If you look in your cat’s mouth and see red around teeth and/or in the back of the throat, that may be stomatitis. Below are pictures of what stomatitis has looked like for my cat Lily. It may be worse or better in other cats, depending on how bad the disease is.
I showed these pictures to my husband and he did not understand what he was looking at because he did not know what a healthy cat’s mouth looks like. I explained to him that there should not be any red in the mouth of a cat without stomatitis. Here is the healthy mouth of one of our other cats, so you understand what a normal cat’s mouth looks like:
Below are pictures of my cat Lily’s mouth, as well as images of the signs of stomatitis that I found throughout my house from her. I am including those with the hope that they may help other people figure out what they are looking at if they see similar drool stains that may or may not contain blood. Lily only has one eye, which had nothing to do with stomatitis.
There are other websites that show pictures of stomatitis in other cats. If you want to see more pictures of stomatitis, you can visit any of the sites below.
My Pets Dentist
There are a lot of pictures showing stomatitis in various stages. Be aware that some of them are a bit gruesome (at least to me).
Punta Gorda Animal Hospital
This site has two pictures, and they have done a good job describing what you are looking at.
Veterinary News
This site has a picture showing how stomatitis looks back in the throat. After seeing this picture it should be easy to understand why cats with stomatitis stop eating food or drinking water.
My cat has/had Stomatitis. We went to 3 different Vets. Each of the vets told us that there was no real reason or cause or cure for stomatitis. For some time we had her on antibiotics and steroids, but was told that if she remained on these, it would effect her kidneys. We were told removing her teeth would be helpful, but might not cure anything or even help. Desperate, we remove her teeth. We opted to keep her front and canine teeth. It was a very hard decision to make.
After having her teeth pulled we struggle with food for her. she could not eat hard food (not that she ever really did). We starting giving her canned food, as all my previous cats ate solid hard food. So I had no experience with wet food. After removing her teeth there was a period of time, maybe a month or so, where she did act and feel better. But then it came back and it was even worse than before. Now the canned food we were giving her was getting stuck in her mouth and she couldn’t get it out so it was making her drool and frothing a lot. She was in so much pain we were on the edge of having to put her down. With one last ditch effort I decided to go into the local pet store and I grabbed as many of those wet pouch chunk style foods I could find. I figured this would be easier for her to swallow and clear her mouth since it wasn’t mush. I went through many brands. She didn’t like many of them or I couldn’t see a difference.
The brand Instinct Cat Food was one of the pouches in my “try” pile. I absolutely saw an immediate change in her when she started to eat this brand. So I started only feeding her this brand and I have only feed her two types, the Tuna and the Salmon. I can not say this has cured her or will even work with your cats. But She has not had one problem since we started feeding her this brand exclusively. Again I don’t even know that it is the brand rather than the ingredients this brand uses. I haven’t even tried out any other food (or flavors) since. My cat is now going on 8 months of being on this food and has changed into an entirely different cat. She has gained weight, no more cries when she yawns, no more torturous eating routines and she can actually groom herself. I only wish I had found this brand before I had her teeth removed. This is me, telling a real life miracle for my little cat. If your cat has this problem. I am curious if this kind of reaction to food has changed anyone else’s cats for the better.
What type of food is it and what brand
My cat, Ziti has been having a smiliar problem and I at wits end and thought that I’d reach out to you for some advice. He is 10 years old, and up to this point has not had any problems, except for a allergic reaction to flea bites a few times, which he was put on steroids for. I went away for a week vacation and when I returned, I noticed that the fur in front of his mouth and paws were discolored and had started drooling. Natually a very high strung cat, I just chalked it up to him being anxious while we were away. A few days later, he started losing weight and the mouth odor started.
I promptly took him to the vet, and I asked the vet to open his mouth to see if maybe he had gotten into something like a sewing needle and had it stuck in there, or perhaps bad tooth, but she didn’t. The first exam was the vet simply pulling his lips back and telling me that his gums were swollen, but she didn’t give me a reason why. She put him on a antibiotic and sent him home without a diagnosis. In the 10 days that followed and was on the antibiotic, he did well… perked up a bit, ate some soft food, attempted to eat small bits of chicken, but would spit it out. After those days were over, he immediately went downhill again. This time I noticed that the smell came back, and he started drooling blood all over me when sitting in my lap at night. Completely stopped eating dry food and ate tiny bits of wet food. I noticed a distinctly black spot on the side of his tongue.
I returned to the vet for the second time and explained to her what I had seen inside his mouth and she attempted to pry it open, with my help, and we discovered that the black spot was gone, but there was a ulcer on the side of his tounge, as well as 5 under it. Still no diagnosis. She wanted to do a full cleaning of his teeth, but she had noted that there were noticeably clean and lacked any disease or tartan, and put him under sedation for a better look. Price tag would be around the 850$ mark with teeth removal. (even if they are good) I couldn’t afford that at the time, with the holidays coming around, but I also didn’t want him in pain. I asked if there were any alternatives. What was causing the ulcers? Why did it smell so bad? The vet gave him another round of antibiotics and sent him home, saying to just keep a eye on him for the next few weeks.
Three weeks later, the last round of antibiotics is done and he’s only barely eating a little of the liquid that comes from the canned cat food. He is hiding constantly. You can smell him from a whole room away. I give up and take him back to the vet for the 3rd visit. New doctor this time. She, with the help of techs, gets his mouth fully open and says that there are 8 ulcers, and has discovered a lump underneath his chin. It feels like the eraser on the end of a pencil. She explains that whatever this mass is, it is probably the cause of the ulcers in his mouth, and wants to do a biopsy. Pricetag $650. He’s not acting like a cat anymore. Hiding, barely eating, lost an incredible amount of weight, his fur is all tattered and unkept, he drools blood and saliva everywhere, and is on another round of antibiotics. Sad thing is that he still looks at me with so much love that it breaks my heart. I know it’s a bad thing to put a price tag on someone’s health, but I am not so sure that a biopsy and/or teeth removal is the way to go. They even suggested cutting out the bad part of his tounge… I try to think of how that would feel if I had it done to me.
Even if I shell out the money for the procedures, if the result is cancer, I know that I will be unable to properly treat it, financially. If I do manage to scounge up the funds, and he has the lump removed, there is no telling whether or not it will come back and I will have to go over this again. It’s really heartbreaking. I can’t bare to see my furbaby in this state. It’s just a mere shadow of himself.
I guess I reached out to you today because I know that a decision is coming and I was hoping that you might be able to just give me a few words of advice. I read your story and really feel the pain that you were going through during your ordeal. I don’t know what to do. I am at wit’s end. Is it time to say goodbye? Am I backed up into a wall with no other options?
HI….I just came across this forum while searching for info about stomatitis. My cat, Mulder, Has been diagnosed with this and of course like many of you, I have been told to remove all his teeth. I’m hesitant to do that and searching for alternatives. Can anyone give me more information about lycine? I’ve also read some about vitamin B complex, vitamin A and E being helpful? Has anyone tried these for stomatitis? I’m appalled at the cost for the extractions! $2000 at least! I just have a gut feeling there’s another answer. He doesn’t display any of the symptoms – just the inflamed gums. He’s only about 1 yr.
Mary,
My sincere apologies for not seeing this sooner. How is Mulder doing?
Lysine works in cats to boost their immune systems in much the same way that Vitamin C does in humans. I don’t know anything about the vitamins you’ve asked about but hopefully someone else reading this can offer insight.
Rochelle
I don’t know what state you live in but in Tx a place called TCAP, Does extraction for $10-20 depending on difficulty. The number is 817-837-4500, there’s several offices, that just the number I have. “Texas Coalition for Animal Protection” or you can contact the humane society in your state to ask for a low cost dental. TCAP only does spay/neuter dental & vaccines. No sick visits, that’s how they have services so cheap. My Fifi has severe Stomatitis & I’m taking her to the vet Sat but have called TCAP to see if I can get her teeth out with them after the sick visit. It’ll be probably ,$150-200 to have all the teeth removed. It’s worth checking at least. Tooth removal is the best option. The immune system attacks the plaque on the teeth causing the infection, so no teeth, no plaque, no infection. If you can’t find a low cost dental maybe get a few done at a time. It’s better than watching your kitty slowly starve to death. Fifi is emaciated, because I didn’t know how severe or what the infection was. I am as going to have her put down today it’s gotten that drastic, (her weight loss)but she wants to eat, she just can’t. So I’m doing this, I wish I’d do e it before it got this bad
I can’t believe it’s been a year and a half since Mouse had his surgery. He is doing great! Never misses a meal, plays like a kitten. He had all of his teeth, except the front removed. I am absolutely appalled at the prices some of you folks are paying. Mouse’s surgery was $400 through a clinic in my city called First Coast No More Homeless Pets. They work with a company that sets up a payment plan NOT based on credit. I can’t believe gets charge so much.
My cat Elliott started acting strange I.e. wouldn’t walk on the carpet.. started sleeping up in the cupboards.. hiding in Dark Places.. I noticed he was dropping hard food from his mouth and losing weight.. I took him to a veterinarian who misdiagnosed him. She simply said he needed his teeth cleaned I took him to a City Clinic they clean his teeth… but did not give him a diagnosis.. he was still losing weight and acting strange so I took him to a new vet who diagnosed him with stomatitis.. he was given steroids.. antibiotics and pain medicine.. the vet also said he would need his perfectly good molars extracted starting at $1,000 ..I’m hoping I can find an ultimatum so Elliott can keep his teeth.. I brush his teeth with enzymes toothpaste..& predictions 5mg every other day per my vet.. since I really do not have $1,000 to spend on Elliot’s vet bill when I need $3,000 on my own teeth.. he looks better he’s not acting weird he’s back to his old self is there anything else I can do?
Besides pulling his perfectly healthy teeth that he just had cleaned??
Thank You..
Janel,
I am so sorry for not seeing this until now. So much time has passed since you wrote this that you might have already found help for you cat, but if not I recommend reading through the comments on this site. I’ve written about what worked for Lily (Prednisolone, Lysine, and PlaqueOff) and others have shared what worked for them. I apologize for not having a better answer but there doesn’t seem to be any one treatment that works for all cats. It seems to take trial and error to find out what helps our cats.
Rochelle
Hi, my cat is 8 years old. She started showing symptoms of this about 5 years ago. She has since lost all her teeth, and is very underweight. She is in pain a lot (I think) and does not play with our other cat. She is drooling and bleeding, and has been doing that for 4 years. I had no idea this was her issue. I thought she had thyroid problems. it is now affecting her eating habits, as she was still able to eat a few weeks ago (I feed her wet pate food). I have recently noticed that her tongue hangs out of the side of her mouth, and it hurts her to have her whole tongue in her mouth. The tongue is turning a brown color on the tip. Any advice (besides bringing her to a vet?)
Maureen,
Based on what you’ve described I suspect that there is something other than (or in addition to) stomatitis going on with your cat. I’ve not heard of a stomatitis cat keeping the tongue on one side of the mouth, but what really concerns me is that you said it is turning brown on the tip and that your cat is having trouble eating. Your cat could lose so much weight in a short period of time that it puts her life in jeopardy.
It sounds like you already knew what I was going to say, but I’ll say it anyway. Please take your cat to the vet asap. Don’t wait. Cats are notorious at keeping pain hidden so if you are seeing signs that your cat is hurting then chances are good that she’s REALLY hurting, far worse than she’s letting on.
You and your cat are in my prayers. Please let us know how things go for her.
Rochelle
Euthanise her. I’m sure u think that’s mean, but if you won’t get her medical help what your doing is just cruel, no other way to say it. I was going to take Fifi today to be put down but instead we go to the vet Sat. Legally you are guilty of animal cruelty, & so am i but I’m taking her since I finally found out what’s going on. Just last night in fact, it’s selfish to keep her alive while she’s in so much pain. It’s not about you, it’s about what’s best for her, I don’t intend to be so mean but it’s the same thing I’m telling myself about Fifi
My sweet boy, Mouse, is 8 years old and developed stomatitis last year. The vet has had him on antibiotics and steroids periodically. I have gotten so much incorrect information. Mouse has eaten well – wet food (a small portion) mixed with the brine from canned mackerel. But, today – he is in for surgery to remove – who knows how many? – teeth. I also have his brother and sister, but they have shown no signs, and I have two additional cats as well. I am so worried what the future holds for him as he is absolutely the sweetest of them all. I was unaware of the 20% – can he still lead a semi-normal life if he falls into that category?
Debbie,
I’m so sorry that your cat is to the point where he needs his teeth removed. Yes, it is possible for cats who fall into the 20% to have a semi-normal life. Please know that I can’t predict what will happen with Mouse but Lily is one of those 20% cats and she will always have at least a small amount of inflammation in her throat. However, she seems to be completely pain-free and is a happy cat. I continue to give her PlaqueOff and Lysine to keep the inflammation to a minimum and will continue to give it to her for the rest of her life. I hope that your cat finally finds relief from this dreadful disease and that your other two cats continue to be healthy FYI, none of our other four cats have gotten stomatitis.
Rochelle
I have been through hell and gone with caring for my special needs fur baby
Bandit. She did not respond to teeth removal. I got several opinions also, and they all said remove the teeth. But, just recently I found a notable dentist who claims he can clear up the gum problems because he says he is nearly 100% sure fragments were left behind of the four operations I’ve put her through. The Pred steroid is losing effectiveness. Bandit is 16 now if you can believe she is surely a fighter. There were times I thought she was going to give up on me. This dentist is saying he needs nearly $10 K which would include pre-op, x-rays, removal of any fragments, meds but does not include post-op or any unknowns. Thus, his Treatment Plan is only an estimate. I haven’t tried the products you mentioned. Bandit has been currently totally off the steroid. It was not working at all any more. She has heavier drool as you described. Would you say that even though teeth are out, I would get the Plaque off stuff ? Otherwise, I should consider the Lysine? I am so bent out of sorts with vets. They have all sent me down such a tormented path of confusion and wrong advice. At one point one of them diagnosed her with diabetes and threatened me when I wanted to get a second opinion. My gut just twisted and I didn’t feel right. I got a more experienced vet who diagnosed her correctly, and I avoided killing her with administering a regime of insulin when she didn’t need it. Then, I had to move out of that city 2 hours away so I couldn’t see this better vet. I am at a loss. I think a surgery might help her, although I think she is very weakened right now from not having the buffer of the steroid. I am wanting to get her checked out, but I have dragged her to vets here in my local area. Went in and contemplated their marble floors and vaulted ceilings with chandeliers with patients and no so smiling faces. I was charged $150 for an exam when I told them on the phone I wanted someone with this disease. I got there, the vet comes out and tells me he has no experience with this disease. He was just gonna renew the Rx for the steroid but otherwise he couldn’t help me. They all pushed big time for me to get her checked for diabetes and were ready to sell me the thousands of dollars of treatment that would be. Ugh!!! Oh I am so unraveled. Any advice would be appreciated. Karen
Karen,
Please accept my apologies for not seeing your post sooner. I’m so sorry since it sounds like you were in a time sensitive situation.
I don’t know where you live, but my jaw hit the floor at the estimate you were given for fragment removal! That sounds like an outrageous amount and I’d be suspicious because of it. I don’t blame you for being all twisted up inside.
Yes, you can give PlaqueOff and Lysine to Bandit even if he has no teeth, as long as he doesn’t have hyperthyroidism. If he does, then don’t give him PlaqueOff but the Lysine should be fine either way. I started giving PlaqueOff to Lily after she had all her teeth removed. I was desperate because the tooth removal didn’t clear up the inflammation and decided to try it. The directions say it takes eight weeks before you will see improvement and I found that to be true.
Please keep us updated on Bandit’s progress.
Rochelle
I have a cat that was just diagnosed yesterday after she just started screaming all weekend… They’re quoting me 1061$ on getting her teeth removed! How much did you pay? Do you know of any place that helps with funds?
Brittany,
Lily had two separate surgeries to remove her teeth. The first one removed all but her canines, and the canines were removed several months later. The total for both surgery was around $3,000.
Having said that, you might want to get a second opinion before you do anything. Having teeth pulled is a last resort option, not a first. I don’t know how bad your cat’s stomatitis is but there may be other ways of getting it under control before you go through with surgery.
I do not know of any place that will help with funds but several people on here started GoFundMe accounts. That’s something you might consider.
Please keep us posted on your cat’s situation and what you end up doing.
Rochelle
ello, I was curious on someone else’s opinion…my boyfriend and I found a small kitten just walking along side of the road we were driving down, & couldn’t just leave it all by itself so we decided to take her home. We’ve had her a good maybe 5 months now and have named her migi.
A little about migi:
She has not yet been to a vet due to lack of money, so I am unaware of her exact age but she looks to be a kitten although we’ve had her for months now and she’s barely grown. I’m pretty sure she’s lost her baby teeth and has grown her adult teeth but like I said I’m not completely positive. Since we’ve had her, her breath has always stunk and she’s always sounded a bit congested but we never really thought too much of it since our bigger concern was the fact that her one eye was glazed over and half shut. But we have another cat who’s mostly blind in both eyes (she’s a bit older and has been to the vet and they confirmed her cornea and retina have fused together in both of her eyes [they think because of the feline herpes disease]) so again we thought our little migi was fine and that maybe that just happened to her one eye, but I digress. I never noticed migis eye, or mouth ever bothering her since she’s a very loving, rambunctious, fun little ball of joy who plays all the time and eats normal and doesn’t even really seem to be afraid of anything (including the vacuume cleaner.) But a few days ago I went to pet her by her mouth and she pulled away and chattered ( she doesn’t make much of a noise when she meows because of the congestion) she wouldn’t let me look in her mouth at that time so I kept and eye on her all day. She had a few of the symptoms you listed, like, not eating much, slept pretty much all day, wouldn’t let me touch her mouth and a bit of drooling. She still played that day but was more “lazy” about it. All and all it was obvious something was wrong, she wouldn’t let me check her mouth all that day. But by the next day, she seemed completely fine, eating &playing normal, no more drooling and getting into trouble again. I did check her mouth the next day and it seemed a little red but I assumed since the pain went away so fast that maybe she just got hit on the mouth by another cat or maybe ran into something while playing. She’s seemed pretty much completely fine since then, but I wanted to do a little more research so I looked up all her symptoms and found as much info as I could and also looked in her mouth the best of my abilities. Here’s what I found;
Her gums are more red than any of my other cats gums, they are also swollen around some of her teeth and I noticed the teeth between her kanines (top and bottom) look jagged and small (almost like tooth resorption. But I don’t know if it’s that or her adult teeth growing in?) Though I did not get the best look inside her mouth, I could tell her gums were red and swollen and her front teeth were jagged,I did see the roof of her mouth which looked normal, I could not however see well enough to tell if her throat was swollen or not. She didn’t seem in pain when I touched her mouth but she did seem annoyed that I was trying to open her mouth. Although I am worried, she hasn’t showed any other symptoms of being in pain and she hasn’t drooled since that one day. She also still plays with me and tries to bite my hand although she won’t bite that hard. She eats, drinks, and goes to the bathroom normal, and she plays with our other cats just fine. I think she may have something wrong with her mouth but it’s so hard to tell cause her mouth looks kind of infected, but she literally seems fine. I’m hoping it’s not stomatitis, but it would make sense because her immune system seems like it may be part of the problem too? I’ve come down to thinking its periodontitis, stomatitis, tooth resorption, or a lower form of gingivitis maybe?
Please help! Anyone’s opinion is greatly appreciated, I just don’t want my little baby going through any pain! And I’m so broke I don’t know when I’ll be able to get her to a vet, not to mention all of the vets around my area suck :c
Sorry this was so long, but thanks for listening! And to all of the owners who posted here worried about their little fur babies and all the suffering kitties, my prayers be with you!
-Alex
Alex,
I am sincerely sorry for not seeing your post sooner.
You and your boyfriend sound like loving animal parents! Bless you for taking in a small, sick kitten.
What you’ve described with Magi sounds like it could be stomatitis. Lily would be fine one day, not the next, then back to what I thought was normal. I don’t think cats really look sick with stomatitis until it is really bad.
Were you able to get help for Magi? As for finances, some people who have commented on here have started GoFundMe accounts to help them with their vet bills. That’s something to consider.
Please let us know how Magi is doing.
Rochelle
My cat is having every single symptom on your page but I see no redness to her teeth or gums at all. My vet is all booked up until after the first of May. She’s so bad looking and I have no idea what to do ……
Carolyn,
I am so sorry for not seeing your comment sooner. I hope you were able to find help for your cat. How is she doing?
Rochelle
I have just discovered this forum – thank you ! My Thomas has had his teeth removed – about 6 months ago… and must be in the 20% that fails. 🙁
The dr. just gave me some antibiotics and prednisone & will ‘research’ his case.
He didn’t name the diagnosis yet, but I can see what we might be in for. He did mention steroids are not the ideal answer over the long haul. 🙁
I hope to get more info on the stem-cell cases and see if we might be able to find a better answer now that we know what the enemy is.
Thanks again for the chance to discuss with you all.
Barbara & Thomas
hi Rochelle
i have this problem too with my girl felix 11 years old she have this stomatitis and the vet already take her a teeth , for medicine antibiotics beytril 50 mg half pill every day , 3-4 days could n t eat i found on the internet to use a syringe giving her food mixed with water or baby food and it works , now i am reading your solution >> plaque off + viralys i will try this and hope to save my baby ………
Kostas + Felix 4 ever ….
Does anyone have a suggestion as to what to feed a cat with stomatitis? My cat has had all teeth except the front teeth removed. She sometimes has problems with the food sticking to the side of her mouth! I don’t like feeding her just dry food all the time. Thanks
Hi i rescued Mishu my Maine Coon this past Jan and she was in dire health about to die when i
took her in. She had a badly infected toe about to go sepsis and she had to have the toe removed. doing great until she got a sm respiratory infection and that was taken care of and recently got sick i thought she was having allergies took her to ver and has been diagnosed with stomatitis. Im so glad you did your website because i have learned a lot. Now i know the drooling is a bad day. She was doing fine with the injection vet gave her and woke up with bloody drool. Lucky i had one left pain killer left and i gave to her. i will speak to vet about supplements you speak of and will check her food. Mishu is very sweet and i think she was abandoned because of her illness. Shes my baby now 🙂 Thank you for all the help and info im glad your baby is doing good.
Kathleen,
Sadly, I suspect that many cats with stomatitis are abandoned or put to sleep, but that’s just my thought since I have no proof of this. It sounds to me that Mishu found the perfect owner!
Rochelle
Finally some good news! The Doctors at UC Davis in California have successfully cured a cat of Stomatitis by way of stem cell treatments ! For more information contact UC Davis. Good luck to all and may God be with you.
Update a year later Koah Blue: koah is doing as well as Can be expected but has now gone into renal failure at 4 years old. Doctor thinks it may have been all the steroids she was on. She is off all medication for her stomatitis and is eating well I do have to keep an eye on her lab values every few months but she seems to be stable and well 💙🐾
My old cat Hershel developed stomatitis when he was a few years old, and the vet said most of his teeth had to be removed — the only option offered. Knowing no better, I went along with it, and fortunately it resolved Hershel’s issue and he lived to be 18 yrs old, happily devouring wet and dry food alike (despite lack of teeth). I’m now dealing with another kitty who’s developed stomatitis at 3 yrs of age — his vet’s had him on antibiotics and supplemental Lysine going on 10 days now; her thinking is that the stomatitis may have been triggered by an eye infection and not sensitivity to plaque. Hoping this alone will resolve the problem.
Skip,
I truly hope that the antibiotics and Lysine are enough to help your cat’s stomatitis. Please let us know how he does.
Rochelle
I have added a forum to this site in an effort to make it easier for people to find and/or share information. I would like to invite you to take a look around and share what has worked for you (or what hasn’t), even if you’ve already shared it here. The forum will be a place where it is much easier to search for and find helpful information.
You can visit the forum here.
I will be posting this comment on all the pages of my site to make sure everyone who is subscribed to comments sees this, so I apologize if you get multiple copies of this message.
Thank you so much for your blog about Lily. I’ve been lost going through this process with my little angel Jasmine aka Jazzy Mae. Jazzy was a stray cat that we took in when she was about 4 years old. You could tell that she had a tough life with the scars from cat fights and she was skittish around people. Over time Jazzy warmed up to us and grew into an incredible loving cat. I noticed Jazzy would drool a lot when she was purring but I didn’t think too much about it. She had regular vet checks and nothing was ever noticed. Then overnight it was like someone turned on a faucet in her mouth. Her drool became really thick like mucus and she was losing weight rapidly. My active loving cat became a cat that slept and drooled all day. The vet diagnosed her with stomatitis. At the time I didn’t realize the path we were about to go down. The vet put her on an antibiotic “Vedco” and a steroid shot. I was amazed it worked overnight and she was back to her playful self with a huge appetite. Unfortunately the drooling returned a couple weeks later while still on the antibiotics. So they gave her another shot and continued the antibiotics, I also which her cat food to a special limited ingredient diet. Again the drooling returned a few weeks later. After 2 bottle of antibiotics and 3 steroid shots I decided to get a 2nd opinion. The new vet recommended removing her teeth, which I agreed with since the other options weren’t very affective. I knew she couldn’t continue having steroid shots every few weeks. Jazzy went in last week for her surgery. Everything went well, they sent her home with a feeding tube (because she was so underweight) along with antibiotics and Buprenorphine for the pain.
I know it can take up to 6 months for us to know if the surgery worked. But want can be done in the meantime to help ease the symptoms of stomatitis? It breaks my heart to still see her so uncomfortable, drooling just as bad as before with no desire to eat. Did you or the vet give Lily anything after surgery besides antibiotics and pain killer? The new vet doesn’t want to give her anymore steroids and said if Jazzy falls into the 20% category that still has stomatitis then we will try alternative options then.
Jazzy goes in for her one week follow-up tomorrow morning so I was going to ask the vet about PlaqueOff and Lysine. I’m not sure how soon after surgery we would be able to start something like that. I also read on another blog that Olive Leaf Extract can be affective with stomatitis, it’s a natural antibiotic and inflammatory. Have you tried it or know anyone that has? When Jazzy fell ill so quickly I thought it was a tumor and was prepared for the vet to recommend that she be put to sleep so she wouldn’t suffer anymore. Now that I know all of her test / blood work is normal I’m determined to fight this awful disease so Jazzy can have her life back. I wish there were more awareness regarding stomatitis, I wasn’t aware of it until my little angel got really sick. Thank you again for your wonderful blog.
-Christina
Christina,
I’m so sorry to hear that your kitty still seems miserable after her surgery. That wasn’t my experience at all with Lily. She felt much better right away and I had a hard time keeping her away from dry food during the 10-day healing period where dry food was forbidden. Have you spoken to your vet about Jazzy Mae’s apparent pain?
The only thing I gave to Lily after her surgery was Buprenex. I no longer remember the frequency, perhaps every 12 hours? Lily felt better but was still in pain from the surgery and had to have the Buprenex. Having said that, she still continued to drool after the surgery, but it wasn’t immediately after.
If you want to start PlaqueOff and Lysine then I recommend that you start it as soon as your vet gives you the green light for them. It takes up to eight weeks for the PlaqueOff to start working (it took every bit of the eight weeks for Lily) so the sooner the better with them.
Even if your cat falls into the 20%, that doesn’t mean it will be like it was before the surgery. Lily is a 20% kitty and still has it now (the back of her throat is still a bit pink but her gums look completely normal now), but it is controlled so well with the PlaqueOff and Lysine that she is no longer in any pain. I know this for a fact because she plays all the time with her mouth, something she never did when she was hurting.
As for Olive Leaf Extract, I’ve never heard of it. Hopefully someone else has and can offer thoughts or experience with it.
My prayers are being sent for you and Jazzy Mae. Please keep us posted of her progress and what works for her.
Rochelle
OK I took my little guy to the dentist 2wks ago because overnite he had a inflamed tooth. I actually flushed it for 24hrs with dental saline and it went from golf ball to marble size. When I took him in for what I thought was a dental and possible extraction they called and said it was a tumor had to do biopsy and no guarantees. He was so out of it and when I go him later that day he didn’t want to even let me touch him til he got home. they said he wouldn’t want to eat and he would pry diminish and not act himself. it has been on my mind because he has no loss of appetite and is acting fairly normal. he is a bit more cuddlie at nite but that could be because of it being colder. I am not sure I truly believe he is sick I think the aggressive surgery got it all out and do not want to subject him to the trauma of taking him back or even the thought of chemo radiation. they told me he had dissolvable stiches and now they are calling saying he was due in to get stitches out. will it affect him any if I don’t go to get what they say stiches are in him she originally told me 2 and they would dissolve not sure what to do anybody ever in this situation??
Wow! What a difficult situation to be in. Have you asked them why they originally told you that they were dissolvable and are now changing the facts? I don’t know much about stitches, but I am pretty sure that they would need to be removed if they aren’t dissolvable.
Hi, My lil bear just went in for his exam and has stomatitis. He is currently on prednisolone. He is a one year old si-manx and we are raising the money for tooth extraction for his back teeth and the estimate is about $700-$900. That is a lot but I am taking donations and having a charity sale to raise the money. This morning my 8yr old orange tabby seemed to show some symptoms too like your photo of drool on his lip and not eating this morning. Do you know if this is contagious? We just got a new kitten and don’t want him to get this. Thanks
Natalie,
I honestly do not know if stomatitis is contagious. My vet says that it isn’t, but Lily’s foster mom swears that it is. Someone here on my site suggested that it could be that the disease is contagious when it is active, and I think that makes sense.
In my case, I have five cats and Lily is the only one with stomatitis. I give Lysine and PlaqueOff to all five of them in little bowls each morning and they all lick each others bowls when done. None of the other cats have gotten stomatitis so my experience is that it isn’t contagious. However, Lily’s stomatitis is controlled by the meds she is taking so that might make a difference.
I hope Bear and your kitten do well!
Rochelle
Hi
I have a 16 month maine coon who had all his teeth, except bottom canines and incisors, removed 3 weeks ago because of this condition. He is eating well and seems ok in himself but his gums are still a bit red. How long does it take before you know if the procedure has been successful?
Annie,
It can take up to six months before you know if a tooth extraction helped the stomatitis, so it’s much too early to know if the procedure was successful for your cat. With luck, the stomatitis will be completely cleared up.
Keep in mind that about 20% of cats continue to have stomatitis after a full tooth extraction. My Lily is one of these 20% cats. If that happens to your cat then your vet will probably suggest additional treatment options. In our case, my vet put Lily on a low-dose steroid cream, and I also give her PlaqueOff and Lysine. Lily still has stomatitis, but all three of these products keep the inflammation to a minimum and Lily has her life back.
Please let us know how your cat is doing when you have a better idea of his condition. My prayers go out to you and your cat.
Rochelle
My cat also had its teeth removed except for the canines , and she started to have trouble later on with pain and trouble eating. So we took her to our Vet. and he has been doing research on this problem and came up a medication called Prednisolone not to be confused with Prednisone! Make sure you get the Pharmacist to double check! She has shown a 99% improvement. She has gained weight and is more active and happy! I know all cats respond differently to treatment but you must give this a shot. Please try it for your cats sake you can get in a liquid form or a pill. And it is not expensive! Good luck.
Vincent,
Prednisolone is the steroid that I give to Lily. I was unaware that it comes in a liquid or pill form for cats. We get it in cream form for Lily and I rub in in her ear each morning. The skin absorbs the medication that way. I hope it is as helpful to your cat as it has been for Lily. Just be sure to watch for signs of diabetes, since long term steroid use can lead to this. Signs include increased water intake and increased urine in the litter box.
Rochelle
Thank you for sharing your story. I have a 2 year old blue russian cat that was diagnosed with stomitis over a year and a half ago. I work in the veterinary field and had never seen a case like hers. I knew something was wrong when she stopped eating, her gums were so red and swollen the doctor immidiatly placed her on steriods wich seemed to help my Koah was eating and playing again it was so great to see her like that again, but it did not last very long 3 weeks later she was in pain crying when she would eat, At that point she was given another steriod injection, and a full mouth extraction was scheduled for her. Soon after she fell back into the ol 20% the extractions had failed. I knew keeping her on steroids long term was not good for her. I placed her on a specialty diet called Z/D which is a hypo allergenic food but have seen no improvement. I have her an Advita and just started the lysine. I have also ordered Atopica and I think I may try the wipe off that your recommending. I am so glad I am not the only one to be going through this. I will keep my fingers crossed and hope this works 🙂
Becci,
I’m so sorry to hear that Koah has fallen into the 20% of cats who are not helped by a full mouth extraction. My kitty Lily was also a 20% cat, so I know how frustrating and sad it is when the surgery resolve the stomatitis. I truly hope that you are able to find something that helps Koah, as I did with Lily. Please keep us posted if you find something that works.
Rochelle
my god!
I’m not sure what you mean with this comment.
I am really upset, My abigail has stomatitis and is in terrible pain, I have taken her for shots every month, and just now got off the phone with the vets office and she will not remove her teeth unless there is something wrong with the tooth. I am trying to save my cats life and my vet is not helping me at all. Just bring her back every month spend 80.00 every month which I do not have and just hope for the best. Please I need advise, what can I do to help Abigail
Rita,
It sounds like it is time to get a second opinion. There are several things a vet can try with a stomatitis cat. I don’t know what the shots are that Abigail is getting, but a vet can try steroids and/or antibiotics before progressing to tooth extraction.
Be aware, though, that tooth extraction surgery is very expensive. My cat Lily had all her teeth removed in two surgeries, and the combined total was around $2,000.
If you don’t know who to contact for a second opinion then contact the local cat rescue groups in your area. They should be able to tell you the names of at least one or two vets they trust in situations like this.
Rochelle
I’m a manager at an apartment complex who loves cats. Little stray we named millie, sweet as can be, just adopted the office. I noticed she didnt like hard food and figured whom ever had her must have spoiled her. So she got can every day and still was not gaining any weight. I noticed her breath smelled very bad and her tongue always out. She was taken to the vet immediatley and was caught it in time. I have her started her on antibotics. I’m thankful for this site, because i wanted to educate myself so I could be more help to Millie and her special situation. Thanks.
You are very welcome. How is Millie doing?
Thanks so much for your blog about Lily…like you I too could not recognize the signs of Stomatitis and did not help Billy sooner than I should have. Billy tried to tell me about his pain which I could not understand…how he has stopped eating and that is how I took him to my primary vet who diagnozed the stomatitis. Billy is currently undergoing surgery to get his teeth removed. I am still concerned about him eating….he has not eates a single morsel for close to 48hours and the 48hours prior he ate only a little bit of baby food.
How long after the surgery did Lily start eating? And what did you give to him to eat?
Thanks again….this has been such an emotionally draining exercise and I am guilt ridden for not having helped my little Billy sooner
Nisha,
First, please forgive yourself for not understanding sooner what Billy was going through. I totally understand the guilt, and had my fair share of it, too, but just know that you didn’t purposely ignore the signs. Cats are sooooo very good at hiding their pain, and it is often very difficult to decipher the small little clues that they offer us.
Lily never stopped eating, so it wasn’t a problem to get her to eat again after her surgery. I don’t remember exactly how long it took for her to eat after her teeth were removed, but it was only a day or so. I do remember that I was supposed to give her only wet food, since dry food would tear open her stitches, and she kept trying to get to the dry food.
For the first 10 days after her surgery I had to give her wet food. The reason for this, as I said above, was to prevent her stitches from tearing out. After the 10 day period, Lily went back to dry food, which is what she still eats (with the exception of a very small amount of wet food every morning and night, which is how I give her supplements to her).
You are right that learning about and dealing with stomatitis is emotionally draining. As the saying goes, this, too, shall pass. At some point Billy will get past the serious place he is in right now.
Take care,
Rochelle