gum problems

[Millys Mum]

I wouldnt give him too much kitten food as he is a mature chap 

[ccmacey]

All the signs that you point out were exactly what my cat had, he had Gingivitus-Stomotaitus. Maybe getting Bonkers teeth out could help.

[Desley (booktigger)]

He might prefer dry food, the majority of cats I have had with dodgy teeth have found it easier to eat dry before a dental.

[sammy]

thankyou all so much for your replys      i'm so sorry to hear about tigger thats what we are so scared of happening big hug to you and tigger    i do understand what you are going through. we can't feel any lumps under his chin and his face isn't even swollen to indicate any signs of a tumour yet.  its just his top gum on his right side the other side and the rest of his gums are fine.  the 2 teeth that were there that had to be removed were already starting to fall out but his gum doesn't seem to be any bigger or swollen just red and sore and it bleeds from time to time and he sometimes drools in his sleep with blood in it.  when he was on the antibiotics last time his gum was fine it completely went but comeing off them its slowly come back.  he just ate a whole pouch of kitten food we got for him this morning as we thought that might be easier to eat with no problem about an hour ago so i'm hopeing thats a sign he is feeling better because of the antibiotics but just incase we are going to try to liquidise his food and get some pate and mix with some warm water just to see if that helps him a little more and to stop irritating his gum while it heals  with the antibiotics.  we keep checking him everday as he is very affectionate and jumps on my knee in the evenings for a cuddle and i rub his chin and he doesn't seem to mind the right side of his face being touched and it doesn't feel any different but we will definantly keep a close eye on him and take him for a second opinion next week when he comes to the end of his antibiotics.  fingers crossed its nothing bad and if it is bad i know we will make it as easy for him as we possibly can.  he has had a fantastic life with us he's my baby boy and i love him so much and he knows it and he knows we will take care of him.  there will be a lot of tears for a long time to come but we definantly don't want him to suffer he doesn't deserve that. 

[Mark]

It's normal for cat to have teeth out in stages. Clapton had his first lot out around four years ago and has had to have more out every 8 months or so since - he had the last 4 taken out a few months ago. As has been said, I would go for a 2nd opinion as your vet doesn't sound very sympathetic . I just hope it's not the worst 

  for Bonkers

[Gillian Harvey]

Is it just one area of his gum that is sore, or all of the top gums? and are there still teeth remaining where the gum is sore? Its just that cats suffer from the equivalent of our cavities - feline resportive lesions/neck lesions so perhaps thats something to consider -  http://www.petsmile.uk.com/owners/dental_disease/forl.html  - they are intensely painful and difficult to spot.

[chris91011]

Hi Sammy,
i know how you feel, i have just been told one of my cats "Tigger" has a tumour in his mouth.
It all started just before Christmas when i noticed a swelling on his face [just like bonkers-on the top gum]
we took him to the vet and he said he had a broken tooth, so he pulled the jagged bits out and gave him antibiotics, went back for a check up--swelling still there so he had to pull the rest of the tooth out, that's when he found it was split right down the middle, more antibiotics, another check up--swelling gone down a bit, but still there, so he had to go in for the day and  have anesthetic so they could clean the hole, back for another check up--swelling still there! but the vet said it did'nt look like a tumour but a tumour and an abscess can mimic each other, so to cut a long story short-----i found a lump under his chin the other week, when we went back to the vet he said he had made a mental note of the last time he saw Tigger and thought it may be more sinister, i told him about the lump i had found under his chin the week before, he had a feel and said it was his lymph glands and that tells him it is a tumour, the swelling is still there as well as the lump under his chin,he showed me the roof of his mouth and it is very swollen, and his breath is foul smelling, the vet said that is because of the tumour, he is ok at the moment, the vet said he has still got quality of life, he is eating, grooming, lively etc,etc. but i know the time is going to come when we have to let him go and i am not looking forward to it, but if and when he gets worse i wont hesitate cos i don't want him to suffer.
we go for another check up in 2wks, he has had an anti-inflammatery injection, the vet said it would make him feel more comfortable.
Have you felt under Bonkers chin for lumps?

Take care, ((((((hugs))))))to you and Bonkers.

Chris.

[Desley (booktigger)]

I am sorry to hear you had such a bad experience with your vet, I would definitely get a second opinion. Fingers crossed for you.

[Yvonne]

Hi Sammy and    to Purrs

Sorry that you found us under these circumstances.
I am surprised at the bluntness of your second Vet.  You could go back to the original Vet to see what he/she thinks but in any case in view of the condition you describe Bonkers i.e. quite happy in himself, I personally would not put to sleep just yet.  Of course in the future you may have to face this decision but until then just take each day as it comes.

 

[blackcat]

if it was a tumour it is far more likely that this would have been picked up when they had him under GA and could look at his mouth at their leisure, than a manual examination without GA. So me, I would be off to another vet. It is more likely to be gingivitis at his age. Foodwise, you can run his food through the food processor in the mean time and this will mean he can lap it up, instead of having to chew with a sore mouth.

Look forward to hearing what the second vet says ....

[Millys Mum]

I would see a 2nd vet, is there actually a lump to feel? Or was it just the general thought of this vet?

You may find he prefers his meat unmashed, this way they manage to pick up the chunks and swallow them, much like the fish you gave 

[Maddiesmum]

Nice vet!  If it were my cat I would certainly take it for a second opinion.  At his age dental problems wouldn't be surprising.  When my cat was 16 he had to have a dental and then had to have another one at 17.  Don't give up hope and go for the second opinion.  Best of luck,.

[sammy]

we have a lovely ginger and white cat called bonkers and we think he is roughly 15-16 years old. we adopted him 14 years ago he fell in love with me and decided he wanted to live with us. his owners at the time weren't pleased but cats as we know are individuals and they decide what they want. anyway this is the first time he has had some major health worries.

about a month ago we noticed his breath was a bit pongy and he was having trouble eating so we took him to the vets. turned out he had a bit of a gum infection and a few loose teeth so they had him for a day and a night and operated took the teeth out and cleaned the rest gave him antibiotics for a week. the vet at the time said its just his age and its very unlikely it could be anything bad such as a tumour.  he was fine for a while after that until a few days ago.  we took him back to the vets as his gum had started bleeding again and it was obvioulsy sore and a bit smelly. we saw a different vet this time and she said that he is dieing, its most probably a tumour and he should be put to sleep before he loses his dignity as cats are very proud. i was in total shock at that when before all they said it was was most probably gingivitis which is what they put on his notes. he has some more antibiotics for 2 weeks but he is having trouble eating it seems really sore for him. we are thinking of taking him to a different vets to see what they say but what i'd really like to know for now is how likely is there to be a tumour behind his gum (its his top gum) or is it just simply gingivitis and thats what made his teeth loose in the first place as we didn't catch it early enough and also as he is finding it hard to eat his meat even when we mash it up what can we feed him that might be easier for him to eat so he keeps his strength up. today i have fed him a few fish fingers with the coating removed and he ate that fine. any advice on this will be great and thankyou in advance. we just don't know what to do for the best or who to turn to. we don't want him to suffer but we don't want to lose him either as he is still fine in other ways its just his mouth. he is still venturing out and washing himself fine and playing and pouncing no breathing problems or any other problems at all. overall he is a very healthy active cat who loves life but then he does get pampered a lot he's king of the house