My mother's cat Tom, who had herpes, also had gingivitis and my mother never really investigated why his mouth smelled bad. By the time he was rehomed to me, he had bad periodontal disease as well as a gum inflammation and we had to remove all of his teeth. This was expensive and scary to contemplate but it was the best thing I ever did for him. Once he recovered sufficiently from his herpes outbreak - this took months - he went for extractions. Today, he has his lower canines, because these are still healthy and the risk of breaking the jaw is high during extractions and still has his incisors but all of his carnassial (chewing) teeth and upper canines are gone. This doesn't stop him from eating kibble, which he prefers to eat. He was already swallowing it whole before tooth extraction because his mouth was too painful to chew anything so I make sure that the kibble isn't too large and he eats his food as normal. It is possible that the herpes was the cause of his gingivitis, some of the respiratory viruses that cats get are suspected to damage the immune system and cause overactive allergic responses.
Tom says that having teeth is overrated
Gingivitis or stomatitis, or to give it its full name: Feline Chronic Gingivostomatitis, is a rather misunderstood disease in cats. Many people think of it in human terms as an oral hygiene problem but in fact, it is more of an autoimmune disease in cats - an allergic response to plaque. While plaque is controlled in humans by brushing, this doesn't help much with cats because firstly, not many cats will actually allow you to brush their teeth after every meal and secondly, it is normal for plaque to form in the mouth and brushing reduces plaque quantities but even a tiny quantity of plaque is going to cause a problem if a cat is allergic to it.
Cats and dogs are different to humans in that they are capable of renewing their dentin throughout their lives so they don't get holes in their teeth the way we do and there is a constant cycle of breaking down and renewal within the tooth. Unfortunately for cats with gingivitis, the inflammation accelerates the breaking-down process and there is no renewal so their teeth don't develop holes, they simply crumble. This is called tooth resorption and it is very painful for cats. It is a common side effect of gingivostomatitis, along with increased bacterial activity in the mouth, which causes periodontal disease and bone loss over time.
Many cats just start with inflammation of the gums, around the teeth, but others develop severe inflammation of the entire mouth and this is so painful that they drool and won't eat. Sometimes, gingivitis can have a bacterial cause and a long course of antibiotics may clear it up if you are lucky but for many cats, the only effective treatments revolve around reducing the inflammatory response in the mouth. Sometimes, a diet change helps reduce allergic responses but for cats that are badly affected, only treatments that suppress the immune system, such as steroids or atopica will help, although these medications have serious side-effects. There have been some experimental studies involving stem cell therapy which look promising but if these are ultimately shown to be an effective intervention, it's still a long way off.
The most common treatment is to remove all the teeth. While this sounds extreme and barbaric, it is still one of the most effective treatments, with no drug side effects. Removing all the teeth is helpful in about 80% of cases. It works because plaque can no longer adhere to teeth and thus there is no source of inflammation for the gums. For the remaining unlucky 20%, even the tiny amounts of plaque that form in the mouth will be a source of inflammation
Oh I am sorry. I imagine that poor Tom has suffered a lot. But for your well-being, the intervention is fine.
With a soft diet you can continue, until hardening the gums, which will soon be very strong.
Long life.
Capuccino sends greetings.
Greetings @armonia and Capucchino!
Good post and excellent information!
Yes, having pets we are responsible for them.
Moreover, they can not tell us what bothers them and what hurts them.
Health to your Tom!
Great to see someone who loves animals as much as you do!
Keep up the great work!
Dental problems happens to everyone who has teeth, trust me on this one.
As a dentist one of my dutties is to educate people in the best I can, so they can so that they can create awareness and have a better oral health. I absolutely admire this and congratulate you, by taking the initiative of informing about pets oral problems, thank you @nikv!
Also.. This made me say a big "awww!" outloud.
It's terrible how people will just ignore pet dental problems, when we all know how painful toothache is
It happens a lot. I've heard people say that pets do their own toothbrushing im like?
Poor tom, is a serious disease for our teeth, the good thing is that he has a family that cares for him.
Good information. One of our elderly cats some years back had to have several extractions... which seems like a painful and quite difficult thing for her, but in the end her life was better, although she eventually passed from an unrelated jaw tumor — inoperable.
Glad Tom responded well to the treatment.
In the end, though, there is always taking a good nap at the end of the day. Or the middle. Or the beginning.
=^..^=
The poor thing.
That is interesting about cats/dogs teeth. I never knew they were able to renew themselves.
I wish that our teeth could do that!
me too
Your feline knowledge is so helpful to me. Our old man cat the Barney is probably a good subject for having his teeth removed. His breath is a our secret weapon. Thanks for teaching me something new. 🐓🐓
If his breath is that bad, do get him looked at. Cats are very good at hiding pain and dental disease can cause organ failure in animals, especially elderly ones
No worries. He is a neat cat, but his problem is not his gingivitis. He is just old. Follows me around when I take care of the chickens, eats chicken food dead frogs and more. Have checked his teeth and gums which are fine. Just stinky Cat breath!
My father's cat had problems with his teeth and having them removed gave the poor cat such relief. He lived to be 21 so the loss of his teeth only gave him years of comfort.
For sure. Dental disease can cause liver and kidney disease and all kinds of ill-health in cats
It was kidney failure that eventually caused his demise. In his younger years he would go on walks with my father much like a dog.
Poor old Tom! He's been through a lot hasn't he. My brothers cat had to have het teeth removed, she would still hunt though, and some how gum her prey to death.
When it comes to hunting, especially rats, I've watched and realised that they actually suffocate them by biting down over the ribcage area. So long as she could get a good grip, she would have been quite capable
Its horrible, and most of the time they cant tell us.
He is lucky to have you
Yes, my mother wasn't exactly proactive about his health, poor bugger. Such a sweet cat, too
Our cat is seven months old.
I didn't care about cat teeth.
From now on, I will pay attention to cat teeth.
It's important to do so
beautiful cat @nikv
i have 4 cats, but last month one of them got an accident by motorcycle :(
I am sorry to hear that
Poor kitty ☹️☹️
He's doing well now
glad to hear :)
Poor animals. They get sick like people. But they can not tell us anything. They are so sorry.
It is up to us to pay good attention to them, then
Lol.. What a beautiful creature. It's funny because some places in around the world see cats as evil and demonic. It baffles me really.
People are strange
Yea, exactly. I traveled somewhere in East Africa and they frowned at the mention of me owning a cat. "It is easily possessed by demons'' they claimed.
It's like that where I live (South Africa). But I like that people are sometimes afraid to come into my house because of the cats and this has protected me from being robbed in some of the places I have lived
Hello, I hope you're still awake @nikv? I'm glad you're not succumbing to pressures to dislike what you're endeared to simply because people seem not to like them. It gladdens my heart so much to know that. Keep soaring and please do tell me the name of your cat in your reply. Happy weekend.
His name is Tom. Although I currently have 5
Poor animals. They get sick like people. But they can not tell us anything. They are so sorry.
Its horrible, and most of the time they cant tell us.
He is lucky to have you
my cat :)