| Title: | Meower Power - Where Differing Opinions are Respected |
| Notice: | purrrrr... |
| Moderator: | JULIET::CORDES_JA |
| Created: | Wed Nov 13 1991 |
| Last Modified: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 1079 |
| Total number of notes: | 28858 |
One of my cats had his teeth scraped about 2 weeks ago. I was not
happy about his gum condition, so I called the vet to see if he
would prescribe more antibiotic ( I thought that was what was needed).
The vet said that my cat has stomatitis and that this is a chronic
condition. Poor teeth and tartar build up has probably contributed
to this condition, but that is not the whole story. This vet said
that not much in known about this problem and that the anitibiotic
would only help in the short term. He did give me a sample of a new
cat food that helps control tartar build-up and said that if the cat
ate it, it could help him some. Well, I am willing to try this,
but I still want my cat to get another prescription of anitbiotic,
and this vet does not feel that this is necessary.
I am not convinced with what this vet has told me, so I am thinking
of getting a second opinion. What do you think?
Eleanor
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1072.1 | PADC::KOLLING | Karen | Fri May 02 1997 16:28 | 27 | |
Eleanor, I would call the Cornell Vet help line at 1-800-KITTYDR.
(They charge something like $25 for a phone consult with their vet,
who has been very helpful when I've called.) He would be able to
tell you what stomatitis is, what the treatments for it are,
etc. That's a good starting point. I think whenever a person
feels that they aren't being sufficiently informed by their own
vet and their questions aren't being answered, that a second opinion or
a change of vet is probably the way to go. If you live near Tufts,
they also have good vets.
Antibiotics have bad side effects sometimes, so if they wouldn't
help, your vet has a good reason to not prescribe them, but he
ought to be able to explain this to you.
I looked on the web and found the following:
From the web at http://www.waltham.com/pets/cats/pca.htm#gums
Stomatitis
Very sore mouth, usually with scale on the teeth. The gums are reddened
and ulceration may be present. The cat is reluctant to eat or drink, or
may do so with its head on one side. There may be
one or more loose teeth. Proper dental treatment under an anaesthetic
is usually necessary. This may be accompanied by treatment for the
mouth and gum infection. In an emergency, as a temporary measure, bathe
the mouth with a warm, very dilute salt solution.
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| 1072.2 | Good Starting Point | REFER1::ESULLIVAN | Fri May 02 1997 18:25 | 3 | |
Thanks for the info, Karen.
Eleanor
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| 1072.3 | POWDML::VENTURA | Great Goodley Moogley! | Tue May 06 1997 10:04 | 10 | |
I believe that this is what Pita has. She is 9 years old, and has a
bad problem with her teeth. She gets tarter buildup, but the vet said
that it is some type of disease where it doesn't help to clean the
teeth.
She gets a shot for it about once every 4 months, when it gets really
bad, and she is on antibiotics for about 3 weeks after the shot.
Holly
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