Oral Mass

[silent meowlook]

Hi. If you can get a referral to an internal medicine specialist, I would strongly advise you so that. He will most likely need a feeding tube ( not as bad as it sounds) placed, that way you can bypass the mouth and feed enough food without traumatizing him or risking causing pain or aspiration. It is a 5 minute procedure that saves cats lives.

Many veterinarians will prescribe Gabapentin to give your cat prior to a visit.

Do you have a feline only veterinarian nearby you could see or can you get a referral to an internal medicine specialist?

 

[charliana]

Since he had started improving his eating yesterday, we are starting an appetite stimulant today. If he doesn't do better I am supposed to go back and do the feeding tube. I also have to flush out the place where the tooth was removed daily to keep it from filling up with food. We go back next Friday. My boss is just going to love that I am leaving early again. This summer has been a mess.

 

[Meowmee]

Bam Bam went back to the vet today because he had started drooling again, and he isn't eating enough. I am horrified because he is apparently done with the vet visits. He flipped out and started biting the cage in the waiting room. He has never done that before. Then his mouth was all bloody. We may be worse off than what we started with. Last night was the first time he had actually willingly ate a little bit of solid food instead of just the liquid part. I have been syringe feeding him part of his meals because he isn't eating right. We might have to start all over again building back up to eating correctly. I have to find out about sedating him before we go to any more vet visits.

Sorry he is worse, I hope he improves. Before doing any sedation try giving him gabapentin for a couple of days before his next visit. The day of about 1-3 hours ahead. I did that for Xena after he supposedly tried to bite somebody at the emergency hospital. Because I didn’t want him sedated again. And it worked he was fine. He was able to have an exam and an x-ray without needing any sedation.

 

[charliana]

What is the secret to trying to flush out the hole in a cats mouth. I don't think I am doing a good job of this. There is a lot of wrestling, trying to be careful to not hurt his mouth, then squirting the syringe as fast I can before his mouth is shut again. We are not getting a good flush of the hole this way.

 

[Crabbysquatch]

I wish I could give you some good advice about helping your cat. I just felt the need to give some moral support. I struggle trying to get my cats to take meds and clip their nails all the time. The vet always makes it look so easy. It has to be because they know if they struggle enough you don’t want to stress them out and let up.
Maybe you can use a towel and turn Bam Bam into a purrito. That might give you more control to do what you have to do.

 

[maggie101]

So sorry he is not feeling well. My vet suggested a cat dentist if she has tooth resorption again. Her eatin has slowed down but since giving her dmg she has perked back. She eats small servings of pate. I give her gabapentin 1 hour before her appointment. It has helped alot. If he has lost weight get some hills a/d for cals. I plan on buying some

 

[silent meowlook]

Honestly, it isn’t realistic to be able to flush a hole in a cats mouth without a struggle and risking aspiration. Wrestling with a cat is never good and stress delays healing.

The mouth is very good at healing itself. What is the product they want you to flushcc vca with?

 

[Meowmee]

Honestly, it isn’t realistic to be able to flush a hole in a cats mouth without a struggle and risking aspiration. Wrestling with a cat is never good and stress delays healing.

The mouth is very good at healing itself. What is the product they want you to flushcc vca with?

I agree, when Wizard had extractions I was not told to flush anything. He healed very well. I can't remember if he was on antibiotics then, probably.

 

[charliana]

They just gave me syringes and wanted me to flush it out with regular water because he was getting food stuck in the hole.

 

[charliana]

Also is there a really small dry kitten food. The vet mentioned he might just swallow kibble whole. Dry cat food is Bam Bam's preference. He followed me around getting food this morning, and is apparently tired of his wet kitten chow or wet friskies. He has an entire buffet of different foods to try, and he just wants his dry cat food. He doesn't like all brands, he wants the cheap stuff instead of the better stuff I buy them, but I will let him eat anything he wants right now.

 

[silent meowlook]

I wouldn’t worry about the size of the kibble. Most cats do just fine with normal sized food pieces. I would be careful though, that you don’t wind up with him blocking due to the dry food. It happened to my cat. Maybe ask the vet which one they would recommend for him, that he will eat. Most vets have food samples that you can ask for. The food companies provide hospitals with little bags of food for people to try.

Regarding flushing the mouth. If you can ask your vet for a large gauge catheter with the metal stylus removed, you can attach it to the syringe and use it to flush that way. It is much softer that the tube and cats don’t object to it as much. Always be sure to flush from behind the cat with his head in a normal or downward position.

 

[charliana]

He went in for a biopsy today. We were supposed to have another week before we got the results back because the vet was going out of town. The cancer is eating away the bone in his face, he had to be put to sleep, and not woken up after surgery. I am so sick of everything going wrong this summer.

 

[DeesCats]

I'm so sorry to hear this about Bam Bam, my thoughts are with you during this terrible time.

 

[fionasmom]

I am so sorry for your loss of Bam Bam. As hard as it was, you did the right thing to let him pass peacefully.

 

[silent meowlook]

I am so sorry. You know you did the right thing, but it is just so hard to go through. Please take time to grieve. This is such devastating news.

 

[Meowmee]

He went in for a biopsy today. We were supposed to have another week before we got the results back because the vet was going out of town. The cancer is eating away the bone in his face, he had to be put to sleep, and not woken up after surgery. I am so sick of everything going wrong this summer.

I am very sorry for your loss of poor Bam Bam I went through the same thing with Jezibel. She was untouchable, and had to be sedated, when they told me I said not to wake her, just to let her go. Run free sweet Bam Bam & watch over your mom

 

[charliana]

He got me through some other very hard times in my life. It's not just empty like it was when Rocky went. It is like a part of me is gone.

 

[fionasmom]

Once again, I am so sorry for your loss. When a cat passes on, we lock the thread out of respect. If you would like to post a tribute to Bam Bam, you are welcome to do so in our Crossing the Bridge forum.

Crossing the Bridge