Question:
My cat (male 14yrs) has really bad gingivitis. I have had his teeth cleaned
by the vet and he has had antibiotics, but this has not helped. The vet has
stated that current thinking is that this is virus borne and so cannot be
cured.
He is currently prescribing monthly injections of a long lasting pain
killer, but this does not seem to be having a great deal of effect.
Yawning causes him to yelp loudly and if he tries to eat anything "chewy"
then it causes him pain. We are trying to feed him soft food only but he is
eating less and less and this is causing me deep concern.
Has anybody come across this problem before and have any helpful advice or
treatment methods?
Answer:
My old kibble fed cats had to have their teeth out. Of course, the operation
was traumatic, but they improved quickly. My old fellow of about 13 does
just fine on soft food.
I'm surprised this "vet" has allowed your poor cat to suffer. Get those
teeth out, and get your cat on the road to healing.
ignore her. someone with some real knowledge will post an answer I'm sure.
but Elaine...is a fool
You could try posting this question in the alt.med.veterinary ng, & see if a
vet has heard of it - the viral bit; & perhaps include that in your subject,
to get attention?
I agree with Elaine on this one. I've been dealing with the issue of
gingivitis stomatitis for quite some time now. There does seem to be
enough medical evidence to support the conclusion that this condition
is virus based, and there currently is no cure. While you can subject
your cat to a series of steroid injections, their effectiveness will
only decrease over time, and there's always the risk of side effects,
including weakening the immune system. Considering the age of your
cat, and if the condition is advanced enough, you should seriously
consider going with tooth extraction. Typically the back molars are
removed, both upper and lower, as well as the premolars upper. Check
out this link:
http://www.dentalvet.com/FAQs/gingivitis_stomatitis_faq.htm
Feline dental scraping does not have a long history. Vets have been doing it
for the public for not much more than 10 years.
How many times did you think those little tiny kitty teeth can be scraped?
Fewer times than most people would imagine. Many of you will end up in the
same place- your cats will lose their teeth.
