Stomatitis
Has
your cat suddenly started drooling for no reason? Is she pawing at her mouth? Not eating her favorite kibbles? There could be lots of reasons for
this. One of the more serious ones is stomatitis.
Also
known as Feline Chronic Gingivo-Stomatitis (FCGS), stomatitis is a condition
that happens to a lot of cats, usually in those older than a year. Itās rarely fatal but causes severe and
painful inflammation in a catās mouth, on his gums, and tongue. It is not the
same as gingivitis, which usually involves the gums near bad teeth. Stomatitis impacts all the soft tissue in a
catās mouth ā gums, tongue, throat and the roof of the catās mouth.
While
the exact cause of stomatitis isnāt clear, many veterinarians believe it
happens when a catās immune system over-reacts to something, causing the
inflammation, ulcers and other symptoms in a catās mouth. Cats who are positive for FIV or feline
leukemia are more susceptible to it throughout their lives as are cats carrying
the calicivirus. By itself, stomatitis isnāt fatal to cats. However, when it causes a cat to stop eating
and taking care of itself, the door to other problems opens.
Because
stomatitis is a condition that impacts a catās mouth, the state of his dental
health is a big factor. Since it seems to be triggered by an immune-system
reaction, any bacteria present in a cats mouth and on his teeth can be a
trigger. Those whoāve tried to brush
their catās teeth will know itās not an easy task, but keeping your catās mouth
clean and his teeth as plaque-free as possible may reduce the chance of an
immune reaction that could lead to stomatitis.
Catās
do their best to hide any pain theyāre experiencing, which makes it harder for
pet parents to know something is wrong. With
stomatitis, though, the symptoms can be more obvious. According to a great article on stomatitis by
greatpetcare.com, the observant pet owner should look for drooling and pawing
at the mouth, which says your cat is feeling pain and experiencing inflammation. As with a lot of things related to cat
health, a big change in eating habits is often the first clue something is
wrong. If a cat stops eating the kibbles
he always enjoyed or stops eating altogether, something is wrong. You may also see your cat take a bite of food
and then walk away. Not eating will
result in weight loss, which you will notice quickly. If stomatitis has advanced to the point where
your cat has ulcers in his mouth already, you may see blood in his drool.
Greatpetcare.com
notes some additional symptoms that suggest stomatitis might be whatās going on
with your cat, including bad breath, a change in his coat if heās not grooming
and swollen lymph nodes in his neck.
Had a full mouth extraction |
What do vets recommend to treat stomatitis? With treatment, many cats show improvement but itās true that some cats wonāt fully recover from it. Treatment options range from simple steps to much more invasive ones. To start, the vet will likely do a full dental cleaning and remove any diseased teeth. After that the cat may require daily treatments with an antiseptic paste for life.
Sadly, we have not found that any of the drugs listed in this article to truly work. What we have found that does work is a cocktail of Pentoxifylline and Cerenia. Have your vet call our vet, Dr. Robeson, at 910- 858-2525. We have several cats on this mixture and have completely cleared their mouths with it.
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Had a full mouth extraction |
In more severe cases of stomatitis, the vet may have to remove some teeth. In some cases, the vet will only remove the molars along the cheeks, leaving the front teeth and canines. In other cases, like BCRās Seven, the best option may be to remove all the catās teeth. (Cats can continue to eat normally once theyāve healed from the procedure and the original source of the pain is gone.) This step seems drastic but has resulted in improvement in about 90 percent of cats and a 50 percent cure rate.
Had a full mouth extraction |
With a
disease no one seems to know the cause of, whatās the best way to keep your cat
from getting it? The first step is good
dental hygiene. Start kittens off with
early. If you adopt an adult cat,
introducing dental hygiene can be tricky but can be done! Itās also important to make sure your cat is
up to date on vaccinations to reduce the chances of them getting leukemia or
the feline calicivirus. At the same
time, male cats should be neutered to stop fighting and transmitting FIV and
leukemia.
As with
all things related to cats ā stay observant!
You know your cat better than anyone so as soon as you see something
that is not normal behavior, get to your vet.
CLICK HERE
to read the greatpetcare.com article.
CLICK HERE for some tips on making sure your catās mouth is healthy and clean.
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