Problem with eating

[Rysiek]

I don't know what is happening...

He had an ear infection and then skin infection treated with antibiotics.
Then as he was still shaking his head, he had a general anaesthetic and deep teeth cleaning + diagnosed gingivitis (received antibiotic + steroid injection). Additionally, there was a mass found under his tongue (my vet thinks it is a chronic inflammation), he may require a CT scan, apparently biopsy from a tongue area is difficult, as too many blood vessels.

After a deep cleaning and assessment, he has started having eating problems. Getting to the bowl, unable to eat, then restarted in a kind of messy way. I thought that possibly his tongue was irritated somehow as well...
I managed to get him on wet food.
Last week we had a follow up, he did not let his mouth to be assessed and we did not do any sedation on this occasion.
He got a painkiller injection and he will have another one in 4 weeks.
We started him additionaly on anti-inflammatory Loxicom.
He was doing fine, and I gave him a dry food two days ago...he ate some, but since then relapsed a bit again.
So back on wet food only...sometimes he licks only the gravy and leaves the bits, which after few hours I throw to bin and change to a new one...When I give him some soups, he licks only the liquid and leaves the bits of tuna or chicken...

I don't know what could have happened during the procedure he had.
Or, perhaps recovery from gingivitis is much longer in cats...
His mouth looks ok to me, normal pinky colour, no odour...

Don't know what to do...

Is there any softer type of dry food I could give him? Or shall I just persevere with wet food?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Try pate canned food - no chunks or pieces to deal with.

If he is eating canned food, why worry about the dry food? If needed, you could always test what he thinks of dry food being mixed with some water or broth to soften it.

 

[Rysiek]

Tried pates, but he dislikes them...
I just bought a big variety of different foods, so will do trial and error...
I will stop dry food all together, until he fully recovers. I will them mix it with some water or cat soup...
Perhaps I worry too much, as in one day, after the procedure he went from happy eating cat, to having problems...

Otherwise, he had been happy and playful...

 

[FeebysOwner]

Are you sure it was a long-acting pain killer? If it wasn't, his mouth may still be bugging him.

 

[Rysiek]

Are you sure it was a long-acting pain killer? If it wasn't, his mouth may still be bugging him.

So it can be sore/painful after three weeks?

He got another injection for pain called Solensia which "is a monoclonal antibody injection which blocks nerve growth factor, a key pain mediator in the body (part of the pathway that tells the brain to feel pain). It is licensed for arthritis pain, but anecdotal evidence has shown it to be effective for other types of pain too."

 

[FeebysOwner]

I can't answer that, but if that spot underneath his tongue is bugging him that certainly could still be going on.

I am aware of Solensia. Feeby was on it for 7 months. I don't know how long ago he received the injection, but with my cat it took almost nearly to the 3rd shot for me to see benefits. Of course, she was getting it for arthritis. If there is a nerve growth factor (NGF) elevation related to his mouth (which I have no idea), then it could help, but it seems to be primarily focused on osteoarthritis where increased NGF is often found.

 

[louisstools]

So it can be sore/painful after three weeks?

The estimated timeline for a dental recovery is just that, an estimate. Sometimes they bounce back super fast and other times it takes a lot longer. But with the mass under the tongue there could be something else going on. Last dental my girl got I think it took closer to 5 weeks before she really was over it.

 

[silent meowlook]

You might want to find out if they used a mouth gag while doing the dental. Cats can get a TMJ type thing going on. You might want to discuss Gabapentin with your vet. Did he have extractions ?

 

[Rysiek]

No, he did not have extractions. Just deep cleaning, so I assume they may have done something you mentioned...

 

[silent meowlook]

Three weeks later he should not have any pain. Something is going on.

 

[Rysiek]

I booked appointment for Friday, as he define has had a set back with shaking his head and tongue rolling with distress.
It appears that it all started when I gave him few pellets of dry food...
As eating is such A complex function, it affects teeth, but also muscle, including tongue...
I think the mass under his tongue had been irritated again...
Also, he had his steroid and antibiotics three weeks ago, so I assume they stopped (antibiotics, two weeks depo) an

 

[Rysiek]

It has been worse, he avoids eating. I give hims some soups, so he drinks liquid, when there are any bigger pieces, he wants to eat it (such as piece of tuna), but then spits this out...
I don't know what is going on...
Sometimes think that maybe they injured him somehow during a deep cleaning, as he was not as bad up to the procedure...

I will see the vet on Friday, unsure what to ask them for?

I feel tormented watching him unable to eat...

 

[FeebysOwner]

The main thing is to see if the vet can take a look in his mouth/under the tongue. And, if nothing else ask for more pain meds to help so that perhaps he can eat more easily.

Will he eat pates or mousse cat foods, if need be with a bit of water added to them to make them like soup? If those won't work, try baby food meat (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut), most cats like them and while they are not complete nutritionally, a few days won't hurt him.

 

[fionasmom]

Polyps...

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