13 year old with ulcer not eating

kkmitch98

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Hi everyone,

I adopted a 9 year old cat 5 years ago from a local shelter. She had a whole two teeth and was a little itty bitty thing. Little did I know, she is a carrier of FCV and occasionally gets flare ups which causes her stomatitis to flare up as well. We did have the rest of her teeth removed due to the stomatitis but since she has FCV there hasn’t been any significant improvement. We’ve gone to the same vet for years and she has a history of antibiotics and steroid shots.

I took her to the vet May 20th 2021. She was having her classic URI symptoms and a stomatitis flare. The vet recommended sedation in order to look into her mouth due to all of the pain she was in. I agreed to the procedure and it turned out that she had a large ulcer on the right side of her mouth where her gums meet her cheek. She refused to eat due to the pain.

She’s been on clindamycin for the past 3 1/2 weeks. She’s on buprenorphine for pain, first it was 2x a day every 12hrs but when she ran out I called to get more and she was prescribed a lower dose once per day. She was improving last week and actually eating a bit, I blended her wet food with water. However, it seems as though her ulcer may have ripped back open? She’s been having a lot of bloody drool with fresh blood. I called the vet on Tuesday June 1st to let her know and to get some advice on the situation. She wants me to wait it out until the antibiotic is gone but she just finished off the pain medicine today.

I’m considering calling a different office for a second opinion. I’m not comprehending how it’s been 3 1/2 weeks with no real improvement. She’s had ulcers in the past but they’ve always healed up with an antibiotic.

She absolutely refuses to eat due to the pain. I’ve tried kmr, goat milk, liquified a/d, yogurt, etc. I’m at a loss because I don’t want her to starve to death and I most certainly don’t want her to be in pain.

I think the vet just knows her medical history and won’t do anything further. My level of frustration is through the roof. I don’t understand why she’s not healing when it’s been 3 1/2 weeks already. I’m looking for any advice or recommendations.
 

tarasgirl06

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Hi everyone,

I adopted a 9 year old cat 5 years ago from a local shelter. She had a whole two teeth and was a little itty bitty thing. Little did I know, she is a carrier of FCV and occasionally gets flare ups which causes her stomatitis to flare up as well. We did have the rest of her teeth removed due to the stomatitis but since she has FCV there hasn’t been any significant improvement. We’ve gone to the same vet for years and she has a history of antibiotics and steroid shots.

I took her to the vet May 20th 2021. She was having her classic URI symptoms and a stomatitis flare. The vet recommended sedation in order to look into her mouth due to all of the pain she was in. I agreed to the procedure and it turned out that she had a large ulcer on the right side of her mouth where her gums meet her cheek. She refused to eat due to the pain.

She’s been on clindamycin for the past 3 1/2 weeks. She’s on buprenorphine for pain, first it was 2x a day every 12hrs but when she ran out I called to get more and she was prescribed a lower dose once per day. She was improving last week and actually eating a bit, I blended her wet food with water. However, it seems as though her ulcer may have ripped back open? She’s been having a lot of bloody drool with fresh blood. I called the vet on Tuesday June 1st to let her know and to get some advice on the situation. She wants me to wait it out until the antibiotic is gone but she just finished off the pain medicine today.

I’m considering calling a different office for a second opinion. I’m not comprehending how it’s been 3 1/2 weeks with no real improvement. She’s had ulcers in the past but they’ve always healed up with an antibiotic.

She absolutely refuses to eat due to the pain. I’ve tried kmr, goat milk, liquified a/d, yogurt, etc. I’m at a loss because I don’t want her to starve to death and I most certainly don’t want her to be in pain.

I think the vet just knows her medical history and won’t do anything further. My level of frustration is through the roof. I don’t understand why she’s not healing when it’s been 3 1/2 weeks already. I’m looking for any advice or recommendations.
Please do get a second opinion. And you may want to use a blender to blend her cat food, and feed with a syringe; or offer her 2nd stage Gerber all meat baby foods -- NO HAM! but rather beef, chicken, turkey, lamb. These do not have the proper vitamin mix cats need, but you do need to get her to eat something, and these can be licked. Also the squeeze-ups by Inaba, etc., which are formulated for cats to have as treats and can be squeezed directly into her mouth. Plain yoghurt would also be a possibility, mixed with water. And there are calorically dense supplements such as Clinicare for cats whose appetites are a problem. This is a thick liquid she can lick. Kitten foods are another calorically dense option. You can mix any of these with water so they are easy to eat and will also hydrate her. Any of these mixed into a thin enough liquid can be syringe-fed.
*PRAYERS* for your sweet cat. Please let us know how she is doing.
 
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kkmitch98

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Please do get a second opinion. And you may want to use a blender to blend her cat food, and feed with a syringe; or offer her 2nd stage Gerber all meat baby foods -- NO HAM! but rather beef, chicken, turkey, lamb. These do not have the proper vitamin mix cats need, but you do need to get her to eat something, and these can be licked. Also the squeeze-ups by Inaba, etc., which are formulated for cats to have as treats and can be squeezed directly into her mouth. Plain yoghurt would also be a possibility, mixed with water. And there are calorically dense supplements such as Clinicare for cats whose appetites are a problem. This is a thick liquid she can lick. Kitten foods are another calorically dense option. You can mix any of these with water so they are easy to eat and will also hydrate her. Any of these mixed into a thin enough liquid can be syringe-fed.
*PRAYERS* for your sweet cat. Please let us know how she is doing.
Thank you for this. Our vet actually advised us not to syringe feed but I’ve been honestly second guessing everything they’ve told me after all of this. I had to request the pain meds as well as the a/d food which I thought was odd that it was never mentioned to me previously. I’m fighting so hard for her because I know she’s a fighter and she wants to live. She tries to eat each time I offer her something but after a few licks it just becomes too painful. She’s one of the best cats I’ve ever had and I’m so emotionally invested in her. I just want her to get better so badly!!!
 

StanAndAlf

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Is it possible for the vet to give her an appetite stimulant? Some great options above already, another we use in our clinic is Nutrigel. Thick, sweet smelling paste that can also stimulate appetite and I believe has at least some of the essential nutrients for survival. Best of luck, and godspeed her recovery.
 

daftcat75

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You might consider a feeding tube to give her mouth a chance to heal without having to further irritate it with food. Feeding tubes are not expensive nor as scary as they sound. You will mind the tube far more than she will. Most cats aren't bothered by the tube at all. And if you have to give medicine, most of them can go down the tube if they can be blended up with food. Buprenorphine is an exception. That still needs to be absorbed in the mucosal membranes in the mouth. You can ask for a new prescription of buprenorphine and have it compounded as a transdermal gel that you can put in her ear if you wanted to stay out of her mouth entirely.

With a feeding tube, nothing prevents her from eating by mouth. You can still offer her food on a plate. If she doesn't eat it, feed her by tube. When she's eating by mouth again, you can have the tube removed. My recommendation is to wait a few weeks after she's resumed eating by mouth just to make sure she doesn't have a recurrence. It's easier to leave the tube in and not use it than it is to put a new one in if you removed it too soon.

More on feeding tubes:
Feeding Tubes For Cats

And where to get transdermal bupe (your vet will have to call or fax in the prescription):
Buprenorphine Transdermal Gel
 

tarasgirl06

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You might consider a feeding tube to give her mouth a chance to heal without having to further irritate it with food. Feeding tubes are not expensive nor as scary as they sound. You will mind the tube far more than she will. Most cats aren't bothered by the tube at all. And if you have to give medicine, most of them can go down the tube if they can be blended up with food. Buprenorphine is an exception. That still needs to be absorbed in the mucosal membranes in the mouth. You can ask for a new prescription of buprenorphine and have it compounded as a transdermal gel that you can put in her ear if you wanted to stay out of her mouth entirely.

With a feeding tube, nothing prevents her from eating by mouth. You can still offer her food on a plate. If she doesn't eat it, feed her by tube. When she's eating by mouth again, you can have the tube removed. My recommendation is to wait a few weeks after she's resumed eating by mouth just to make sure she doesn't have a recurrence. It's easier to leave the tube in and not use it than it is to put a new one in if you removed it too soon.

More on feeding tubes:
Feeding Tubes For Cats

And where to get transdermal bupe (your vet will have to call or fax in the prescription):
Buprenorphine Transdermal Gel
TYSM for this, daftcat75 daftcat75 -- what a wonderful site! packed with invaluable info! *I bookmarked it. Because, although I don't need it now, it's great to have handy.*
 
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kkmitch98

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Thanks so much for everything.

I did take her for a second opinion and unfortunately I had to have her put to sleep. She had oral cancer that ended up eroding the upper right hard palate where vet #1 said she had an ulcer. She also had a mass about 3-4cm long in her cheek area so that’s what was making her mouth look swollen. It was so bad that it was eroded to the bone.

I’m so heartbroken but I know it was the best thing I could do for her… I opted to have her cremated and will be able to pick up her ashes within 7-10 days. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone and I really wish vet #1 would’ve done more for her.

It kills me that I had her going almost 4 weeks with this pain. I hope I was able to provide her with a great last 5 years because she deserved it more than anything
 

daftcat75

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I lost my cat before last to oral cancer. Please know that this is an extremely aggressive cancer. There was nothing you could have done to catch this sooner or do something else to change the outcome. As difficult as this was, you made the right decision. May her memory be a blessing. When you're ready, please feel free to create a tribute in Crossing the Bridge forums with pictures and stories of the joy and life you two shared.
 

tarasgirl06

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My heartfelt condolences for your loss, K kkmitch98 and I echo daftcat75 daftcat75 's thoughts. Our beloved angel Tarifa had a mass in her mouth, too, and I had to make "the decision" around the same time as daftcat75 lost his angel Krista. Tarifa ate well that morning and was playing right up to the last. She would have turned 18 the next month.
We never "get over" our losses but I hope you also know that your beloved cat watches over you and that you will reunite. You put her before you, and there is no greater love than that. She knows.
 
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