Our 14 Year Old Nutmeg (male) Has Oral Ulcers All Inside And Throat

[merstockgto]

I had noticed for a few weeks our Nutmeg was having difficulty picking up and chewing his favorite dry food. He had just had his teeth cleaned this past Dec. 2018. We took him back to our vet this past Wed. and our vet of 7 yrs. put him under so he could get a good look inside his mouth. Poor guy has ulcers on his tougue, cheek and even down his throat. The vet also took a couple of biopsies to make sure there is no cancer. We are giving him 1 tab Prednisolone 5mg daily in the a.m. hoping this will help get rid of the ulcers. We also give him pain medication. Biopsies were also taken. My problem is Nutmeg loves his dry food and will eat wet food but not crazy about it. He has lot a couple of lbs. and he is not eating much and is very finicky. We even tried tuna which usually works and he did eat come yesterday but today he will not eat it. I keep trying different flavors of food. We have had kitties since 1986 and have never encountered this kind of problem before. Any suggestions?? Thank you.

 

[FelisCatus]

Hi there, are you saying Nutmeg has not eaten at all today? At 2 days of no food cats can develop fatty liver disease (especially if they were a bigger cat to begin with). If so, at this point it’s more important that he eats versus what he eats.

Have you tried syringe feeding? If not we can walk you through it. Buy some different types of wet cat food and also meat flavoured baby food (yes human baby food) that has no garlic. Then call any closeby vet clinic and get a free syringe food feeder.

You will also need to update your vet asap.

-I recently lost one of my precious cats to cancer and had to syringe feed

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

I had noticed for a few weeks our Nutmeg was having difficulty picking up and chewing his favorite dry food. He had just had his teeth cleaned this past Dec. 2018. We took him back to our vet this past Wed. and our vet of 7 yrs. put him under so he could get a good look inside his mouth. Poor guy has ulcers on his tougue, cheek and even down his throat. The vet also took a couple of biopsies to make sure there is no cancer. We are giving him 1 tab Prednisolone 5mg daily in the a.m. hoping this will help get rid of the ulcers. We also give him pain medication. Biopsies were also taken. My problem is Nutmeg loves his dry food and will eat wet food but not crazy about it. He has lot a couple of lbs. and he is not eating much and is very finicky. We even tried tuna which usually works and he did eat come yesterday but today he will not eat it. I keep trying different flavors of food. We have had kitties since 1986 and have never encountered this kind of problem before. Any suggestions?? Thank you.

M merstockgto - I am so sorry to hear about your Nutmeg!

Do they know what has caused the ulcers?

*I am not a vet*, but I know that when my last cat had some issues with GI ulcers, her vet at the time had prescribed Sucralfate/ Carafate, a medicine that can help put a protective coating over the ulcers so that they might have a better chance of healing. The format we used of Carafate was that we made a water slurry, with the pill dissolved in it, which we would syringe gently into her mouth, getting her to swallow it. We had to give it 1-2 hours before a meal, so that the medicine had a chance to coat her stomach lining PRIOR to eating. That was important to do. It really helped to ease the pain for her stomach ulcers, and the dosage and length of time her vet prescribed for her really helped to heal her ulcers fully and she got so much better in what seemed like no time at all (but, as I think back, was likely about a week or two).

My sense is that Carafate (or Sucralfate) might help a variety of ulcers (mouth, tongue, but I know for sure it also helps the esophagus too), and maybe there is a format of the medicine that your vet might know could help Nutmeg -- at least partially, with some of his ulceration? Did your vet bring up this medicine to you?

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

I had noticed for a few weeks our Nutmeg was having difficulty picking up and chewing his favorite dry food. He had just had his teeth cleaned this past Dec. 2018. We took him back to our vet this past Wed. and our vet of 7 yrs. put him under so he could get a good look inside his mouth. Poor guy has ulcers on his tougue, cheek and even down his throat. The vet also took a couple of biopsies to make sure there is no cancer. We are giving him 1 tab Prednisolone 5mg daily in the a.m. hoping this will help get rid of the ulcers. We also give him pain medication. Biopsies were also taken. My problem is Nutmeg loves his dry food and will eat wet food but not crazy about it. He has lot a couple of lbs. and he is not eating much and is very finicky. We even tried tuna which usually works and he did eat come yesterday but today he will not eat it. I keep trying different flavors of food. We have had kitties since 1986 and have never encountered this kind of problem before. Any suggestions?? Thank you.

M merstockgto - I am so sorry to hear about your Nutmeg!

Do they know what has caused the ulcers?

*I am not a vet*, but I know that when my last cat had some issues with GI ulcers, her vet at the time had prescribed Sucralfate/ Carafate, a medicine that can help put a protective coating over the ulcers so that they might have a better chance of healing. The format we used of Carafate was that we made a water slurry, with the pill dissolved in it, which we would syringe gently into her mouth, getting her to swallow it. We had to give it 1-2 hours before a meal, so that the medicine had a chance to coat her stomach lining PRIOR to eating. That was important to do. It really helped to ease the pain for her stomach ulcers, and the dosage and length of time her vet prescribed for her really helped to heal her ulcers fully and she got so much better in what seemed like no time at all (but, as I think back, was likely about a week or two).

My sense is that Carafate (or Sucralfate) might help a variety of ulcers (mouth, tongue, but I know for sure it also helps the esophagus too), and maybe there is a format of the medicine that your vet might know which could help Nutmeg -- at least partially with some of his ulceration? Did your vet bring up this medicine to you?

 

[Furballsmom]

I'm so sorry to hear this!
Hopefully the med helps!
In the meantime , can you try something here, after checking with your vet to make sure they're ok?
For stress that he might be experiencing, try music - there's classical harp music, there's an app called Relax My Cat, also MusicForCats . com, as a few sources of ways to hopefully help him to be a little more calm.

Try feeding in different locations - really, completely different, and utilize different heights. For example put a couple of books underneath the dish, next time use two thick phone books, or a small-ish box so the heights are varied....

Double check with your vet that these are ok - hopefully there's something that helps.

Try some raw egg yolk. Egg white must always be cooked, and some people cook the white and make a slurry of sorts by adding in the raw yolk.

Also you could try some Nutri-cal or similar product.

Try making these recipes - they're just as viable for an adult cat as for kittens;
Kitten-Rescue.com

These below can be used on their own or combined with food, other than your excellent results with the baby food . Also, if you heat the food a little - stir it so there aren't any hot spots from the microwave.

Or you could heat some water, about a tablespoon, and add that to canned food. A small glass works to stir it all up.

• Chicken, beef or ham flavored (pureed) baby food such as Gerber Stage 2 - make sure there is no garlic or onions in the ingredients

• Tuna and/or the juice, a low mercury/low/no sodium brand is called SafeCatch

• Salmon, mackerel

• Sardines (make sure there are no bones)

• boiled cut up chicken or turkey with no seasonings

• canned kitten food any brand

• Try mixing in Kitten Milk Replacer - there are recipes on the internet or store bought

• Fish, tuna or BBQ flavored canned wet food (I personally have never seen BBQ flavors, but...)

• Lickable cat treats or pouch treat 'gravy' poured over the food

• kitten glop (recipes in website link above)
• Bonito flakes
• fortiflora
• fish oil
• green beans, asparagus mushed up, lettuce, applesauce, mashed chickpeas, black olives
• whipped topping such as reddiwhip
• dry pasta

• goat milk, or no lactose cow milk
• whole cooked eggs (the white must always be cooked) or raw egg yolk now and then
• broth with no salt and no garlic or onion or seasonings of any kind
• There are also commercial toppers, Applaws is a brand that can work well as a topper
  
• Some good treats would be freeze dried Purebites, Orijen, Meowtinis, Meowables, Only Natural Pet, Primal

• There are also Lickimats that you could spread types of soft food onto, even plain unflavored yogurt, and even freeze it. Licking something can help a cat to feel better emotionally The LickiMat - Food Puzzles for Cats
• shredded cheddar cheese, string cheese

 

[FelisCatus]

Any update on Nutmeg M merstockgto ?

 

[merstockgto]

Update Nutmeg oral ulcers. On Fri. Feb. 15 2019 he seemed like himself except for eating any dry food which he likes and eats all of the time. I was feeding him wet food which he eats little amounts at a time. Yesterday he was not being at his best. Today he ate wet food and I was giving him some about every hour. He had been drinking good also. A little while ago after I gave him some wet food he hid and I heard him crying like he was in pain from the biopsies taken on Thurs. I gave him some pain medication and after getting it he had his mouth open and drooling. W/ a syringe I squirted some water in his mouth in case the pain medicine was causing him to have his mouth open and drooling. Nutmeg appears to be failing as he has lost so much weight and has eaten only little amounts of wet food. I am taking him to our vet tomorrow but am not so sure he will make it through the night. I am thinking he may have cancer. Will not know for certain until the biopsy results come in this week. We adopted Nutmeg on May 4, 2006 from a Petsmart in Ocoee, Fl. and also 3 others which we still have. Nutmeg was about 11 mos when we got him so he is close to 14 now. Nutmeg and 3 kitties traveled out west (2600 mi.) in 2 cars. We currently have 6 kitties, one being a former feral we trapped in Fl. in 2011 and adopted one here Oct 2016 at 4 mos. old. I thank all of you that gave me feed back. We do the max that we can for all of our kitties but unfortunately I believe we will lose Nutmeg and you all know like I do how difficult it is to lose a fur baby. The last time we lost one was Apr. 22, 2006, May 11, 2005 and Jan. 4, 2000.

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[1 bruce 1]

Update Nutmeg oral ulcers. On Fri. Feb. 15 2019 he seemed like himself except for eating any dry food which he likes and eats all of the time. I was feeding him wet food which he eats little amounts at a time. Yesterday he was not being at his best. Today he ate wet food and I was giving him some about every hour. He had been drinking good also. A little while ago after I gave him some wet food he hid and I heard him crying like he was in pain from the biopsies taken on Thurs. I gave him some pain medication and after getting it he had his mouth open and drooling. W/ a syringe I squirted some water in his mouth in case the pain medicine was causing him to have his mouth open and drooling. Nutmeg appears to be failing as he has lost so much weight and has eaten only little amounts of wet food. I am taking him to our vet tomorrow but am not so sure he will make it through the night. I am thinking he may have cancer. Will not know for certain until the biopsy results come in this week. We adopted Nutmeg on May 4, 2006 from a Petsmart in Ocoee, Fl. and also 3 others which we still have. Nutmeg was about 11 mos when we got him so he is close to 14 now. Nutmeg and 3 kitties traveled out west (2600 mi.) in 2 cars. We currently have 6 kitties, one being a former feral we trapped in Fl. in 2011 and adopted one here Oct 2016 at 4 mos. old. I thank all of you that gave me feed back. We do the max that we can for all of our kitties but unfortunately I believe we will lose Nutmeg and you all know like I do how difficult it is to lose a fur baby. The last time we lost one was Apr. 22, 2006, May 11, 2005 and Jan. 4, 2000.

I have no words, other than that I hope somehow things look good in the morning and he's having a strange reaction to the medication and he'll be OK.
Whatever happens...
You remember those dates. That's pretty cool, it make us sad but it shows they were "here" and mattered to us. Try to hang in there.
We got your back.

 

[merstockgto]

I have no words, other than that I hope somehow things look good in the morning and he's having a strange reaction to the medication and he'll be OK.
Whatever happens...
You remember those dates. That's pretty cool, it make us sad but it shows they were "here" and mattered to us. Try to hang in there.
We got your back.

 

[merstockgto]

We had the 3 previous kitties cremated so they are always w/ us. One of our other kitties, Ben is giving fluids every other day as he has renal failure. Have been doing that since Dec. 4 2018. Ben was also adopted at the same time Nutmeg was and he and Ben are real buddies. Going to miss seeing them having a little tif. Ben had been declawed before we got him and he is my guy. Sleeps next to my head every night.

 

[Furballsmom]

.

 

[merstockgto]

I had called yesterday to the vet ofc and asked that our vet call us first thing Mon. today. He did call around 8 a.m. and I filled him in on what had been transpiring. Nutmeg is still eating bits of wet food every day and drinking. Today he seems more active and my wife is spending a lot of the time w/ him to keep him company which he love. He slept between us last night and took him to the box to potty which he did around 1:45 am. It had been awhile since he urinated so I figured he needed to go. Our vet said to double up on the prednisolone instead of 1 per day. The fact he is eating something and drinking is encouraging but have to play it day by day and see how he does. He does not appear to be in any kind of stress or pain and will not let him suffer.

 

[merstockgto]

.

Thank you

 

[1 bruce 1]

I had called yesterday to the vet ofc and asked that our vet call us first thing Mon. today. He did call around 8 a.m. and I filled him in on what had been transpiring. Nutmeg is still eating bits of wet food every day and drinking. Today he seems more active and my wife is spending a lot of the time w/ him to keep him company which he love. He slept between us last night and took him to the box to potty which he did around 1:45 am. It had been awhile since he urinated so I figured he needed to go. Our vet said to double up on the prednisolone instead of 1 per day. The fact he is eating something and drinking is encouraging but have to play it day by day and see how he does. He does not appear to be in any kind of stress or pain and will not let him suffer.

That's hospice type or palliative care, which is what we do for the ones we love when we can. You're doing good work.
We have a cat that has some chronic illnesses and some days he's great, some days he's not. I like the fact your wife is spending a lot of time with him, because on days we're rushing around our boy seems to withdraw. Days we don't rush and spend good time with him, he seems to improve.
Just keep doing what you're doing. They sometimes surprise us.

 

[merstockgto]

That's hospice type or palliative care, which is what we do for the ones we love when we can. You're doing good work.
We have a cat that has some chronic illnesses and some days he's great, some days he's not. I like the fact your wife is spending a lot of time with him, because on days we're rushing around our boy seems to withdraw. Days we don't rush and spend good time with him, he seems to improve.
Just keep doing what you're doing. They sometimes surprise us.

I am glad that we are retired because we can spend a lot of time w/ Nutmeg. Working would be difficult leaving him every day for hours.

 

[merstockgto]

It is w/ much sadness that our Nutmeg who we have had since May 2006 when he was 1 1/2 yrs old passed away on his own this morning at 10:30 a.m. We left him w/ our vet hospital Tues. afternoon (yesterday) as he had gotten really bad and thought we were going to lose him when he was w/ us at home. Our vet gave him fluids and other things to try and perk him up and for a couple of hours he did but over night he went downhill fast. The vet was going to put a feeding tube in him and feed him that way since eating or giving him medicine was irritating his mouth and throat from the ulcers. Nutmeg was down to 6 lbs and weight 7 1/4 last week. Our vet called us this morning and advised us on his condition and he said that Nutmeg was trying to tell us that it was time to let go. We drove over and he had passed on his own 7 minutes before we got there. Nutmeg did not pass alone as the vet was w/ him and a vet tech was petting him. We were allowed to visit w/ Nutmeg and was taken to a nice room just for pet owners that have lost a loved pet. Our vet came in and talked to us and he told us that as he has gotten older that the loss of a pet affects him also as he treats them for years and gets used to them. We have gone to this vet since we got in Las Vegas 7 yrs ago and is one of the best around. Someone is there 24/7 taking care of hospitalized pets. We will miss our precious and loved Nutmeg as he was the one that had a lot of personality and really active and running around and very entertaining. We have 5 other kitties and helps w/ the healing process but no kitty can take the place of Nutmeg. We are having him cremated and will pick up his ashes next Friday. I know all of you know how difficult it is to lose a fur baby and this is our 4th loss and it never gets easier.

 

[Furballsmom]

I'm SO sorry to hear this, for you-all and your vet. Thank you so very much for the update

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

I am so sorry for your loss of Nutmeg, my condolences to you and your wife-

 

[AbbysMom]

On behalf of the site Team, we are very sorry for your loss. Threads are closed after such a loss as a sign of respect. Please do consider starting a memorial thread in our Crossing the Bridge section.

Rest in Peace, Nutmeg.