cat gingivitis

lolo62

LB6 wrote: »

My Jasper is almost 13 yrs old now. He was always a fine strong cat, but in the last couple of months, starting to have problems eating. Brought him to the vet and she said it was gingivitis. She gave him a pain killer and anti-biotics which meant that within 3 hours he was scoffing his food like no tomorrow. However, the gingivitis, according to her, would not ever clear up completely and he'd have to get the antibiotic and painkillers every 4-6 wks depending on how he's doing. He tested negative for the FIV. Lately tho, even though he eats raw meat and it's soft enough for him to swallow, he's losing weight and the fur around his eyes is getting sparce. He normally sleeps outdoors under the shed where he's sheltered and warm, but he seems to spend most of his time sleeping now and rarely comes out. Yesterday, he crawled out, stood up, teetered a bit, steadied himself and went back in again. Tried calling him a while ago, but he didn't budge. I'm dreading looking in now, but I fear the inevitable might be happening or may have, but the thoughts of having to take him to the vet to be PTS are killing me. He was such a strong cat, loving and would talk to you. I'm heartbroken but I know it's probably the best thing for him now. My poor Jasper.

do you think he's not getting enough food down because of
the gingivitis?
theres another poster on this thread that had the cats teeth removed on vets advice and is now thriving

another problem could be bacteria getting into the bloodstream from the gums (ive been doing my research!)

i would try that before last resort..

Zapperzy

LB6 wrote: »

My Jasper is almost 13 yrs old now. He was always a fine strong cat, but in the last couple of months, starting to have problems eating. Brought him to the vet and she said it was gingivitis. She gave him a pain killer and anti-biotics which meant that within 3 hours he was scoffing his food like no tomorrow. However, the gingivitis, according to her, would not ever clear up completely and he'd have to get the antibiotic and painkillers every 4-6 wks depending on how he's doing. He tested negative for the FIV. Lately tho, even though he eats raw meat and it's soft enough for him to swallow, he's losing weight and the fur around his eyes is getting sparce. He normally sleeps outdoors under the shed where he's sheltered and warm, but he seems to spend most of his time sleeping now and rarely comes out. Yesterday, he crawled out, stood up, teetered a bit, steadied himself and went back in again. Tried calling him a while ago, but he didn't budge. I'm dreading looking in now, but I fear the inevitable might be happening or may have, but the thoughts of having to take him to the vet to be PTS are killing me. He was such a strong cat, loving and would talk to you. I'm heartbroken but I know it's probably the best thing for him now. My poor Jasper.

I wouldn't rush to that decision. Has he had bloods done to check his kidneys yet? Kidney failure (not a death sentence in itself, can be managed through fluids and diet) can cause weight loss, poor scruffy coat condition and slowing down and run down. I would bring him back to the vet, maybe even get a second opinion if your not happy (not to knock your own vet but sometimes a fresh set of eyes and a blank mind can see something your own vet may not think of). Is he up to date on worming and flea treatment?

LB6

Hi thank you for the replies. Yep he's all up to date on everything. You're right, a new set of eyes on him might see something different. They never checked bloods for kidneys (afaik).

Funnily enough, he's looking a bit stronger today and he's back to yelling at me again :-)