Removing teeth in a semi-feral with stomatitis - Photos

[Norachan]

I'm sure she's going to be a much happier cat now it's done.

 

[di and bob]

I'm so glad she is doing well! She will be fine once she returns to you, I am sure of it. I would bet she would like some chicken when she comes home, my little 'chicken monster' would agree!

 

[Antonio65]

After work, yesterday, I went to the practice to pay a visit to the kitty.
She was at the very end of the cage, curled and sad, but she clearly loved my presence there and the cuddles and sweet words to her.
The vet said she's fine, the cat was on an IV drip and painkillers, as from today she'll be moved to a larger cage and could be sent back home tomorrow, Friday.

I'll keep you posted

 

[di and bob]

Thank you so much for the update! It sounds like things are going as well as expected. Counting the moments until she is home and healed....

 

[Antonio65]

Hi all,
The latest news is that the cat is eating wet and dry no problem.
I'm awaiting more news later today. Probably she could be discharged late in the afternoon.
Stay tuned

 

[di and bob]

That has been my experience too, I was so worried about my cat eating and he did it after surgery with no problems! I guess they swallow a lot of their food whole. I am so happy everything is going well, I know what a financial and emotional toll this is taking on you, God bless......

 

[Antonio65]

Update.

On Friday I was able to get the cat back home after a few days at the practice where she received fluids and pain killers.
At home the cat proved to be friendlier than the usual, she tried to walk in, she rubbed a lot and wanted to be picked up and held into my arms. She was purring loudly. She was clearly happy to be home again.
She is eating fine, I think she's feeling better.

In the last two weeks she lost 550 grams of weight, 300 grams of which only for the surgery.
The vet wants to see her again in a month or so, just to make sure nothing else pops up.

Here is a photo of the day I brought her back home.

I will keep this thread updated as soon as there is anything new.
Thanks for following and for your words of support.

 

[di and bob]

I'm so glad to hear she is at home. It sounds like she is very glad to be there! I'll pray for continued healing and her happiness, she deserves it.

 

[jcat]

that the extraction has gone so well!

 

[Norachan]

I'm glad to hear she's home again. I hope she soon recovers.

 

[Antonio65]

I know what a financial and emotional toll this is taking on you, God bless......

Financially speaking, the effort wasn't that big.
Keep in mind that vet fees here are much lower than in the U.S..
The cat had a complete blood work done for about €65 and an extraction for €300. The week at the practice, where she was tended and received fluids, antibiotics and pain killers, was free of charge, as were the two trips between the practice and the clinic.

 

[di and bob]

My goodness, that IS cheaper than here. But it is still money you put out and pay out often, because I know your good heart.....

 

[Whenallhellbreakslose]

In my yard I have two semi-ferals, a 2-yo boy and a 5 or 6-yo girl, both fixed.
They arrived on their own, they're positively feral, not stray, and are rather friendly.

Last May I noticed that the girl was a little down, she would eat less, she was losing weight and her coat was getting bad. I suspected it could be CKD, so I took the cat to the vet. I would have liked to inspect her mouth at home, but she just does not allow me.
The vet looked into the cat's mouth with no problems (the cat gets paralysed with fear at the vets') and the diagnosis was lymphoplasmacytic stomatitis. It's a condition where, basically, the cat's immune system is rejecting its own teeth.
The first therapy was a shot of Depomedrol with the request to go back with the cat after 3 weeks. Four weeks later I was there again, the situation was slightly improved, so the vet gave the cat another shot of Depomedrol.
At the next visit, because the condition was slowly improving, the vet prescribed to continue the treatment at home with Prednisolone, 1.25 mg a week. We went back 6 weeks later and the situation had worsened, so the prescription was changed to 1.25 mg every other day. Another 7 weeks and the cat's mouth was in a terrible condition. The vet gave her another shot of Depomedrol, and said that this was her last chance, the next step would be the teeth removal, though there's no real guarantee that the stomatitis will heal.

Despite her awful condition, the cat keeps eating regularly and her coat is fine since the first shot. But if the only definitive solution to her disease is revoming all her teeth, I think this is what I should do.
My concern is that I don't know how an outdoor cat can manage her life when she has no teeth in her mouth.
Do you have any exprience or advice?

I'm attaching some photos.


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May 21, 2019 - The situation at the beginning

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June 18, 2019 - 4 weeks after the first shot of Depomedrol, a little improvement.

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July 5, 2019 - 2 weeks after the second shot of Depomedrol, a great improvement.

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August 22, 2019 - 6 weeks after 1.25 mg Prednisolone a week, it has got worse!

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October 11, 2019 - 7 weeks after 1.25 mg Prednisolone every other day, the situation is awful!

Hello. I just read your post and felt compelled to respond. I had a female friendly stray that I took off the steets right before I moved some years back. I was feeding her for awhile and couldn't leave her behind. A few years later at her annual vet visit, it was discovered that she had quite a number of bad teeth. She had 12 of them taking out. Not too long after that at another vet, I was told she has Tooth Reabsorption and needs all remaining teeth removed. The vet told me with that condition and Stomatitis it s best to remove all the teeth. These conditions just progress and makes things worse for the cats. They told me of customers who opted for Rxs, thinking they could slow down the progression, but in the end the only solution was complete removal of all the teeth. Cats can eat food without teeth, even dry food. My cat had no problem eating dry food after all her teeth were gone. The only issues with outdoor cats is it is one less defense they have against attacks from other animals. Also if they hunt, they can't eat their prey.

Hope that answers your concerns. Best of luck to you.

 

[Antonio65]

Hi Whenallhellbreakslose ,
Thanks for sharing your experience and reassuring me about the good outcome.
So far all is good and kitty is eating fine, also she's looking happier than before

 

[Antonio65]

Two days ago we had a long due check up visit, the vet was very happy with the result, and said the current inflammation will fix in a few months, and probably no more visits for this issue will be necessary.

October 27, 2020 - How the mouth looks like now.

 

[di and bob]

Looks so much better. I still haven't figured out how you get the mouth open like that! Thanks so much for keeping us informed, it is reassuring to many that there is a good outcome. All the luck!

 

[Antonio65]

Looks so much better. I still haven't figured out how you get the mouth open like that! Thanks so much for keeping us informed, it is reassuring to many that there is a good outcome. All the luck!

Well, all the photos that I posted in this thread have been taken at the vets' practice. The vet would keep the cat's mouth open while I was taking the pictures.
Plus, the cat is very calm when at the vet, and lets us do all we need to do.
Thanks for your support and patience