Stomatitis, Feline

I have been treating one or more cats for feline stomatitis since Jan 2015.  The one who began in Jan (Chatterbox), I lost in Dec.  His health failed, he stopped eating and PTS was unavoidable.  I DID NOT expect to lose him, of all the cats!  It was such a struggle, for both of us.  I also lost 2 others with stomatitis, last year, 1 of those possibly partly due to age.  I still have 4 confirmed, all are eating well, 2 seem to be maintaining, 2 (Romeo--who I've dubbed a "World-Class Foamer" to anything put in his mouth! & Tippie Toes) lost some weight but are regaining, Romeo's mouth is not good but he's eating wonderfully, and Tippie, who is small, seems to be gaining nicely. 

I've read and searched until I'm dizzy, about what can possibly be done to treat stomatitis!  I've copied and pasted innumerable articles and sites to documents I can refer back to.  I have talked to the Dallas vet about their cocktail, 3 times. Currently, I'm dosing cats with colloidal silver directly into mouth by syringe, l-lysine and PlaqueOff powders in meat baby food ($.95/jar which may last 1 1/2 to 2 days) for Romeo & Tippie, l-lysine gel by syringe into mouth for the others.  I've spent so much since this began! I care for 12 cats of my own and up to maybe 15 more neighborhood cats that I feed (not at my house, though--house down the street!).  With on-going expenses for food, supplements I keep and use all the time (l-lysine, Plaqueoff, etc.) + vet bills from last year and now, What should I do?!  

For the Dallas cocktail, it's about $40.00/mo, plus initial blood work by my vet, about $150, plus or minus, plus blood work ea month of treatment.  I am considering this, only for Romeo, and if he improves or heals, then maybe for Tippie.  I'm still hoping to contain the other 2, and just hope no one else in my pack needs treatment.  This is such an expensive and for me, physically draining, thing to treat.  And the emotional kicks in.  Hoping they get well, hoping no one else isn't, wanting so badly for them all to stay with me!  Back to the cost of the cocktail, however, I did e-mail askariel.com and in the paragraph below, show her response, and the cost for her products and the cocktail are similar.  I'm just comparing, asking here in the hopes someone has good advice, and weighing it all before going further.

I e-mailed askariel.com and received the following reply.  I have inserted, in bold italics, the cost of each item x her recommendation.

"For liability reasons (dosage is considered providing veterinary advice) we can't provide dosage but typically what works most economically is to buy the Notatum capsules ($28 ea, 10 capsules x 2 = $56.00)   and Quentans capsules ($27.95 for 10 capsules x 2 = $55.90) instead of the drops.  Using the two products combined would be approx one month supply for each or more for one cat (BUT she doesn't say and I don't find on those pages, how to use a capsule so it will last a month!).  Colostrum and Power Probiotic is very cost effective because there are more capsules. (Colos on sale for $43.95, 90 caps, use ?; Probiotic, $29.75, 60 caps, use 1/day; or Col & Prob together, $64.95).  The Immune Harmony (60 caps, 1/day, $68.50) is pricey but a lot of clients send us rave reviews.  But why don't you wait and try the others first as it is so expensive?

What I would suggest is ordering 2 bottles each of Notatum and Quentans capsules (total = $111.90), Colostrum and Power Probiotic (+ $64.95= $176.85) .  Include the diet you are feeding on the order form at checkout.  In order to help the cats with stomatitis, you would have to feed them separately from the other cats.  Our nutritionist can include some guidelines on diet for cats with this condition.  Please note that while the drops of Notatum and Quentans are a lot easier to use, the bottles don't last nearly as long.  The capsules only contain a small amount of powder but you can mix the recommended dosage with water yourself and save.

Here is a coupon you can use.  The code is new5 and it will save you $5 on an order over $50.  If your order is over $125, the shipping is reduced or free."

    Note:  If I got the above items + Immune Harmony, total is $245.35.

I'm sure, from what I've read, that a raw diet would make a tremendous difference, but it isn't an option at this point in time.  Maybe in a few months?   I have done it in the past, when I first had cats over 10 yrs ago, but can't do it right now. 

This is about all my mind can cover to write, right now.  Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions--anything--is appreciated.  Esp would like to hear from anyone who has used the Dallas vet's cocktail, what is your experience w/it, how effective after how long using other methods for stomatitis, and do you know what is in it?  My vet will work with Dal., so that isn't a problem, I would just like to know what it contains, esp since I've done so much work on learning what I have about various possible treatment products. I do have a few sites, etc., I will share here soon.  Just too wrung out to do that, right now!

Look forward to enjoying TCS for more than just information on this topic.

I had two cats with it recently (one was killed by dogs who dug under my fence last september) and the other one is 17 and still with me.  Both of these cats had been maintained on monthly injections of depomerol (long acting injectable steroid) for a long time with no ill effects (maybe 5 years).  I have only my social security retirement, and I too have about 15 cats to care for, including the neighborhood cats who come for food, so I couldn't even begin to try the Texas plan.)  The depo costs $17 per shot and I pick it up at my vet's office and give it myself (it would cost more to bring the cat in).  This has been very effective in knocking the stuff right out.  As time went by, they didn't even need it monthly, but only with flare ups, which were every 2-3 months.  I know a lot of vets think you can't give steroids long term but my vet (who is old, like me) says that cats have an amazing tolerance for steroids, which dogs and people do not. 

Years ago I had two cats with it, and got all of their teeth removed, which was the recommended procedure.  There was no internet then, so I just did what I was told.  It worked for one cat, but for the other cat, it did not, and he kept having pain so he went back on the steroid.  That worked for about a year and then stopped working, so I put him to sleep so he would not suffer.  The other one lived to be 19 with no recurrence of the stomatitis.

Now that the internet allows us to research so much, I was surprised to read that the tooth removal is only effective in 50% of the cats, which is why I did not do it to either of the current cats, preferring to try the depomedrol.  So far, I've been happy with it. 

I have a new question, regarding cat's sore mouth due to stomatitis.  Somewhere, and I cannot find it now, I read about a product that soothes a cat's mouth by adhering to the inside of the mouth.  Google hasn't produced an answer.  Is there anyone here who knows what this is?  

I think this is about Petzlife gel.  Finally found this statement again:  "You will notice your pet licking its lips repeatedly. This helps mix the ingredients with your pets saliva to coat all surfaces of your pets teeth and gums."

Has anyone used this, and if so, how well did cat tolerate it and did you see any results; if so, how long did it take?