Polyps/Feline Orofacial Pain Syndrome

[Rysiek]

I am so worried, almost crying. My cat has had some problems with his ears, then the skin around ears...
But...
His main symptoms were related to shaking head and scratching...
I raised this one year ago, but I was dismissed somehow, that this is just his behaviour...

Now, his skin and ears look good to me...

He still shakes his head and scratches...
It is as if he had something in his throat...he sometimes pokes his tongue out, as if something was irritating him...not often, even not daily ..but may groom himself and stretch his neck and this is when it occurs...
Also when he stretches fully, there is a crocky sound...
I self-diagnosed this as a polyp...or polyps...
He definitely scratches around his neck now more often than ears...

I will have a follow up with him on Tuesday, and I will raise this with my observations...I have a good vet, nice to talk so she will not dismiss me...

I am so worried...
If this is a polyp, is the surgery just a simple one and he will fully recover?
Can any vet perform this surgery? Are they experienced enough?
I don't have much choice, unfortunately...
I am aware if they are going to assess him it will be under sedation...he was sedated for blood tests two months ago...I worry that I expose him to too much medications and procedures...
But if I ignore this it may grow bigger...

 

[neely]

I self-diagnosed this as a polyp...or polyps...
If this is a polyp, is the surgery just a simple one and he will fully recover?

Since you said you self-diagnosed him with a polyp I would suggest waiting until your vet appointment next Tuesday. The best and most knowledgeable person to answer your questions is your vet especially since you said she will not dismiss you. Is it possible your cat has an allergy? Has this possibility ever been discussed with her? Best of luck at your appointment next week, please keep us updated.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I agree the best thing you can do is wait for a true diagnosis. I know it's hard, very hard, but wondering "what if" will get you no where but in a panic . If it IS polyps, then you will need to see whether or not your Vet can handle the surgery or not. Every Vet is different in what they can or cannot do, but if they cannot do it, they should be able to refer you to one who can, and send the records there.

Do keep us posted.

 

[Rysiek]

We have a date for assessment under general anesthetic on Monday...

I have so strong feelings that I expose him to these assessments. He had just recovered...
But still strange symptoms remain...

The vet said that there may be different conditions in the neck area, so she was unable to give me any information at the moment...

 

[Rysiek]

I am finding this really difficult, as I feel I will expose him to an additional stress. I question myself if I really see what I see, meaning his head shakes and other symptoms...
He has been much better since antibiotics, but still some symptoms remain...
Or maybe this is just me seeing things and I should ignore this?
What if this is just my exaggeration of something which is completely normal?

I worry about him being under a general anaesthetic and then what they may find...
I worry that this will affect him badly...

He just trusts me so much and it has taken us almost two years for him allowing me to stroke him on his back...He used to walk away...
For his first year he used to live in a house with a very little social interaction, most of the time being left on his own. So when he arrived to my place he simply did not like any touch...

I am so worried...

 

[fionasmom]

If there are anesthetic risks, your vet probably would have told you that upfront. There are pre surgery blood tests that can be done in order to check.

The vet must have thought that there was some reason to proceed with the evaluation?

 

[Rysiek]

Yes, they will do the full blood check before.

She needs to look into his throat and ears to get a better idea of his symptoms...

Still feeling extremely worried...

 

[Rysiek]

Back home. He was under a general anaesthetic and blood sample was taken, showing creatinine and glucose very mildly elevated, probably due to the stress.

The vet checked his mouth, throat, teeth, tongue and ears.
He has some swelling/mass on the left side of his tongue. This area looks bigger compared to the right side. Perhaps I will need to do some CT scan?
No polyps...
He has had a tartar and gingivitis around his molars. She cleaned)scaled the area...
When looking at his teeth she said she may be older than 3 years. Perhaps around 5, intriguing, as I took him when he was 1 year old and he looked really small...but he was fed only two Lidl sachets of food a day...not a lot...

He was given a long acting steroid (depo medrol) and long acting antibiotic... Unfortunately...

I am a bit concerned re: the medication he has received...

I have a follow up in two weeks...I will ask more questions, perhaps some investigation will be required for his tongue...

I have noticed that apart from being tired, he has some problems with eating, goes to his bowl, but perhaps his gums are in pain...

 

[fionasmom]

Having anything done in the mouth could make a cat unwilling to eat temporarily, but make sure that he gets some nourishment even if it is not his regular food but something easier to manage.

What did the vet suspect about the mass, or recommend?

 

[Rysiek]

I asked her, but she was unclear...

He has problem with eating, as if he cannot bite. I gave him some sheba soup, so he licked a bit. He wants to eat, tries but cannot...
It is so difficult to watch this...

I just read that gingivitis can cause "Difficulty picking up toys or food".
This is what I observe, he seems hungry, wants to pick up some food and cannot manage this...

 

[fionasmom]

That is very classic sore mouth behavior, but if it is from the procedure you should see improvement

 

[Rysiek]

Thank you. Yes, he is getting better. I got some soft food from the vet called intensive support and he ate half of pate!

I will have a follow up in two weeks, so have to ask more about the mass under his tongue...I think it may need to be investigated further...a bit concerned about it...

 

[Rysiek]

He still has problem with biting hard food and his favourite sticks...he wants them, tries to bite and spits it out. Perhaps he is still sore in his mouth...

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Hopefully he isn't having trouble eating the softer foods. Can you break up the hard food for him by putting it in a bag and hitting it with a pan or something hard and flat? That way it's just pretty much crumbs that he can lick up?

 

[Rysiek]

Hopefully he isn't having trouble eating the softer foods. Can you break up the hard food for him by putting it in a bag and hitting it with a pan or something hard and flat? That way it's just pretty much crumbs that he can lick up?

Great idea I will try...

 

[Rysiek]

He eats only soft food...does not even try the dry one...

Unsure what may have happened. Since the procedure he has been much worse...
The vet said he should not have any problems with any food, as he did not have any extraction...

I am unsure if his mouth is still sore or perhaps the mass under his tongue (still requires a further diagnosis, I think) was somehow irritated during the anasthetic and assessment + cleaning his teeths...
I think they also put a tube to the throat when under anasthetic...

I am so sad, I do worry that he may have a cancer and that he will never recover...

 

[fionasmom]

All of those could be part of this. At this point, make sure that he is eating enough soft food to keep healthy and keep the vet updated. Vets often speak theoretically, which is not to say that they are wrong, and since he did not have extractions it follows that there should not be any pain. Was the mass under the tongue in any way prodded or touched?

 

[Rysiek]

All of those could be part of this. At this point, make sure that he is eating enough soft food to keep healthy and keep the vet updated. Vets often speak theoretically, which is not to say that they are wrong, and since he did not have extractions it follows that there should not be any pain. Was the mass under the tongue in any way prodded or touched?

I have a proper follow up next Monday.

Today we started a painkiller and anti-inflammatory, but it was just a phone consult with a different vet...

What I noticed he drops his food while eating if there are any bigger bits (but actually still small, such as tiny bits in soup type of food).

He is ok with pates (Aatu one) and ate a lot today, he likes lick-a-licks as well, no problem with them..I add some probiotics and vitamins suggested by vet...

 

[Rysiek]

Perhaps when they were intubating him during a general anaesthetic they moved his tongue and it may have irritated him additionaly...maybe there is more swelling in his mouth and tongue...

 

[Rysiek]

I was going to see the vet again, as hee had been eating very little...
But today, he managed to eat quite well!
I worry for the worst, that he will be diagnosed with the cancer (the mass under his tongue)...