Urgent help

I have a 1 year old cat. She has been drooling for a month now. Vet says she is having somekind of infection and even after few course of antibiotics her dooling didnt stop. He also said that maybe she is allegergic to the food you give to her, but I mostly give her boiled chicken and sometime canned cat food. When she is on antibiotics course she show some kind of recovery then her condition becomes just like before, her tongue sticks out and she keeps on drooling. I also noticed that she has some hard time swallowing food. Her heart is always beating very fast, when i asked about this from vet he said that she is going through heat cycle thats why, but i doubt that. Another thing kind of unusal is blood on her teeths. I think she has stomatitis, but her gums seems perfectly alright and no signs of bad breath, the problem is just their are red marks on her teeth

I'm really sorry about your kitty. I think you need a second opinion from a different vet. You should also reconsider her diet- cats need taurine and by feeding mostly cooked chicken your cat won't be getting enough of it unless you're supplementing.

Hi!  I'm so sorry about the problem your kitty is having!  If her vet said all these things, I would first of all get a better vet.  A 2nd opinion is very much needed here because there has to be some reason why she is drooling and having a hard time swallowing and having blood on her teeth.  I wonder if she has some kind of tumor in her throat.  Another thing is she needs to eat balanced nutrition not just boiled chicken.  So you feed her canned food or dry?  

It sounds like dental problems. Please seek out a second opinion from another vet, a veterinary dental specialist if you can. Many regular vets simply don't know how to do a basic exam of the teeth and gums.

Concur-- likely a dental problem. I'm a "retired" veterinary assistant... not an RVT but I have over 20 years of experience and dental is an area of special interest and focus.

My opinion is that there is probably a dental problem going on. Stomatitis is certainly possible, and there are some forms that are related and linked to autoimmune-type conditions. Also some breeds are quite prone to early-onset dental problems and gingivitis/stomatitis. Siamese breeds are one prime example. If your kitty is a Siamese or Oriental breed-- such as an Oriental Shorthair, Siamese, Tonkinese, Burmese... pretty much any "Meezer" is fair game for oral health issues. My own Tonk is finishing a course of antibiotics and then he will have his own dental work including extraction of a fang.

I would seek a second opinion-- I had to do that myself fo my guy just recently. His stomatitis is WAY in the back of his mouth where it's hard to see easily unless I catch him in a BIG yawn in good light. But I know it's painful for him, and he too is drooling because of it. His new vet is helping us a lot in keeping him comfortable with a little Buprenex, an oral opioid medicine that I just drip onto his gums and he gets it "transmucosally" that way. If not for the Bupe, that poor boy couldn't eat because his mouth hurts so much. Now he can eat wet food and even nibble a little dry... though I KNOW that hurts after a short while. I can see it. Your cat's heart may be beating fast because she hurts. Cats hide a lot of pain signs, but they can't hide a fast heart beat or that sad look in their eyes.

NEVER give anything for pain to your cat-- no aspirin, no Advil, and NO TYLENOL (paracetamol, acetaminophen). All of these are POISON and can easily kill a cat, especially Tylenol. 

Second opinion-- asap-- preferably with a veterinary dental specialist.

~Mackie

(DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a vet, and this is only my opinion. It's not intended to diagnose or recommend treatment for any condition or disease, or to take the place of regular veterinary care. Please see your vet if you suspect a problem and have an open dialogue concerning your pet's care. This information is only for informational and education purposes)

Could she have gotten into something poisonous? Isn't it a little strange for a cat this young to get a tooth infection (just generally asking, not trying to be rude)

In my own experience, drooling normally means nausea, so I'd highly suspect poisoning of some sort or maybe she even ate a bug that isn't agreeing with her. Can you try wiping away the blood and see if there's any brown/black tartar, normally tartar would accumulate before an infection, at least that's what I think.

Could she have ingested something? Is she eating alright? If she ISN'T eating you will have to force-feed her. Wrap her in a towel and make the canned food runny with water (just so it's like soup, maybe a little thick). You will need a syringe and SLOWLY feed her through the syringe. Give her only a little at a time and wait for her to swallow eat it, and breathe, before giving her another squirt. Squirt it into the corner of her mouth, not directly from the front or she could inhale it.

Is she pooping and urinating alright? Don't be alarmed if you see tarry black stool, that could be due to the blood she ingested.

Again, I would suggest going to another vet for a second opinion, keep us updated!

indie-n-button said:

 
Could she have gotten into something poisonous? Isn't it a little strange for a cat this young to get a tooth infection (just generally asking, not trying to be rude)

In my own experience, drooling normally means nausea, so I'd highly suspect poisoning of some sort or maybe she even ate a bug that isn't agreeing with her. Can you try wiping away the blood and see if there's any brown/black tartar, normally tartar would accumulate before an infection, at least that's what I think.

Could she have ingested something? Is she eating alright? If she ISN'T eating you will have to force-feed her. Wrap her in a towel and make the canned food runny with water (just so it's like soup, maybe a little thick). You will need a syringe and SLOWLY feed her through the syringe. Give her only a little at a time and wait for her to swallow eat it, and breathe, before giving her another squirt. Squirt it into the corner of her mouth, not directly from the front or she could inhale it.

Is she pooping and urinating alright? Don't be alarmed if you see tarry black stool, that could be due to the blood she ingested.

Again, I would suggest going to another vet for a second opinion, keep us updated!

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Well, some cats are genetically predisposed to some oral conditions. So called "LPS" (lymphocytic plasmacytic stomatitis) is believed to be an autoimmune issue in some cases, similar to eosinophilic granuloma complex. I'm dealing with it in Schrodie now. He was drooling something terrible, but no real tartar because we do home care. Stomatitis can certainly cause drooling. as well as blood tinged saliva because the tissues can essentially turn into "hamburger" from the inflammation.

Here's a decent article that describes the condition. It's no fun at all for these poor guys!

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+2121&aid=368

Faizan said:

I have a 1 year old cat. She has been drooling for a month now. Vet says she is having somekind of infection and even after few course of antibiotics her dooling didnt stop. He also said that maybe she is allegergic to the food you give to her, but I mostly give her boiled chicken and sometime canned cat food. When she is on antibiotics course she show some kind of recovery then her condition becomes just like before, her tongue sticks out and she keeps on drooling. I also noticed that she has some hard time swallowing food. Her heart is always beating very fast, when i asked about this from vet he said that she is going through heat cycle thats why, but i doubt that. Another thing kind of unusal is blood on her teeths. I think she has stomatitis, but her gums seems perfectly alright and no signs of bad breath, the problem is just their are red marks on her teeth

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As I was reading your post I also thought stomatitis. So we agree, her age is right about when it will start to show up, reddened and/or swollen areas, the antibiotics helping somewhat but never a cure too.

Clearly your vet isn't all that thorough if he 'guessed' it might be an allergy to her food, if he would do a blood panel he would see if that was the case by the white cells.

I'd def advise another vet, perhaps doing some digging to find one with plenty of experience in stomatitis.

Sadly, her mouth is painful for her, drooling means pain and at some point, she may not want to eat because of it. That is, if it is infact what we think it is!

Unfortunately where i live the veteranary facilties are pretty bad. There are only couple of vets in the whole city. The vet i took her to is considered to be the best in town, i have tested a few others but believe me they are even worse. Dont know what do to next.. i will ask him to do the blood panel, hopefully he knows what it is. Although she is having hard time in swallowing but she is eating, no need of force feed. Any advice what should i feed her ?

catwoman707 said:

 
As I was reading your post I also thought stomatitis. So we agree, her age is right about when it will start to show up, reddened and/or swollen areas, the antibiotics helping somewhat but never a cure too.

Clearly your vet isn't all that thorough if he 'guessed' it might be an allergy to her food, if he would do a blood panel he would see if that was the case by the white cells.

I'd def advise another vet, perhaps doing some digging to find one with plenty of experience in stomatitis.

Sadly, her mouth is painful for her, drooling means pain and at some point, she may not want to eat because of it. That is, if it is infact what we think it is!

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Yes, you are spot on. I'm dealing with this exact issue right now, as you probably know by now. My guy's on Clavamox tabs which we can give very easily because he's so docile and trusting. He's eating soft food now... any wet food he has a taste for. I don't normally run a buffet-- they get a flavor, they eat it. They generally like whatever flavor they're offered-- though I have a menu of favorites for each cat. So one night, Skye's favorite flavor might be the supper offering, Tara's favorite might show up at breakfast, and Schrodie's favorite might turn up for lunch. I knew something wasn't right when he wasn't cruising everyone else's crumbs after cleaning his own portion. When he dropped a favorite freeze dried chicken treat and looked at it sadly, there was NO doubt that his mouth hurt-- and still does, and will continue to do so until he has his dental, probably early next week when he finishes his Clavamox if the vet feels he's ready. I think she wants to address this as quickly as I do. She agrees that he hurts and is happy to keep him on Bupe until his dental time.

We "fired" a vet right before this who didn't even open the poor cat's mouth when I first took him in for a problem. Just popped the cat with Depo-Medrol, handed me some Baytril and sent us on our way. Totally disregarded my concern about the broken fang and never even saw it because he never opened the mouth to look at it... though I asked about it for months every time I had him in for vaccs or weight check. Nary a word. There were other issues with Skye, as well. This was the "No more!" moment.

I am lucky to have many options, and a number of good vets around. I know not everyone has that option-- so that makes it more difficult, but not impossible, Faizan. May I ask where you are located... major city and state, province or country? I ask, because you might be able to find a program at a nearby university with a vet school. These are often VERY good options because they use cases as learning and educational opportunities. Thus, they may see some tough or unusual cases and be able to offer good treatment. Not that stomatitis is "unusual"-- it's really not, but it's not normal either. Your cat would have the wisdom, knowledge and experience of the numerous 'associates' and 'professors' who are veterinarians, coupled with the youthful ambition and curiosity of the students who haven't yet become jaded or judgmental. Some of the faculty may even be part of a practice in your area and because they aren't the mainline doctors at a given practice-- you don't know these vets are out there as 'working vets'.

You might get a referral from the colleges around the area, or from many of the major veterinary colleges (such as Texas A&M, LSU, University of Chicago, etc. in the U.S., for instance or the 'big vet schools' wherever you are. It might take some detective work, but no cat should have to be in pain or receive less-than-optimum quality standard of care and attention.

~Mackie

Faizan said:

Unfortunately where i live the veteranary facilties are pretty bad. There are only couple of vets in the whole city. The vet i took her to is considered to be the best in town, i have tested a few others but believe me they are even worse. Dont know what do to next..

i will ask him to do the blood panel, hopefully he knows what it is. Although she is having hard time in swallowing but she is eating, no need of force feed. Any advice what should i feed her ?

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Are you in Pakistan by any chance? I am here too, the veterinary facilities really are terrible.

Perhaps you could go to a private vet? They seem to be a little better than the government ones, though they charge A LOT, nothing that me or my family can afford, and again they are all after money and I've seen a few that prescribe medicine that could be dangerous to a cat :-( Though, I think Amoxicillin should be okay. That's available over here. It's a broad spectrum antibiotic so it might clear up the infection if she has any. Though, the admins can chip in to see if this is the right treatment for her! Azithromycin is another antibiotic that I've searched up on.

Is she eating how much she used to eat before? I would make her some soup which is easy to lap up and the coldness may soothe her throat. Get some liver (raw or boiled), some of the lungs, kidneys, and stuff the butcher normally throws away (you can get this for free, or take it out of the chicken you get when you get your next slaughtered chicken). You can add some chicken breast too, and an egg yolk  if you want (boiled, or raw is okay, but NO raw egg white). Blend it together with a little bit of water until it's not too thick and not too thin. If this is your first time add water little by little so that you don't accidently make it too runny. You can add a little yogurt to it before you give it to her and mix it together. Her normal food may be too hard to swallow until she is better. The yogurt may soother her gums. You can add a little honey in as well which will help her poop, and it also has healing properties (you can run some honey on her gums if you want!). Again, the admins can chip in to make sure I haven't said anything wrong or something that shouldn't be done in this situation

Could there be anything she could have eaten that got lodged in her throat? Or is difficulty swallowing a sign of gum-disease as well? Has she pooped/urinated a lot?

I live in karachi, pakistan. I have been taking her to a private vet (considered best in town). Vet in goverment hospitals dont even bother to listen to you. I am still trying my best to find a good vet in city, one friend has tell me about a lady vet but unfortunately she is of town right now, she will return in a week or so. There is a veterinary university in lahore but unfortunately there isnt any in karachi. People overhere prefer being a doctor instead of being a vet. This occupation is looked down over here, sigh. But good news is she isnt drooling for past one day. But she is still having diffuclty in swallowing. Waiting for that lady vet to return ..

I hope you get help for your kitty soon! Hopefully it isn't anything serious! I know about the whole vets being looked down on, believe me. It's sad because so many people keep animals over here and then go into a panic when that animal ends up being sick for some reason. The few vets that there are are normally very underqualified. I hope the lady vet you are going to see is better than the last one you went to!