Gingiviostomatitis

by Charles
(San Antonio, Texas)

Sergiy -3 days after

I have a 1 year old Maine Coone - Sergiy. I love him so much.

He has had his health issues during his little life. I brought him home at 12 weeks.

Shortly after coming home, he started having diarrhea and decrease appetite. I took him the vet - the one I use is cats only. I took in a stool sample - that was sent out to a lab.

Initial test at the vets lab showed nothing obvious. So he gave him a couple of shots, and sent me home with a couple of meds to give over the next few days.

Also some Fortiflora which is a pro bionic. Within the week he was much better. Eating well and no diarrhea.

At 6 months I took him for a check up and at that time his gums were really red and the vet said he had gingivitis.

I began using a vet recommended toothpaste and toothbrush. This was not real easy, but I was able to do it a few times a week. At least he liked the flavor of the toothpaste.

So fast forward 6 months. He developed a red growth on his gums above a molar. I made an appointment with the vet and took him him.

They called the growth - a flap. They scheduled a dental cleaning and also would remove the flap. The vet said the gums were very inflamed even with brushing his teeth.

I had to take him in the night before the procedure. On the day, the vet called to say all of his teeth had to be removed because of the severity of the inflammation.

I was heart broken to hear that news. He is just a baby to me. Just 13 months old. So I brought him home with stitches in his gums. Poor little guy.

I'm just sick with sadness. But for him - as far as he is concerned it is life as normal. Playing and running around = and eating like a horse.

Of course I am giving him only canned food for now. I found a very hydrating food from Chewy called Weruva - almost like pudding and it comes in a variety of flavors - and he loves it. So much that he purrs while he eats.

And he is eating much more than he did before. I worry that he may not get all the nutrients he was getting from the Royal Canin Maine Coon Kitten food - so I am now grinding it up in a food processor and mixing it in with the wet food. This is working out well.

I take him for a follow up in a couple of weeks. The vet called this morning to give me the results of the biopsy from the flap. At least no cancer, but it showed the severe stomatisis.

And she said it was the best thing to do removing all the teeth. She said he had a very severe reaction to tartar - any small amount would cause the inflammation and would eventually start to destroy bone.

The vet told me that he would live a long healthy life without the teeth. Sergiy seems to be fine - I just feel so bad about the whole thing.

But I wouldn't want him to be suffering with pain in his mouth and gums. So I hope this is the end of it.

Anyone have anything like this happen with your cat?

Reply:
Hi Charles,
It sounds like you and Sergiy have really been through it! I'm so glad to hear he's adjusting fine and has excellent veterinary care. These things can be so rough to go through with our beloved pets.

My Alice had some teeth removed because she had a condition which was explained to me as basically being allergic to her own saliva, but I have not been through anything like this.

Best wishes to Sergiy, and I hope others will comment if they have experiences to share with you!

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