You want to do what to Ghost?
August 9, 2010 4:39 PM
Cat Vet Filter: My vet wants to cauterize some ulcers on my cat's gums tomorrow. Does anyone know anything about this?
The inflamed gums showed up several weeks ago and the vet saw some ulcers at the back of his mouth. They didn't go away after a course of antibiotics, rather he stopped eating. Now he is half-way through a second course with a different med, but still eats very, very little, and they want to seal up the sores. Has anyone heard of this? What should I expect in terms of his recovery?
NB: I like my vets. It's a rather low tech office, but they have a great deal of empathy for their patients and their patient's people's pocketbooks, but ... I'd like to hear others thoughts.
The inflamed gums showed up several weeks ago and the vet saw some ulcers at the back of his mouth. They didn't go away after a course of antibiotics, rather he stopped eating. Now he is half-way through a second course with a different med, but still eats very, very little, and they want to seal up the sores. Has anyone heard of this? What should I expect in terms of his recovery?
NB: I like my vets. It's a rather low tech office, but they have a great deal of empathy for their patients and their patient's people's pocketbooks, but ... I'd like to hear others thoughts.
An older female cat of mine recently had 5 bad teeth removed and she's eating much better and acting happier. If your cat has mostly stopped eating, it's time to do something. Do you have any idea about the reason for the abscesses or why the antibiotics aren't working?
posted by psyche7 at 6:00 PM on August 9, 2010
posted by psyche7 at 6:00 PM on August 9, 2010
(IANYV)
Recovery will depend more on the underlying condition than the electrocautery, and like most questions about veterinary medicine it is almost impossible to give a well informed answer without a history and seeing the disease process. It sounds like your vet is pretty old school, which for lots of things is fine, but it is easy to get caught in the mindset that the owners want as cheap a fix as possible, so you stop going over every option. That is certainly not to say that your vet isn't a good practitioner, just that you might want to talk to her about what other treatment options are available.
Keeping the cat well hydrated is huge, please talk to your DVM about how best to make that happen.
posted by Nickel Pickle at 6:07 PM on August 9, 2010
Recovery will depend more on the underlying condition than the electrocautery, and like most questions about veterinary medicine it is almost impossible to give a well informed answer without a history and seeing the disease process. It sounds like your vet is pretty old school, which for lots of things is fine, but it is easy to get caught in the mindset that the owners want as cheap a fix as possible, so you stop going over every option. That is certainly not to say that your vet isn't a good practitioner, just that you might want to talk to her about what other treatment options are available.
Keeping the cat well hydrated is huge, please talk to your DVM about how best to make that happen.
posted by Nickel Pickle at 6:07 PM on August 9, 2010
nosila: I sorta figured it would heal faster, but thanks for the reassurance.
psyche7: They aren't pulling any teeth. He doesn't even have excess tarter, just these sores behind his teeth. We don't really know what's causing the sores, but my (weak) google-fu indicates that is universal. This problem has lots of names - rodent virus is the most pronounceable, but it isn't caused by rodents and no virus has been identified - but no known (agreed upon) cause. He shows no signs of renal failure or diabetes (which can cause it).
Nickel Pickle: Old-school may be an understatement (a long time ago we called that "counter-culture" or something though), and I do need to keep the cost down. I know there are limits to all internet diagnostics, but anecdotes can help sometimes.
I guess, my real question, not stated very well, was whether this is just a stop gap or not, and there really isn't anyway to tell. I've had the guy for less than three months, so I don't know much about his background (except what the people who wanted to get rid of him said), but am already attached to him because he's even (even when well) more neurotic than I am.
posted by Some1 at 7:03 PM on August 9, 2010
psyche7: They aren't pulling any teeth. He doesn't even have excess tarter, just these sores behind his teeth. We don't really know what's causing the sores, but my (weak) google-fu indicates that is universal. This problem has lots of names - rodent virus is the most pronounceable, but it isn't caused by rodents and no virus has been identified - but no known (agreed upon) cause. He shows no signs of renal failure or diabetes (which can cause it).
Nickel Pickle: Old-school may be an understatement (a long time ago we called that "counter-culture" or something though), and I do need to keep the cost down. I know there are limits to all internet diagnostics, but anecdotes can help sometimes.
I guess, my real question, not stated very well, was whether this is just a stop gap or not, and there really isn't anyway to tell. I've had the guy for less than three months, so I don't know much about his background (except what the people who wanted to get rid of him said), but am already attached to him because he's even (even when well) more neurotic than I am.
posted by Some1 at 7:03 PM on August 9, 2010
My cat had some serious gum and teeth issues a few years ago, and it turned out that she has an auto-immune disorder where her body recognizes the teeth as foreign bodies and attacks. Our cat couldn't eat, was losing weight and smelled vicious. I was told that this was very common but underdiagnosed. After hundreds of dollars in vet bills and antibiotics, a new vet diagnosed this and prescribed $20 worth of steroids for two weeks and the problem was gone. Huge relief to us. Don't know if it's the same for you, but it's worth asking your vet about.
posted by emilyclaire at 8:26 PM on August 9, 2010
posted by emilyclaire at 8:26 PM on August 9, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
When you have penny-sized sores inside of your mouth and can't eat, cauterization is a good option. I even knew that at age 7.
posted by nosila at 4:46 PM on August 9, 2010