Gingivitis?

serenasmommy

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So, I took Serena and Cheyenne for their check ups / vacc. on Monday.

Cheyenne, at approx. 7 weeks old, weighs 2 lbs.
Yea for my little fattie!
She's healthy and growing great. She never would've gotten this far without all of YOUR help, so thank you all very much!


Serena, at 17 mos., weighs 5.8 lbs.
She's my forever baby! However, we've discovered that she has some gingivitis. If anyone has any experience with this, pls let me know.

Thanks
 

rubsluts'mommy

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I've had experience with this, mostly with Jack. Hopefully Serena isn't too bad. Jack has had two surgeries to pull teeth, he had gingivitis/stomatitis (sp?). I love my little Jack, but he's just had bad health. He's 3 now and only weighed in at 8 pounds in July. The dental surgery can be $$$, as they have to anesthetize the fuzzle.

Did the Vet diagnose the gingivitis? If so, then what did he/she suggest? If they suggest having some dental work done, and it's not an urgent issue, ask if they run specials during a certain time of year on dental work. Mine does here in Chicago. I'll be taking both of my fuzzles in this winter for a round of dental cleaning.

Don't let Serena's gums get TOO bad, but check with your vet.

Amanda
 

amyh

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I just wanted mention one thing since your cat is so young and already showing signs of gingivitis. We recently had our 4 year old Trixie at the vet for her annual exam, and she was showing signs of gingivitis. Since our vet felt she was too young at 4 to have such noticible gingivitis, he suspected she had bartonella. He ran the bloodwork and she did test positive for it; she is now just finishing up a 28 day treatment of Zithromax.

There is not a whole lot known about bartonella, but it is now becomming more widely researched. For the most part, it really doesn't seem to cause any ill-effects on the cat, but there does seem to be a connetion between bartonella and gingivitis, and bartonella and pancreatitis. Since your girl is so young, you may want to investigate the possibility of bartonella.

~Amy
 

gayef

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Amy, I wanted to post a very sincere thank you for this information. Due to your post, I have made an appointment for one of my cats (just turned two years old) to screen for this. She has gingivitis and I have a dental scheduled for her, but am going to request they run this test along with her pre-op blood and urine labs. You may never truly know how much I appreciate your post here today.
 

amyh

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You are very welcome. It is also my understanding that it may not always show up in the bloodwork; it's one of those things that if it's suspected, several rounds of bloodwork may be required. We were "fortunate" in that Trixie's showed up right away.

~Amy
 
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serenasmommy

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Originally Posted by gayef

I also have personal experience in past cats with this condition. Do you have specific questions?

~gf~
I think I'm just wanting to know if there's anyway I can treat it. She won't allow me to brush her teeth, so that's out of the question. Is there anything out there for cats, like the treats they have for dogs? Like how dogs have those chew bones to help with gingivitis and plaque, is there anything like that for cats?
 

momofmany

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Originally Posted by AmyH

I just wanted mention one thing since your cat is so young and already showing signs of gingivitis. We recently had our 4 year old Trixie at the vet for her annual exam, and she was showing signs of gingivitis. Since our vet felt she was too young at 4 to have such noticible gingivitis, he suspected she had bartonella. He ran the bloodwork and she did test positive for it; she is now just finishing up a 28 day treatment of Zithromax.

There is not a whole lot known about bartonella, but it is now becomming more widely researched. For the most part, it really doesn't seem to cause any ill-effects on the cat, but there does seem to be a connetion between bartonella and gingivitis, and bartonella and pancreatitis. Since your girl is so young, you may want to investigate the possibility of bartonella.

~Amy
The other Amy here. I have a 2 year old that showed signs of gingivitus at an early age also. The vet suspected Bartonella also but we couldn't prove it (as you said, blood tests don't always show it). We had him on Zithromax for 4 months and his problems went away. Before the Zithromax, he wasn't growing very well - he was a tiny cat and couldn't gain weight. Afterwards, he gained the weight he didn't gain in his first 9 months and is now a normal sized adult cat.
 

mom4kittys

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Can you tell me more about the connection between bartonella and pancreatitis? Is bartonella and hemobartonella the same thing?

My poor baby Buster, 17 years old is not feeling well. Vet told me Saturday that they thought it was lymphoma from the x-ray. Most of his bloodwork is pretty good. He is very slightly anemic, a little dehydrated from vomiting and his amylase numbers were elevated. I am not convinced as I think it may be pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is very hard to diagnose in a feline, I did some research and found that pancreatitis can cause a palpable mass and show as a mass on an x-ray.

He was treated for hemobartonella in March with an antibiotic and prednisolone. I think the prednisolone (a steroid) has caused him to have IBD and now pancreatitis. I hope I am right even though pancreatitis is not a fun thing to go through. God I HATE steroids. Dn't EVER let them talk you into using them unless you absolutely have no other choice--they do awful things to a body. They are really way too quick to try and prescribe those awful pills.

The vet even wanted me to start him immediately back on prednisolone again to shrink the tumor even though they are not sure it is a tumor. If it is pancreatitis it would be the worst thing in the world to give him the steroid again. I am going to have an ultrasound done, but giving him a few days to hopefully feel better from the fluids I am giving him at home and the easy to digest i/d science diet. He has not vomited since I started giving him sub-q fluids
 

amyh

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Unfortunately I don't know a whole lot about the bartonella and pancreatitis connection other than what our vet told his. When we were going through the bartonella thing with Trixie, he just said it seems to be more common than originally thought, and that often when they suspect pancreatitis they run a bartonella test and the cat more often than not tests positive. The other Amy is right, too....bartonella tests can be hit or miss depending on whether or not the virus is active at the time of the test; multiple tests are often required to comfirm bartonella. We were lucky that Trixie did test positive the first time around.

Bartonella is different from hemobart. I don't think "hemobartonella" is the correct term, so I do wonder if he was treated for hemobart or bartonella. If it was bartonella, it does require a lengthy treatment; not your average, run-of-the-mill 10-days of clavamox, et al.

We lost a kitty to lymphoma in 2002; I really hate that disease and I sure hope your Buster doesn't have it. An ultrasound will give you a clearer picture of what is going on. It sounds like good news that he hasn't vomited since you started fluids. I hope he continues to feel better!
 

sar

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Originally Posted by SerenasMommy

I think I'm just wanting to know if there's anyway I can treat it. She won't allow me to brush her teeth, so that's out of the question. Is there anything out there for cats, like the treats they have for dogs? Like how dogs have those chew bones to help with gingivitis and plaque, is there anything like that for cats?
I have also had a lot of experience with feline gingivitis


Your vet may recommend tartar control treats, but from my experience, they are not effective!


Do you think it would be possible (as your kitties are so young) to train them to allow you to brush their teeth? It takes time, but it is possible!

You can also get a toothpaste - such as Logic - which you can apply to their paws and they will lick it off! The enxymes in the paste help to clean the teeth and is easier than brushing (if it is going to be an impossibility!)
 

denice

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I've found I have better luck with the rubber fingertip brush rather than the actual brush. I use an enzyme past called Petrodex. It comes with both the small brush and the rubber fingertip.
 

pondwader

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That's great that the vet picked up on the bartonella....
The pounce tartar control treats do actually seem to work, I've been giving them to my 7 yr old male Winston, and I really think I can see a difference.
 

amyh

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Originally Posted by AmyH

Bartonella is different from hemobart. I don't think "hemobartonella" is the correct term, so I do wonder if he was treated for hemobart or bartonella. If it was bartonella, it does require a lengthy treatment; not your average, run-of-the-mill 10-days of clavamox, et al.
Actually, I stand corrected on this...I just did a quick search on "hemobartonella" and it is a correct term! I apologize for that...I had just never heard of it before. After doing a quick search on "hemobartonella" and "bartonella," it still sounds like they are different issues, though; however I'm at work right now and couldn't really dig in to confirm that. It does sound like a primary symptom of hemobartonella is anemia, and sometimes cats have a hard time tolerating the treatment and present symptoms similar to your Buster's....I don't know if that's a coincidence or not, but could be worth looking into.

Here's one article on hemobartonella:
http://consumer.vetmedcenter.com/Con...p?id=8779&dt=p

And one article on bartonella:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Con...S=0&C=0&A=1581
 

white cat lover

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Oh my! Twitch has no teeth due to dental issues(they were removed over a year ago). I need to call the vet to set up a visit so we can test for Bartonella. Amy, thanks for posting that. You helped me, too!
 
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