Full Mouth Extraction Questions

Jessica G.

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Hi everyone! My sweet 13 year old kitty, Miller, had a full mouth extraction yesterday (except for the canines) due to battling stomatitis since February. Unfortunately the steroid treatment stopped being effective shortly after starting it, so the FME was the only real option.

However, I’m worried about him today. It’s been around 24 hours since his procedure, and he still hasn’t had anything to eat or drink. He is still hiding from us all the time, but when I do pull him out to check on him, I can see his lower jaw looks very swollen and he is drooling EVERYWHERE - sometimes the drool is a little bloody, too. Last night and this morning, before giving him his pain meds, he was crying and pawing at his mouth. It breaks my heart.

Is this normal behavior for 24 hours post FME? On the one hand, it doesn’t sound crazy, but then I also keep reading online about how most cats “are back to eating within a few hours of being home”, etc. Also, the vet didn’t prepare me very well for what to expect.

How was your cat’s recovery like after their FME?
 

denice

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I would call the vet. I think it is probably a combination of his gums being raw from the stomatitis as well as the extractions. Be sure to tell them that he still has not eaten anything.
 

fionasmom

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Call the vet. You are not being an overanxious mother. Remember that most of what we are told in human and animal medicine is that "most (fill in the blank) are back to normal in a few day/ hours/ whatever." There is a lot at play...the trauma of the extractions, the meds, sedation, all of which could cause various reactions.
 

catsknowme

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I agree - I know that a vet trip is the last thing that either of you wants but it might be warranted. You can ask if you can text or email a video of what is going on, just to get an opinion. Your poor kitty - both my kitty Lance who is only sometimes tamer than semi-feral and my 15yo Maine Coon have stomatitis - it is a horrible condition and heartbreaking to observe. Please let us know what the vet says.
Prayers and vibes that your kitty makes a speedy recovery :vibes::vibes::vibes:
 
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Jessica G.

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Thank you to everyone for your input! Here’s my update: (short story - we’re doing better!)

The day of surgery, we were sent home with three days of buprenorphine, an immune booster powder, and instructions to feed him soft food for two weeks, then return in three weeks for a follow-up x-ray. I wasn’t given much info on what to expect when we got home, and that was the hard part. Miller started moving around and being more social once the anesthesia wore off, but he wasn’t eating or drinking and his mouth was still suuuuper swollen, and I could tell he was still in pain.

I ended up calling the vet the next afternoon (Wednesday, when I posted this) with the report that he still wasn’t eating or drinking. They told me to wait until the next morning and call if there was no improvement. Thankfully, the next day he seemed perkier and less swollen, but still refused to eat or drink. I ended up force feeding him food and water that day, which was awful but got the job done. Unfortunately, he also developed an eye infection that day ‍♀, so I called the vet again. He had me go get an ointment for the eye and some Urgent Care Advanced Diet food to give Miller, and told me to come in the next day if he still wasn’t eating. Hallelujah, as soon as that cat heard the sound of a can of food being opened, he ran into the kitchen like nothing ever happened!

He still only eats a little at a time, and it takes some coaxing, but we’re getting there. I think right now he’s more afraid of the MEMORY of pain in his mouth than he is actually FEELING lots of pain when he eats. Poor guy. We’ll get there.

So, in conclusion, things seem to be turning a corner, finally. I hope my story is helpful to others who go through this later. It took a solid three days of just nursing him and letting him sleep and heal before I saw any real improvement. Seeing him in pain and with massive, swollen, drooly gums just about killed me, but it didn’t last too long, and it’s worth it in the end. Force feed them some fluids and nourishment if you have to, and keep in touch with the vet when you’re concerned.
 

catsknowme

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Thank you for the detailed update! It is looking more and more as if Lance will need extractions but he sometimes more feral than tame and I dread traumatizing him with surgery. If he gets out, post-op, treatment will be nigh unto impossible :cold:
 
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