Cat has swollen lower lip (pictures included)

yous

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Hi I hope my reply can help you and your cat. My persian had the same swollen lip it took me month of vet visits and costs just to be referred to a dermatologist who want nearly $700 to find the "allergy" that was causing the swelling aka (eosiniphilic granuloma). My cat was placed on steroids which would temporarily help with the swelling but then it would return. I spent so many hours trying to get to the bottom of this and I came across a study where ZYRTEC was used at 5mg dosages daily to control this condition. It has worked wonders on my cat and I hope it does the same for yours. ZYRTEC is used on humans as an allergy suppressant and works safely on cats as well. 
 

4cats1parrot

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My 11yr old female Pickles has both upper & lower lips swollen for quite a while now. Was spending a fortune on other cat with hyperthyroid issues & teeth, during that ordeal I switched to a holistic vet. They have been eating blue buffalo grain free chicken kibble & canned- though all of their canned is not all grain free.
We are now cutting the kibble out and increasing canned to make the conversion to species appropriate Raw home made. However the holistic vet does not do tests etc like the reg. vet and wants to see if switching the diet to raw will work. That process will take allot of time! In the meantime her lips look terrible! It almost looks as if the lower & upper have a line that almost separates :sigh: She goes outside supervised, fleas not an issue and only her out of the four cats. Is there not a way to find out exactly what this is quickly? The vet doesnt seem concerned, but I am. We tried tinctures for inflamation, first San Ren Tang, now Hoxsey but those tinctures have alcohol and taste terrible, yes I tasted it, I also lightly boiled off the alcohol per their suggestions. Not a bit of improvement shown. Was thinking of stopping that and trying an allergy med to see if its allergys, is there a ppl allergy med thats safe? And how much for a 14lb cat? At least then I,d know if its allergys. They do have plastic dishes going to switch to stainless and see. She doesnt seem to have any hair loss there but some oozing pimple like things. Any suggestions?
 

pushylady

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4 4cats1parrot I'm surprised your vet hasn't prescribed anything for Pickles as you're quite concerned. IMO it would be better asking them about a cat safe allergy med and going from there. You don't want to give your cat just anything out of desperation, it could make things much worse. They'd know the proper doses too, and have your cat's medical history so would know how any meds could impact her health.
 

4cats1parrot

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thats the problem she wants to wait to see if the switch to raw will work first, which imo will take too long. Regular vets push kibble & meds and holistic the opposite. They are such oppositte extremes. I will keep pushing her though. Those tinctures are doing nothing.
 

maxhan

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Guys please help! He is having this thing on his lower lip, looks like a swelling.It is tender, he does not let it touch,he has become lethargic and eats less than usual. What could it possibly be?
 

maxhan

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Guys please help! He is having this thing on his lower lip, looks like a swelling.It is tender, he does not let it touch,he has become lethargic and eats less than usual. What could it possibly be?
guys please help! He is having this thing on his lower lip from 3 days,its tender and he does not let it touch.He has become lethargic and eats less than usual
 

4cats1parrot

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If he is becoming lethargic I'd be going to a vet pronto, may be a severe allergy or insect bite?
 

snugglecat

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I would get your kitty into see a vet. Have you changed food recently? Do you put food and water in plastic bowls? My cat lower lip swells whenever I try a new food and she is allergic to it.

I just went through this again with her. She stopped eating the only canned food she can have so I thought I would try Fancy Feast Turkey as she has had that before but it turns out she is allergic to something in it. I now have gotten her to eat her usual food and the swelling is going away.
 

4cats1parrot

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My Pickles has this, lips are swoollen looks like a divide from inner and outer and she gets sores that have puss on her chin.  She has had food change several times, but this started over a year ago.  I did take her to the vet, its a holistic vet and they say it will go away once I get her on raw but that could take some time.  They have me trying to cook food per hilorys but that is not working out so well.  I have switched to stainless steel bowls but no change.  I am giving msm for inflamation but no change.  I fear I will have to keep her from poultry for a while to see if it helps, but with four finicky cats who all try to eat each others food will prove to be very very difficult.  thought of giving allergy pills but afraid to she is a senior.  Im thinking maybe she has been on chicken for too many years.....can the vet do allergy tests??? the holistic vet is not giving me any ideas nor seem in a hurry to do anything about it.  I explained to them getting her on raw after eating hard food for years could take up to 2 years isn't there something we can do now?  again she said the diet change should fix it.  I wish there were vets that are holistic but still use the usual approach when needed. :-(
 
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loki 123

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I have an 18yr old cat who was a fussy eater, i changed him to raw at 17years of age it took 1 week, 1st i cut out all kibble and gave him wet only( sheba) is the best next to raw, then bought  from here  http://www.naturalinstinct.com/advice-on/   if your making your own please look up the proper ratio for cats   http://rawstartexplained.webs.com/raw-feeding-cats  .  Cooked food takes out all nutrition, do not feed raw with dry food..Good Luck I  hope you get this sorted soon.
 
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tanner

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I have been dealing with this problem on Tanner for most of his life. Plastic bowls were the first problem. Moving to stainless cleared him up in about a week. Next it was food allergies, so he has, over time, been moved to a grain free diet which nearly eliminated all his vomit episodes as well as the lip problems. However, as time moved along his lip probs returned. Visits to the vet got him a steroid shot which cleared things up quickly, but began to be a regular routine every two months or so. Vet offered no real help for problem, but to say steroid shots, over time, could lead to a diabetic problem. After reading posts here I'm going try a daily dose of Zyrtec 5mg. Hoping this resolves his issues long term. Will repost with results once he gets going.
 

missmcgahan

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Could this be an allergic reaction? The vets isn't open until Monday and it's only developed tonight but it seems to be getting worse, she's barely 8 months old and the only recent change is we got a different brand of litter last week,
She uses metal bowls and she's acting normally, doesn't even seem to bother her!
 

goholistic

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Could this be an allergic reaction? The vets isn't open until Monday and it's only developed tonight but it seems to be getting worse, she's barely 8 months old and the only recent change is we got a different brand of litter last week,
She uses metal bowls and she's acting normally, doesn't even seem to bother her!
Yes, it could be an allergic reaction. To pinpoint what that is can be challenging. Did you take her to the vet? How did that go?
 

jasmin213564

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My 6 month old kitten has the same problem and the vets said to keep a eye out for it as it looks like a allergic reaction and if the swollen lip gets bigger take her back to the vets however she had her first injection re done at a different vets got home and she had diherra and vomited 3 times
 

kolis mom

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Long story. Few weeks ago Ms. Koli had diarrhea very bad, she was in her box for a longer period of time then normal and was very vocal. I checked the box when she finished, found a soft stool with bright red blood in it. Thought she was constipated which caused blood. Then a few days later found bright red blood in her food bowl, which I assumed she had vomited in her dish. Very concerned, took her to the vet, $400 later ....tests, xray, scan. Vet said she may have ibs as everything looked good, whew. Got home from work later that day and found her open food can was half red (bright blood red), for the life of me couldn't figure out how she could have thrown up in that can, which I had left on counter that morning. Left can undisturbed on counter as now i thought next morning i would bring can to vet so he could analyze vomit. Next morning food is completely red. So it was the food in her bowl that turned red and she wasn't vomiting after all. Relieved to know it was her food, dismayed to know it was her food. What do they put in that cat food. Never had discoloration of food before. And she always eats off of glass plates, no plastic. I took a pic of can/food but cannot figure out how to attach pic to this email. Well a few days pass and now she has a lower swollen lip just like the pics of your cats. I think it is the food. Not going back to vet unless she gets worse. She has a great appetite, loves that dam cat food although I have now taken her off it. I think something was wrong with that batch of food and she is having some type of reaction to it. Which in turn has caused her to have that swollen lower lip. Can't thank everybody enough for the pics and remarks, really put me at ease.
 

blisssara1

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My Maine coon has something similar but it is in the corner or his two lips meeting, on top. He is 5 months old and I am worried, because I just lost my 20 year old cat in August of last year and he is my baby and don't want anything to happen to him. It could be a mouth ulcer because was brought up on metal bowels, and I use plastic. My house is unusually hot and then cold, no medium. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
 

goholistic

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My Maine coon has something similar but it is in the corner or his two lips meeting, on top. He is 5 months old and I am worried, because I just lost my 20 year old cat in August of last year and he is my baby and don't want anything to happen to him. It could be a mouth ulcer because was brought up on metal bowels, and I use plastic. My house is unusually hot and then cold, no medium. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
You're best bet is to take your little guy to the vet and have him checked out.

If you are using plastic bowls, I would suggest changing to stainless steel or ceramic and washing them daily to eliminate bacteria.
 

miss fluffie

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My cat's bottom lip get's swollen now and then.  It's not all the time, what can be causing this.?
 
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