My cat had to have all her teeth removed about a year or so ago due to constant dental issues. Her breath is still just horrible. The vet says she seems to be healthy. Does anyone have any ideas what could be causing it?
Have infections and polyps been ruled out?
My cat had to have all her teeth removed about a year or so ago due to constant dental issues. Her breath is still just horrible. The vet says she seems to be healthy. Does anyone have any ideas what could be causing it?
I feed her Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Chicken and Green Pea dry food and every morning I give her a small amount of chicken or turkey baby food.
What kind of food is she eating?
Why are you feeding her kibble when she doesn't have any teeth? Cats really don't chew their food, but poor girl should at the very least be on a 100% wet food diet when she doesn't have any teeth at all. If she is trying to chew, she's probably scraping up her gums which could cause an infection (not to mention painful) and explain the foul odor.
I feed her Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Chicken and Green Pea dry food and every morning I give her a small amount of chicken or turkey baby food.
When I worked at a very large animal clinic (now open 24 hours, with TWENTY vets!) there was an 18 year old yellow tabby named Grandpa who came in to board. I was pretty new there and hadn't met Grandpa yet. I was put in charge of dishing up the evening meals and helping with "deliveries". I had Grandpa's meal in front of me-- he ate Hill's c/d dry. So when I opened up Grandpa's compartment and saw him yawn at me with NO TEETH at all in his mouth, I double checked the menu to make sure I had the right food. Sure enough... Hill's c/d dry. I asked my partner if this was right-- she had been there for years and knew Grandpa very well. She said, "Yup, he eats dry. He won't touch wet at all. He hasn't had a tooth in his head since he was 10. So for 8 years this old toothless cat had been seemingly thriving on that dry food. He simply resisted any attempts to wean him over to wet, even though it really is better for kitties. Some cats are just such "crack heads" when it comes to their krunchers that they will just never change. I've seen many toothless cats like Grandpa who still insist on eating dry food, no matter what.
Why are you feeding her kibble when she doesn't have any teeth? Cats really don't chew their food, but poor girl should at the very least be on a 100% wet food diet when she doesn't have any teeth at all. If she is trying to chew, she's probably scraping up her gums which could cause an infection (not to mention painful) and explain the foul odor.
I don't subscribe to the notion that you can't at least partially convert any cat to wet or raw. It's mostly just owners that are convinced their cat wont eat wet or raw. Older cats take more work, but it's absolutely possible. I converted by oldest to mostly raw at 12.5 years old, and that wasn't (and still) isn't an easy job. Older cats really need that moisture more than anything.
When I worked at a very large animal clinic (now open 24 hours, with TWENTY vets!) there was an 18 year old yellow tabby named Grandpa who came in to board. I was pretty new there and hadn't met Grandpa yet. I was put in charge of dishing up the evening meals and helping with "deliveries". I had Grandpa's meal in front of me-- he ate Hill's c/d dry. So when I opened up Grandpa's compartment and saw him yawn at me with NO TEETH at all in his mouth, I double checked the menu to make sure I had the right food. Sure enough... Hill's c/d dry. I asked my partner if this was right-- she had been there for years and knew Grandpa very well. She said, "Yup, he eats dry. He won't touch wet at all. He hasn't had a tooth in his head since he was 10. So for 8 years this old toothless cat had been seemingly thriving on that dry food. He simply resisted any attempts to wean him over to wet, even though it really is better for kitties. Some cats are just such "crack heads" when it comes to their krunchers that they will just never change. I've seen many toothless cats like Grandpa who still insist on eating dry food, no matter what.
I wonder about the possibility of a soft tissue infection, or possibly retained roots... definitely worth a vet trip.
I feed her the dry food because that is what she likes. I have tried numerous times to get her to eat regular wet cat food. She just does not seem to like it. I have had to struggle just to get her to eat a little bit of warmed up baby food every day. She seems to be healthy other than the breath. Her eyes are clear and her fur is shiny, soft and beautiful.
Why are you feeding her kibble when she doesn't have any teeth? Cats really don't chew their food, but poor girl should at the very least be on a 100% wet food diet when she doesn't have any teeth at all. If she is trying to chew, she's probably scraping up her gums which could cause an infection (not to mention painful) and explain the foul odor.