300 (1/2 price) & Roxy loved her! <3 Already halfway to raising the funds!
Seems like different kitties handle the treatments differently. Good luck to your cat! <3 I did get a 2nd opinion and they suggested the same, tooth removal past the canines. She's only about 8 so I do support her keeping the front teeth and I'll learn how to brush them. The vet did give her a shot to hold her over till the surgery and she has been happier & eating a lot better. I hope it doesn't have any adverse after effects!! Do you have any diet suggestions? That is certainly something I want to improve on for her but she is rather picky.@catwoman707 THANK YOU for your suggestion to check with a 2nd vet about pricing (on - I have found a place that will do the surgery for 1100-1300 (1/2 price) & Roxy loved her! <3 Already halfway to raising the funds!
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- #9
Awe she is beautiful @catwoman707 ! I am SO happy to hear about the success of kitties with no teeth!!! <3
Years ago I had two cats with stomatitis, and the full dental extraction was recommended, so I had it done on both cats. For one, he had no more problems with it. The other had recurrences, and the flares could be controlled with depo-medrol and tht worked for about a year, but then it didnt work any more so Ifelt the only kind thing was to put him to sleep. Reading about stomatitis much later in life, I discovered that the cure rate by dental extraction was 50% anyhow, so I guess I demonstrated that, two cats, two surgeries, one cured, one not.
Because of that, the next time I ended up with a cat with stomatitis, I opted NOT to have the teeth removed and went straight to the depo-medrol. My current vet told me that although dogs and people don't do well on steroids long term, cats can do very well on it, so we would start with that and see how it went. At first he needed the shots about once a month, but later the intervals stretched to a shot about every two to three months. I could always tell when it was flaring because his whole personality would change and he would act feral and scared and grumpy. Within 24 hours of getting the shot, he was fine again. That lasted about four years, and his death had nothing to do with the stomatitis (neighbors dogs dug under my fence and got him) so I consider that a success. I have one more cat with stomatitis -- my little black formerly feral. She has been on the depo-medrol for maybe 7 of her 17 years. Her blood work is still normal, and like the other cat, she only gets flare ups every 2 to 3 months and the depo knocks it out within 24 hours. Her last blood work showed everything still normal, and even though her glucose was high normal, it still hasn't crossed the line. So using depo alone, I've had an even better cure rate than with complete teeth removal, so I would not rush into having the teeth removed if I had another cat with stomatitis.
Because of that, the next time I ended up with a cat with stomatitis, I opted NOT to have the teeth removed and went straight to the depo-medrol. My current vet told me that although dogs and people don't do well on steroids long term, cats can do very well on it, so we would start with that and see how it went. At first he needed the shots about once a month, but later the intervals stretched to a shot about every two to three months. I could always tell when it was flaring because his whole personality would change and he would act feral and scared and grumpy. Within 24 hours of getting the shot, he was fine again. That lasted about four years, and his death had nothing to do with the stomatitis (neighbors dogs dug under my fence and got him) so I consider that a success. I have one more cat with stomatitis -- my little black formerly feral. She has been on the depo-medrol for maybe 7 of her 17 years. Her blood work is still normal, and like the other cat, she only gets flare ups every 2 to 3 months and the depo knocks it out within 24 hours. Her last blood work showed everything still normal, and even though her glucose was high normal, it still hasn't crossed the line. So using depo alone, I've had an even better cure rate than with complete teeth removal, so I would not rush into having the teeth removed if I had another cat with stomatitis.
