Whats wrong with my abysinnian?

[bigdaddy234]

Hey guys,

I have a Abysinnian and his name is Carl. I got Carl from a breeder for free because Carl had a runny eye and the breeder said he might have it forever and to just wipe it out whenever it gets runny. Well after having Carl now for about a year we have built a great relationship, He is one of the most enguageing cats ive ever met, truly great. Anyway, after having him now for a year I can tell you that he has more then a runny eye. Basically his symtoms include a runny eye, sneezing attacks (not too often), gingivitis, itchy ears and swollen lymph nodes. Now I know that sounds bad and it is but he still enjoys life and just sort of lives with it.

have any of you ever seen anything like that? any suggestions? I dont have alot of money and I dont want to take him to the vet to get dragged threw the coals again.

I have taken him before and they gave him a antibiotic shot and some special amino acid gel and that stuff sorta helped but dident get rid of any of his symtoms. I beleive its all linked to the same thing.

Any suggestions would be awesome , thanks.

 

[carolina]

Have you taken him to the vet yet to address your concerns?
The runny eyes and the sneezing is probably herpes, and if it is can be easily controlled by adding L-Lysine into his diet daily. Your vet can run a test, but you can give Lysine to him with no ill effects, it is good for his immune system regardless. This is the one I use: Now Foods L-Lysine
Since he is a young cat with gingivitis, he probably has Stomatitis, and the swollen lymph nodes are generally an indication of infection - if it is the ones close to the neck, most likely it is due to an infection on his gums due to the gingivitis/stomatities. You need to take him to the vet/dentist at once. Stomatitis is an extremely painful condition - I have a cat with it; it is manageable, but it does require treatment.
I am sorry to say this, but what you are telling here makes me think this is not a reputable breeder. A reputable breeder would not give you one of their cats for free... Your cat is showing classic symptoms of low immune systems probably due to poor breeding - exactly the case of my Bugsy.
Your kitty was not a free kitty... a poorly bred cat in the long run is much more expensive than a paid upfront well bred cat...

Please, take your cat to the vet ASAP...

P.S. The gel is probably Lysine, but it is too expensive... the powder I gave you the link is much much cheaper, pure Lysine... $15 for 522 doses of 500mg. It will last you a GOOD while and it will keep his symptoms at bay.

For the stomatitis, take him to a dentist, not to the vet - you have to treat him..... It will not be more expensive than a vet, but it will work out better.

 

[GoldyCat]

I agree with Carolina, it sounds like you have at least two different issues going. Can you take Carl to a different vet for a second opinion? Do you have access to a cat specialist? As opposed to a general vet?

I'm fortunate in that my regular vet owns an aby and is aware of the problems that can occur in the breed. Herpes is not breed specific, but apparently gingivitis is common in abyssinians. I've had my Merlin for a little over a year and have had him in for treatment of gingivitis and stomatitis several times. He may eventually have to have his teeth pulled, but for now the teeth are in good condition, it's just the gums that are inflamed and overgrown. My vet has used a combination of antibiotics and steroid (solu-medrol) shots to keep it under control. Nothing seems to faze him, though (Merlin, not the vet

). He eats anything and everything even when his gums look horrible.

For now I would get the L-lysine that Carolina recommended. Also, brush his teeth with an enzymatic cat toothpaste. It won't cure the gingivitis, but it definitely helps with my aby. For the swollen lymph nodes he needs to see a vet.

 

[bigdaddy234]

Thanks for the replys!

Yeah even with his gums being in bad shape he still chows down on hard chrunchies but you can tell that his gums are sensitive. When you touch his gums his jaw flinches.

I could tell as soon as I met the breeder that they were not good. The guy looked like he hadent showerd in weeks and the cats he had with him were in cat boxes with litter in there that wasent clean.....it really wasent a good scene but I felt I would be doing carl a favor to get him out of there and im sure hes alot happier now in his new loving and clean home.


So do they never get over herpes? or can it only be kept under control with L-lysine?


The Swollen lymph nodes are related to gingivitis/stomatities? how much do you think it will cost to take him to the dentist? his teeth are clean, i dont beleive they need to be scaled, what proceedure will the dentist perform to correct his condition?

Thanks again guys.

 

[sharky]

Herpes is not curable it is similar to the herpes virus in humans that causes cold sores...

Lysine is a great help to keep it under control..

I agree with the second opinion... If you have access then go to a dentist but in my expeierence most vets can handle it ...

He needs to see a vet .. swollen glands often = infection which in some cases can be the cause of gingivitis

 

[carolina]

Since my cats started on Lysine, there hasn't been one flare up. It does take a few weeks to get full results, but works like a charm, and for me it has kept all symptoms at bay.
Generally, the lymph nodes closest to the infected area are the ones that get swollen, since he has gingivitis, he might have infected gums. It is not uncommon to see swollen lymph nodes with infected gum in stomatitis kitties.
Again, this is a very painful condition, plus, I would not wait around having signs of infection....
If your vet has experience with stomatitis, by all means go to him, but antibiotics and steroids will only buy you time and take you so far... In most cases you need more specialized treatment. I had more luck with a dentist, actually that was my vet's recommendation... He said he could take my money and do a dental which would cost me $300-400 but soon the problem would return... He was honest enough to tell me to go to a dentist and take care of it in an appropriate manner. I still did a dental, but geared towards stomatitis, it cost me less than that, and Bugsy takes daily meds that keeps the condition under control.
At the very least you need a vet for antibiotics and possibly steroids until you can treat the disease itself.

 

[GoldyCat]

Check with your regular vet first to find out what kind of treatment he recommends and how much it would cost. Also ask what a dentist might do that he can't. My vet did a combination of a steroid shot and trimming back the overgrowth of the gums (under anesthesia), followed by a course of antibiotics. He said that the teeth were in good shape under the gums and Merlin didn't need a full dental. I have no idea what this would cost where you are. I paid about $80 for the dental under anesthesia, but I know a lot of people on TCS pay 2-3 times as much for a regular check-up as I do.

I also give Merlin dental treats and brush his teeth with an enzymatic toothpaste. He l-o-o-o-v-e-s the malt flavor and usually ends up eating it off the toothbrush before I can get it on his teeth. The vet says it can't do any harm and probably helps keep the problems under control.

The gingivitis (red, swollen gums) has been greatly reduced but never entirely goes away, and it flares up badly every 4-5 months. The stomatitis (inflammation of the mouth and throat) has not recurred since the first treatment.

Good luck with your baby.

 

[GoldyCat]

Do you have pictures of your aby? What color is he? You can post in the Fur Pictures and Videos Only! forum.

 

[laureen227]

feeding my herpes cat, Pixel, the Royal Canin Special 33 has really helped keep hers under control. i only use the extra lysine when she has a flare-up [rare - last one was earlier this year, & we had moved, so stress]. stress aggravates the herpes & can cause flare-ups.

 

[bigdaddy234]

Thx for the replys guys, I started Carl on L-lysine today and will look into further treatment soon.

I will post a pic of him for you guys too

 

[bigdaddy234]

Here he is

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=225253

 

[carolina]

Oh, he is a beauty!!!!

 

[GoldyCat]

Thanks for the picture. Keep us updated on his progress.

 

[laureen227]

Originally Posted by Carolina

Oh, he is a beauty!!!!

yes, indeed - very handsome guy!

 

[bigdaddy234]

Thx for all the help guys.

So maybe the best thing would be to get his gums trimmed back/steroid shot followed by antibiotics?

defenetly something to suggest to the vet/dentist.

Thanks.

 

[GoldyCat]

Originally Posted by bigdaddy234

Thx for all the help guys.

So maybe the best thing would be to get his gums trimmed back/steroid shot followed by antibiotics?

defenetly something to suggest to the vet/dentist.

Thanks.

You really need to talk to the vet about this. I'm just saying that's what worked for my aby. Your Carl may have different issues or react differently to treatment. You can certainly ask about it, but your vet may also have other options to suggest.

How is Carl doing now? I know it's only been a couple of days, but wondering if you're seeing any effect from the L-lysine.

 

[carolina]

Different treatments apply to different cats, and more importantly, to different types of stomatitis. For my cat for example, this would not work, nor would the removal of all his teeth (another common solution for many cats). My cat needs periodical dentals (geared towards stomatitis) AND daily medication for life. It is not that complicated and it controls the disease very well... So far he has gone a year without needing another dental... He is doing very well... He has LPS stomatitis.
You need to have a talk to your vet... Steroids should not, IMHO be used long term as it has dire side effects. If you choose the route of steroids and antibiotics, in the past the combination of Clindamycin/Depo-medrol was used, but my dentist (which is fantastic and very renowned on the stomatitis field) has been showing much higher success with depo-medrol and convenia (a long term injection antibiotic). Again, I want to reinforce that this is NOT a treatment, this is just used to buy you time while you can not get appropriate treatment.
It is important that your vet is familiar and experienced with stomatitis/gingivitis, or he can send you to a good dentist... If you have the opportunity to go to a dentist, by all means, I would highly recommend you to do that... Just my sincere experience...