Tongue Ulcer And Gagging/pawing At Mouth After Eating

[sjanes913]

Hi everyone, last Friday I noticed my 2 year old boy Sur licking his lips excessively along with a decreased appetite, he began coughing and gagging after eating on Saturday. I took him to the vet Monday morning as he was lethargic, not himself, not eating much and continuing to gag and paw at his mouth after eating a small about of canned food. The vet suspected a URI due to a virus (had fever of 105.3), sore throat and ran labs. Labs came back normal besides white blood cells, I was given some anti nausea meds and Buprenophine to take home.

A few things about Sur's environment:
1. about 2 weeks ago a adopted a 4 month old kitten who had suspected FHV when very young. He is fully vaccinated and otherwise has a clean bill of health.
2. The kittens eye began to flare up after about a week of having him, and I was treating it with anti-biotic.
3. The kitten and Sur love each other, play together and groom each other.
4. Sur has been tapering off of Prednisolone after being on it for 3 weeks due to an asthma flare up.

Yesterday I took Sur back to the vet to be sedated so the vet could look down his throat and he also get Sub-Q fluids. I suspected there was something stuck in it due to the severity of the gagging and pawing at his mouth after eating. She found an ulcer on his tongue and noted that his tonsils were very inflamed. She sent him with Onsinor and an liquid antibiotic and now suspects Calcivirus. This morning he ate a very small mount and did gag a bit, then went and hid.

Does anyone have any experience with either FHV or FCV? How long does it take to clear up? I could use some support right now!

 

[catsknowme]

Poor Sur! Did the vet suggest L-lysine to help his body suppress the symptoms? For the mouth sores, I use slippery elm and marshmallow root decorations; my vet is a big supporter of those herbs and others for soothing mucous membranes (she was raised on a WA ranch just as I was raised using herbs).
Sending prayers and vibes that Sur makes a rapid recovery

 

[stephanietx]

Stress is a trigger for both FHV and FCV. Even though he is enjoying the new kitty, the stress of a new interloper in his territory probably caused the outbreak. You can try using some calming agents to help such as Feliway or Rescue Remedy (pet version). There are also calming chews you can purchase as well.

 

[sjanes913]

Poor Sur! Did the vet suggest L-lysine to help his body suppress the symptoms? For the mouth sores, I use slippery elm and marshmallow root decorations; my vet is a big supporter of those herbs and others for soothing mucous membranes (she was raised on a WA ranch just as I was raised using herbs).
Sending prayers and vibes that Sur makes a rapid recovery

Yes! I’ve been giving him 500mg of L-lysine for the past 2 days. The kitten with a herpes flare up has been getting 1000mg daily for the past week. I will definitely pick up slippery elm to help with his pain. Poor guy isn’t eating much and gags for a while after

 

[sjanes913]

Stress is a trigger for both FHV and FCV. Even though he is enjoying the new kitty, the stress of a new interloper in his territory probably caused the outbreak. You can try using some calming agents to help such as Feliway or Rescue Remedy (pet version). There are also calming chews you can purchase as well.

I need to pick up some more feliway. I’ve been giving him Zylkene since I moved into my new place a month ago. He was separated from a dog he was raised with and not handling the move well at all. I’m glad he is getting along with the kitten but this has turned into a huge mess ‍

 

[sjanes913]

Morning everyone, This morning Sur ate about a half of can of wet food which was a big improvement, but still gagging and pawing at his mouth afterwards and hacking saliva up. I gave him some Onsinor, hoping it makes him more comfortable. Does anyone know how long it takes ulcers to heal?

 

[stephanietx]

My first kitty, Callie, got stress ulcers in her mouth. It took about 3-4 days for her to improve and a good week to eat normally again.

 

[sjanes913]

My first kitty, Callie, got stress ulcers in her mouth. It took about 3-4 days for her to improve and a good week to eat normally again.

Thanks for responding Stephanie! That makes me feel a lot better. It’s been almost a week since Sur I noticed the symptoms. Last night he ate more than he has all week which is definitely an improvement. Seeing small improvements everyday. He is still opening his mouth wide after eating and gagging/coughing a bit, but not nearly as severe as before.