Recovery After Full Teeth Removal And Other Stomatitis Worries

[mechakat]

Hello, well my little stray that i have been taking care of for years got the stomatitis diagnosis. He says she should have all her teeth removed except for the front incisors. I have to give her prednisolone and ZydaClin(clindamycin hydrochloride) for 10 days and schedule a appt for the surgery. I am very worried about her recovery. How painful and uncomfortable will it be for her? I would have to bring her indoors throughout the process which my mother wont like.

Let me explain: I live with mother who has early stage dementia. She has been suffering with extreme anxiety for the last 3 years. Thats why Ive had to keep my stray outside. She cant tolerate having her indoors(she's not an animal lover). But I would have to bring her indoors for the recovery. She says hearing the cat yowl in pain will make her anxious & sick. :\ We live in a very tiny apartment so my only option would be to keep the kitty in my room but she'll still be able to hear her if she's painful and cries all day.

Im wondering if there are other options that dont involve such a drastic painful procedure. I wonder if just steroids and painkiller would work along with supplements(like L-lysine) even though I know some of those are not good for her long term. There's also the fact that the procedure doesn't work for all cats anyway. Yep Ive done my research.

btw I am having a hard time giving her the one med that has to be applied with a dropper. She wont keep still and hates it. I dont have anyone to help me hold her.

well, sorry for the long post, mostly what Id like to know is how bad is the recovery for them after surgery and are there any alternatives to full removal of their teeth?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, I don't think she will yowl. I'm not sure, but I don't know that there are any alternatives. Hopefully other members will weigh in on that for you. Could you talk with another vet and get a second opinion perhaps?

Also, have a chat with your vet--maybe they can come up with a way to help regarding that one medication, or even possibly someone can stop by to administer it.

 

[Tobermory]

There are two cats at the sanctuary where I volunteer who had their teeth removed because of stomatitis. They’re FIV+ so infection was a serious issue for them. Neither yowled during recovery. They were miserable, but they didn’t cry. They’re both doing well now. It takes them longer to eat but they seem to manage well. They get canned pâté.

Can your vet give you suggestions for other ways to administer the med that needs the dropper? Or a different med?

 

[mechakat]

Hi! thanks for all your replies. With "yowl" I mean that heartbreakingly sad crying she does when she has to be in that carrier she hates...Im sure you all know what that is. My mom cant stand it not b/c its annoying but b/c it makes her anxious and depresses her. It depresses me too. She isn't a very vocal normally. It makes me feel a bit better that she may not cry as much, though I know she'll be so uncomfortable. Ive had a molar taken out last year and I cant imagine having so many taken out at once out of such a tiny head... makes me sick thinking about it.

for the medication I am trying to put it in her food, even though the vet said they wont eat it in food b/c of the bad taste. She has eaten some of the medicated food but never eats the whole thing. She normally gets some dry food n the morning(but she eats very little of it) and then wet food in the late afternoon. Im thinking of skipping the morning dry kibble & splitting her meals to 3 times a day so I can administer the 3 doses(1 of the pred and the 2 Zydaclin.)

the vet is supposed to call me in 10 days for the bloodwork results and the I need to schedule the extractions. He also said something about getting a dental cleaning but I dont see the point of that if she's gonna get her teeth pulled anyway. Unless he means the teeth he's gonna leave in since I think he said he doesn't take them out at the same time but in 2 sessions. Maybe it makes the recovery faster/less painful but I dont like the idea of having her anesthetized twice not to mention the extra expense. I definitely need to clear up some stuff with him first before proceeding, it was all so much to take in that first visit.

 

[Furballsmom]

Oh, well, yes, I most certainly do know THAT yowl. But you made it sound otherwise ;

She says hearing the cat yowl in pain will make her anxious & sick.

she'll still be able to hear her if she's painful and cries all day

So in any case, back to the carrier, to help your mom out when you're ready to leave for the vet, can you get your baby in the carrier and set the carrier just outside the door prior to heading out?
Can you ask the vet for any calming treats that might help your baby with carrier stress?
When you get back from the vet I would guess your cat will be silent.

 

[mechakat]

I usually put her in the carrier as the last thing i do before I leave, so mom knows she wont hear her for too long. I was just worried it would be 3 whole days of the poor thing crying in discomfort. I know thats probably be an exaggeration but this is all new and scary to me, hah . I do use an old sock soaked in a natural calming spray for cats I have. It seems to help somewhat, I guess she'd be even louder if i didnt use it. I have seen the calming treats at the stores but this kitty is odd, she has never liked treats! She just wont eat them. I guess they are too hard for her sore mouth.

 

[Furballsmom]

I understand, --in case you'd like to try them, there are also collars, sprays, diffusers, all sorts of products and ingredients.
Here's a partial list;
There is Zylkene, Calming Care, Calm-o-mile, Sentry, Natures Miracle calming spray, Vetri-Science's Composure is another item to look at, Pet Remedy (it has valerian) is yet another, as is Essential Pet Pet-ease, Only Natural Pet (brand and website) has a calming product, Pet Naturals also has one I believe.
Lambert Vet Supply is a website to look at, and of course amazon and chewy, also there's Petwishpros, drsfostersmith, animaleo.
All the best of luck to you all!!

 

[jcat]

Our cat had all but his front teeth extracted due to FORL, and several cats at the shelter had full-mouth extractions due to stomatitis. There was no yowling at all, because they all got painkillers for several days in addition to antibiotics. In the case of ferals, a Convenia injection (long-lasting antibiotic) was given, and a liquid painkiller (Metacam) was put directly in their canned food.

The extractions were done all at once, not in stages.

 

[mechakat]

furballsmom, thanks for the list of "calmers", there are so many! hopefully the pain relievers they give me for her will be effective but I hope she will want to eat b/c so far Ive only been able to give her medication by mixing it in her food. Fortunately she's been eating most of it .

Im still unsure as to wether this extreme procedure is the best thing for her. She's at least 7-8, not exactly young. I know without the procedure it would mean a lifelong medicating to control pain and infection. Maybe in the long term it would be more costly which is not a good thing considering my financial situation, but if the extractions dont work Id have to turn to lifelong meds anyway.

 

[Furballsmom]

Maybe there is something in there that might help
No Money For Vet Care? How To Find Help And Save Your Cat's Life

 

[Timmer]

I'm sure the vet explained to you that stomatitis is an auto-immune disorder. The cats system literally rejects their teeth and they have to be removed. There is no pill you can give for it to make it go away. It would be nice if there were. There's a friend I've met on this site who lost her cat because of stomatitis or possible oral cancer.
The pain medication I had to give my cat after his procedure (not a teeth extraction) was put in a syringe by the vet's office. They gave me several syringes with the medicine already in it, to give twice a day. All you have to do is slide it in the corner of their mouth and inject it. It is absorbed by the gums. Easy. It will keep the cat calm and somewhat sleepy.

My friend who had to have her cat's teeth removed fed the cat with a syringe for several days because she would not eat on her own. Canned food would be best.

It's sad when a young cat gets something so serious but you see it happening more and more all the time. My cat was only 10 when he passed this year. I lost another cat to kidney failure when she was 8.
I hope things work out for you, your kitty, and your mom.
And no, I wouldn't get the teeth cleaned. That makes no sense unless like you said, the remaining ones.
I hope it works out well.

 

[Willowy]

I have a "failed" FME stomatitis cat. He still has to take steroids because his immune system hates his mouth. BUT, I'm still glad I did the FME because he only needs 3 mg of his steroid every other day, and I'm pretty sure if his teeth stayed in he would have needed a much higher dose, IF it were manageable at all. So even if it doesn't cure her entirely, I still think it'll be worth it in the long run .

 

[mechakat]

furballsmom thanks for the link. I have read it before but its good to reread it. I want to ask the clinic again if there's any kind of payment plan they can offer. Whats annoying is that last time I went there they had Care Credit and I went to them again specifically b/c I was hoping to use it but when I returned they told me they no longer accept it. I dont have a credit card so i will have to be using cash for everything. I had some money stashed away for myself, thats pretty much what Im using to pay for this. I also plan to sell some of my collectables on eBay to raise more money.

Timmer the vet didn't actually tell me the name (stomatitis) but from his description(the teeth are rejected by the gums, they get infected and have to be removed) I looked it up online and found out what it was. If thats what the pain medication is like I hope I can administer it to her. She loves to be petted but she doesn't like to be carried or held and doesn't like her mouth being touched. That's why giving her meds with syringes/droppers is so hard.

yes this stomatitis thing is awful! I think there should be more awareness of it. I knew about feline HIV and leukemia before I ever had cats but never heard of this until I took in this stray. Im so sorry about you and your friend's cats.

Willowy thanks for the advice! I suppose it would make medicating easier. And maybe her infections will decrease and improve, if not go away completely.

 

[Furballsmom]