Gingitivis anyone? Share your experiences and get famous!

[Anne]

February is National Pet Dental Health month. We'll be having a new article added about cats and gingivitis.

Did any of your cats, past or present, have gingivitis? Could you share your stories with me here please? How did it start, what kind of treatments did you follow and with what results? Extra credit for pictures

Some of the replies may end up in the article, along with credit to you and your cats!

 

[Anne]

Bumping this with an image -

gingivitis.jpg

• Anne
• Jan 27, 2013

And yes, I'm not sure the cat in the picture has gingivitis. I hope we have better pictures here in the community, and stories too! Bring them on!

 

[spiderplant]

I'm hoping to hear about cats who have undergone complete extraction.  We have a cat with LPGS whom we adopted in July and we're considering full extraction despite the fact that he's not very symptomatic.  The veterinarian who diagnosed him said she would not recommend it at this time but I lean towards extracting before he starts to have major issues.  We have a limited number of veterinarians in our current area but plan to get a few more opinions(including the one of the vet we adopted him from).  I currently give him lactoferrin, probiotics, and occasional ubiquinol but I really can't say how much of a difference it's made for him.  

 

[txcatmom]

I'm hoping to hear about cats who have undergone complete extraction.  We have a cat with LPGS whom we adopted in July and we're considering full extraction despite the fact that he's not very symptomatic.

Sorry, Anne, this is a bit off topic but I wanted to respond to this.  (Stomatitis goes a bit beyond what I gather your article is covering I''m guessing.) 

SpiderPlant, we chose extractions of all teeth behind the canines for a stomatitis kitty (Lucy) who we adopted in August.  It did not resolve her symptoms BUT I would make the same decision again.  In fact, we may move to another state this summer and if we end up in a place with a dental specialist I may revisit the issue of surgery/extractions.  There were no dental specialists here and I'm not confident that the extractions were thorough enough.  (X-rays need to be used to make sure every last bit of root is out.)  The vet I chose was going to do the x-rays and a biopsy.  She was very thorough but her partner ended up doing the surgery because the original vet had some sudden severe health problems.  And he was not as thorough.  Anyways, I read success rates of anywhere from 30% - 90% for extractions curing stomatitis.  I personally thought it was worth it even with the lower percentages. 

By the way, Lucy's symptoms are managed wonderfully with depo-medrol...but I'm sure if you have done any reading you know this is not the most desirable route.  (But as of now it is her only sure relief.)  She has also been taking a proprietary blend of med from a clinic in Dallas (they will work with your vet long distance and ship meds) for about 40 days.  It is too soon to say whether these are working because we have to wait for her latest depo-medrol shot to wear off to see if symptoms recur.  Carolina (who posts here) had a cat who was greatly helped by the Dallas meds and for many cats it puts the condition into a sort of remission.  You can private message me if you would like the contact info for the Dallas clinic.  Good luck. 

 

[Anne]

Stomatitis and gingivitis often go hand in hand together, so well within the context of the thread, no problem, and thanks for sharing!

Anyone else? I'm glad to see that kitties here all have such healthy gums

 

[ritz]

I adopted Ritz in late January 2010 when she was around four to six months old (rescued from the streets).  She was spayed and had a rabies vaccination in late February at a low cost s/n center.  Around May 2010 she went in for a wellness check (required by my pet insurance) and the vet indicated she had minor gingivitis.  Around February 2011 she went in another wellness check and the dentist said she needed a dental cleaning soon.  I thought she was kind of young (less than 2 years old) to have gingivitis, but I have since learned poor diet, especially at a young age, and genetics can be contributory factors. 

I had the dental cleaning done in May 2011.  In October I transitioned Ritz to raw feeding, which includes chucks of meat and bone.  In May 2012 she went in for a wellness check and I asked the vet how did her teeth look, “Fine, great” and I replied, must be all that raw meat and bone I fed her”. 

That said, on her wellness check two weeks ago, the (new) vet said Ritz’s teeth were starting to get some build up of plague and tarter and redness, and Ritz would need a dental cleaning in around two years.  Ritz is a skittish cat who doesn’t like being picked up or forcibly restrained, so I don’t foresee ever being able to brush her teeth.  But I will continue to feed her (uncooked) bones, which she will enjoy a whole lot more than my brushing her teeth.

 

[catapault]

At Anne's request, here's the story:

In December Mr Poe, a 2 year old neutered male cat, had his annual visit to the vet. When she opened his mouth I could see that his gums were very red. Mind you, he'd been eating well, in fact eagerly would better describe his appetite. Vet said stomatitis. Then said maybe bortadella. Prescribed azithromax for 30 days. Which he did not like but fortunately had no difficulty eating it mixed with his wet food. On my own I put him on L-Lysine, 250 mg twice a day.

When he finished the course of antibiotic I called in and made an appointment for a recheck 10 days later.

At the recheck (no charge) it was clear that the inflammation was very much reduced, just a red line at the gums. Roof of mouth clear, but I believe it had been clear back in December.

We discussed keeping him on the L-Lysine and agreed that I would do so. BTW - it is human 500 mg tablets which I use a pill splitter to divide and then crush in a small mortar & pestle.

I asked about giving him something to chew and the vet said that cats don't really chew their food (referring, I believe, to commercial cat food.) That's true enough, even kibble is pretty much inhaled, not crunched. I asked about chicken wings and she said that would be fine.

So today, now that the temperatures have warmed up and my driveway is clear of ice, I'm going to the grocery store for various items - including chicken wings.

Cats who hunt have stronger stomach acids than do cats who eat commercial food. If he eats it - and I'm quite confident that he will - I think I will start him off with the smallest wing joint two to three times a week. After a couple of weeks I may step it up either by feeding him the smallest joint more frequently OR feeding him the next larger / middle joint as well.

So it is not clear whether he actually had stomatitis or if it was something else. Regardless, I'm happy that it is resolving.

Update: I gave Mr Poe a chicken winglet. He was interested, licked it, didn't quite know what to do with it. So I cut it into 3 small pieces. That did the trick - he began licking and chewing and crunching. It took him at least 15 minutes to eat the winglet pieces, bones and all (much longer than he takes to eat a meal.) Accompanied by crunching sounds and very obvious gnawing. When all done he gave his face a very good wash, looking quite pleased with himself.

 

[carolina]

Bugsy has LPS Stomatitis. He was diagnosed soon after he came to me, around February 2009. We did a couple rounds of steroid shots/antibiotics, which is the most common route while I got ready to take him to Dr. Wiggs' Clinic for treatment, here in Dallas. When he started his treatment his mouth was in very poor shape - blisters on the roof and the back of the mouth, going on the throat, and the gums were very inflammed.
He had a dental and started the treatment consisting of a proprietary drug, steroid-free - it worked beautifully and kept him on remission for quite a while.
Bugsy was transitioned to raw in December 2011, and immediately his IBD was resolved. His vet then proposed to me trying to stop his stomatitis meds to see how he did, since both IBD and Stomatitis are inflammatory diseases of the digestive tract and there is a theory that they can be related; it is not uncommon to see LPS stomatitis cats having IBD.
We stopped the medication around April 2012. Bugsy went to the vet every 15 days for follow ups, then every month, then after 6 months. So far his stomatitis has been under control. His gums are a bit red, his vet said he would classify him as a "level 1 gingivitis" Which is a whole lot better than stomatitis :nod:
He has accumulated quite a bit of tartar though and I was advised to take him for a dental - Can't explain why he gets more tartar than the other cats..... but such is life, I guess :dk: The good news is, even with all that tartar, his gums are not overly inflammed - there is only a thin reddish line over his teeth....
My plan is to have his dental and maintain his teeth clean by introducing chicken wings to his diet - I think that's a good plan :nod:

While I don't have before and after pictures, I have mid-treatment pictures of Bugsy, from his first follow up at the Dallas Clinic when the treatment started working.... Don't know if those are good for you.....
But before his mouth, roof of his mouth and back of his throat were all blistered and inflammed -
and by the time of the follow up...... Ta-da! a MUCH, MUCH healthier mouth! Still a red line, but no blisters, and his pain level was greatly reduced :nod:

stomatitis1.jpg

• carolina
• Jan 29, 2013

stomatitis2.jpg

• carolina
• Jan 29, 2013

 

[txcatmom]

Wow, Carolina!  Those photos are amazing!  I can picture the "before." 

We are still trying to get Lucy's stomatitis under control, but I'll share what we've tried.  (It didn't really occur to me to contribute to this thread since we can't really say what her results have been yet, but I'll give it a shot.)

When we met Lucy at a no-kill shelter in the summer of 2012, I had a hunch something was wrong with her mouth.  She was matted (even though she is short-haired), dirty, had a silent meow,  and the staff reported she had been drooling.  I encouraged them to have a vet look in her mouth.  When they called me and said it was "some sort of mouth infection" I knew it was stomatitis.  I'd done a good bit of reading on feline dental health since two of my younger cats have unusually bad teeth and gums for their age. 

We brought Lucy home and immediately began feeding her grain free canned and snacks of raw food, since grains and additives to commercial food can be a factor in stomatitis.  The frustrating thing about stomatitis is that there are so many possible factors (that differ from cat to cat) that it is impossible to try every avenue of treatment, every medicine that might help, and every supplement or missing nutrient that could hold the key.  She is eating all raw now and taking supplements like omega 3's that are reported to help control inflammation.  Though I'm confident the good nutrition must be helping her, it has not resolved her symptoms. 

Lucy's symptoms are best controlled with depo-medrol shots.  But this steroid therapy has been something we have been trying to avoid since we began planning her treatment since long term steroid use can lead to diabetes and the steroids can lose their effectiveness over time.  In fact, I called around to find a vet who had experience treating stomatitis with methods other than steroids before deciding to bring Lucy home from the shelter.  When I got a phone call from "the one" (the vet who had some experience treating the disease without steroids) I knew we would be bringing Lucy home.  We decided to extract all of Lucy's teeth behind the canines.  Some cats are "cured" by having teeth removed since stomatitis is thought to be a reaction to plaque or possibly a reaction to the very material of the teeth themselves.  The vet who I trusted to be thorough with the surgery was unable to perform it due to her own health problems.  8 weeks after the extractions Lucy was still in so much pain that she screamed and nearly jumped out of her skin when the vet tried to open her mouth wide.  That was the day Lucy got her first depo-medrol shot and the results were dramatic.  4 hours later I saw her give herself the most amazing all over bath.  (Lack of grooming usually accompanies mouth pain.) 

The steroid shots give her wonderful relief but we are still searching for other alternatives.  If we move to a city with a dental specialist, we may revisit the idea of extractions.  X-rays are needed to make sure all the roots were removed.  Removing her remaining teeth could help as well.  And Lucy has started taking the "Dallas meds" ....a proprietary blend of meds created by a dental specialist in Dallas.  They recommended she still get a steroid shot at the beginning of her treatment, so we will have to wait for the steroid shot to wear off to know how the Dallas meds are working.  They give many cats relief, so fingers crossed.

Lucy is in much better shape these days.  Her fur is lovely as she is grooming herself now.  She is happy and playful and has a voice when she meows.  She never lost her appetite or her playfulness no matter her pain level.  She's a spunky sweet girl and we are so glad we brought her home.  We will keep working at keeping her pain free and healthy.  We've accepted that if steroids are her only chance of relief, she may have a shorter life but a pain free one.  We think that is the right choice for her.  But hopefully we will find a way for her to have a pain free and steroid free life.

No mouth photos but here's a shot of our lovely girl....

View media item 146169

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• txcatmom
• Jan 30, 2013

Here she is grooming herself....

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• txcatmom
• Jan 30, 2013

Here she is getting her face cleaned while recovering from her extractions (there was a good bit of drooling.)....

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• txcatmom
• Jan 30, 2013

 

[Anne]

Thank you everyone for sharing! I am currently working on the article itself and will be incorporating the stories into that. I'll be referring to  the thread itself, so if anyone else wants to add, please do.

 

[tweetykiss]

Avalon was diagnosed with having tartar last spring when she went for her shots.  I was told to brush her teeth but she can be a stubborn little girl who does not let me open her mouth.  She does not even let me trim her nails.  Only the groomer can do that and Avalon is very calm when she does that with her.

Anyway her doctor did a thorough cleaning on her teeth just two weeks ago.  Now she has pearly whites and I give her dental chews.  

Here are Avalon's before and after pictures that her doctor emailed to me.

avalon's before pic.JPG

• tweetykiss
• Feb 1, 2013

Avalon's before picture

Avalon's after pic.JPG

• tweetykiss
• Feb 1, 2013

Avalon's after picture

 

[Anne]

Bumping this to for a big

thank-you.jpg

• Anne
• Feb 4, 2013

The article has been published and is now available under our Cat Health Articles section -

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/gingivitis-and-stomatitis-in-cats

Feedback is welcome both here and in the comments section of the articles.