Bleeding from mouth, animic

[jd333]

Cat came from a neighbor who moved out and left it behind. It has an auto immune disease and terrible breath. Had fleas for a long time likely why she is anemic, noticeable whiter colored nose and gums. Treated the fleas.

Big concern is bleeding from mouth. Happened two weeks ago, just like steady drips of blood from the mouth, a decent amount i could tell because my floor had little pools in certain areas. Took to vet after the bleeding, vet wasn't sure what was causing it. The bleeding happened again this morning(2 weeks later), it took about 2 hours to stop. Bleeding likely from gums vet thinks(stomatitis), but cat anemic so pulling teeth may not be a smart choice.Eats and sleeps very well, but lethargic for sure and this bleeding freaks me out. I just fed the cat just now, ate quite a lot of wet food, didn't cause mouth to start bleeding again. What the heck could be causing this bleeding?

Auto-immune problems, possible stomatitis, and amenic. Is this cat going to have a good quality of life? Not sure what to do.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Would you want to talk to a different vet? In any case, kindness from you along with good food will help this baby a lot!!!

 

[rosegold]

Did the vet give any meds for the cat? It does sound like it could be stomatitis but it’s good to hear it is still eating well. Personally I would also try another vet. I wonder if the stomatitis (if that’s what it is), and/or the autoimmune thing, could possibly be managed with steroids until the anemia is remedied. Is the anemia severe enough to warrant a blood transfusion?

 

[Pouncecat1]

I would go ahead and keep feeding the wet food. Possibly talk to the vet about adding a steroid and antibiotic. Most likely there is an infection in the mouth contributing to this. Many cats tolerate steroids well and they aren't that expensive. I would start there. Many people would not be able to afford surgery, like this cat needs. If he eventually needs full extraction, I would not be afraid to consider euthanasia if you cannot afford it.

Also I would test for FIV/FELV. If he's positive, it would be another reason to consider euthanasia if the cat does not respond well to medical management (steroids/antibiotics).

As for teeth extraction, my understanding is that many cats can do well without teeth, provided you follow a specific diet.

Add B12 to the diet. The reason the cat is anemic is probably because he is bleeding so much from the mouth. But I would also be suspicious of a secondary bleed somewhere else. He could be bleeding in the mouth and swallowing the blood, hence the anemia. SO I'm not as concerned about the anemia, if it's not severe.

At least try antibiotics and steroids and see if there is improvement.

This is from google.

As bacterial infection plays an important role in the development of FCGS and can complicate the condition, antibiotics are often prescribed. Unfortunately, the inflammation often returns once the antibiotics are stopped, and long-term use is not ideal.

Steroids can be used to reduce the inflammation in the mouth and provide some relief from the discomfort. However, steroids lose effectiveness over time for this condition, and significant side-effects with long-term use can be an issue.

Other therapies aimed at modulating and normalizing the immune system have also been tried including interferons, bovine lactoferrin, and esterified fatty acids. Stronger immunosuppressive medications have been used in the past, but have fallen out of favor.

There are many medical options that give partial or short-term control of FCGS. However, long-term results have been disappointing and many cats with FCGS cannot be controlled with medical therapy alone. In these cases, the next step is oral surgery for near full-mouth or complete dental extractions and excision of the excessive inflammatory tissue. The majority of cats (80% in one study) benefit from this therapy, but it is not a guaranteed cure and some cats will also need to continue on medical management as well.

 

[jd333]

Possibly enough to warrant a transfusion, but I don't have the money to throw around for procedures like that. I have an iron supplement for cats on the way, hoping that may help. She 100% has an immune disease, no doubt. The last vet I just went to said she will have "flare ups" and possibly that contributed to the bleeding .Quite a bad odor from it's breath as well, this has been around since I took the cat. Cat has sneeze attacks too, since I found her. Steroids might be a good option.

The worst part about this is it's such a young cat, only maybe two years old? She eats so much, steals the food from her big brother cat who I also took. It sucks I don't know if the cat is living a nightmare in constant pain, or dealing with it's issues enough where I should keep her around. I'm quite sure this cat was sick since it has been around. Vets don't want to look at her mouth without full anesthesia, and with that I don't have a G to throw down on a full operation. The bleeding has only happened twice, and it's bad when it does. It could be from a small dental bleed excelled from the anemia, it could be from a dental abscess that went, I'm not sure.

 

[Maria Bayote]

You have a good heart. Thank you for taking care of this cat, when the previous owner had not. Breaks my heart when pets are abandoned by owners like pieces of trash.

I also would recommend to seek advice from another vet. Bleeding from the mouth could be a number of reasons, including possible internal bleeding. It is good that it is eating wet food a lot. That cat is a fighter, and obviously wants to survive. What is its name?

Do keep us updated. Hang in there.

 

[jd333]

Pickle

 

[Pouncecat1]

If it is an autoimmune disease, again I would go ahead and try prednisolone.

I'm all too familiar with autoimmune issues in cats. Out of 5 cats I have:

1 cat has eosinophilic granuloma- on her lips, then went and developed a giant lump on her tongue. Vet doesn't think the lump is cancer because she should be dead by now if it was (years). These issues all regress with steroids, return without. Also suspect Inflammatory bowel disease as well.

1 cat has severe allergies and is on steroids- he's allergic to every food on the planet, and dust mites, and pollen etc. Now diagnosed with IBD or lymphoma and is on 2 very strong immunosuppressive drugs. He's had a very difficult life because of how severe his allergies are and he's never been a very healthy cat. Always gets itchy skin and itchy eyes, ear infections, and bacterial and fungal skin infections etc.

1 cat had asthma and needed steroids. She has since passed away from cancer.

Based on my small group of cats, it seems about 50% have some sort of autoimmune issue and need medication to stop the immune system from self destructing. I do wonder what on earth is in the environment that is causing all these issues. I'm pretty sure wild cats don't have all these problems or there would not be any feral cats left on the planet. It makes me wonder what is in the drinking water.

Everything I have read seems to indicate that diseases like asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, and these autoimmune diseases are on the rise, not just in cats, but in people as well.

Bartonella infection appears related to stomatitis and because your cat had such a bad flea problem, it does seem likely your cat was exposed.
http://veterinarycalendar.dvm360.co...stomatitis-proceedings?id=&pageID=1&sk=&date=

 

[rosegold]

Cat has sneeze attacks too

My Chai, who had stomatitis, had a lot of sneezing and snuffling as well due to the swelling and pain in her mouth. I assumed she had a URI when I got her but it turned out to all be related to her stomatitis. The sneezing, bad breath, mouth pain, and all other symptoms improved a lot with steroids, though, and she had a good quality of life while on them. In the end she did eventually have to get all her teeth extracted. The surgery was very successful, but unfortunately the stress and her weak immune system caused her to succumb to FIP, so she was euthanized in the end. If I were you, I’d definitely try the steroids and have a visit to another vet, and go from there. Hoping the best for your cute Pickle.

 

[Furballsmom]

I don't know but maybe there's something here?
About Waggle | Vet Financial Assistance | Financial Aid For Pets

Try something here (apologies for any dead links);
Financial Assistance – Day By Day Caregiver Support Inc.

Financial Aid for Pets

No Money For Vet Care? How To Find Help And Save Your Cat's Life

 

[bengalwaffle]

View attachment 313912Pickle

What happen to your cat? It sounds like my cat had the exact same thing.

 

[jd333]

What happen to your cat? It sounds like my cat had the exact same thing.

Sorry for the delayed reply. He died unfortunately. His blood was so anemic he could not stop bleeding from small gumline bleeds his blood would not clot anymore, had to be put to sleep.