Calicivirus and stomatitis

[goldmum]

Our lovely 9 month old boy has very sore, inflamed gums and has been diagnosed with Calicivirus and chronic stomatitis following a swab test. The vet has recommended taking out all his teeth at a cost of £1,000 (and insurers won't pay as it is classified by them as dental work).
Has anyone been in a similar situation? The treatment seems very extreme, but not sure if there are other options.

My Mum's cat had all her teeth removed because of ongoing and persisent calicivirus. It was the best thing for my Mum's cat, BUT....she was 10 when she finally had op, not 9 months old. She had had enough of antibiotic courses, but then she hates taking tablets, it really stresses her out. Perhaps someone with a younger cat will be along to advise. I can however state categorically that it cost nowhere near a grand. I think my Mum paid 350. I will check today. Perhaps try a different practice for a second opinion and a different price estimate? Vets are largely responsible for setting their own fees and you may find that that at least is different, even if the medical opinion is the same? Poor lad with his sore teeth

My 8year old kitty has just had everything from K9s back taken out. She is much happier now, is eating better and is getting herself into mischeif.
It cost £400ish but our vets are trying to claim it from our insurance - even though it's dental. We had the optional older cat extras - bloods and fluids. Get a proper estimate from your vet, but if it's causing pain you'll have a much happier cat once they're dealt with.

My 8year old kitty has just had everything from K9s back taken out. She is much happier now, is eating better and is getting herself into mischeif.
It cost £400ish but our vets are trying to claim it from our insurance - even though it's dental. We had the optional older cat extras - bloods and fluids. Get a proper estimate from your vet, but if it's causing pain you'll have a much happier cat once they're dealt with.

Depends which insurance company you are with. I know several will cover this if the vet specifies that it is gingivostomatitis NOT age related routine dental work. Sometimes vet will have to write an additional letter, but definately worth fighting for it. In my experience major extractions are the best way to get long term resolution of the problem. Not all cats need their canines and incisors removed, just molars/premolars, but it does depend on how severely the mouth is affected.
Good luck x

Total extractions help about 50% of cats with Chronic gingivitis. If really good quality buccal fold extractions are done ensuring every last bit of tooth root is removed followed by good quality dental x-rays to check for roots then in the South £1000 is close to the mark. If traditional elevations are used for removal with out follow up x-rays then £400 is about the mark. The reason of the first type being preferred is that in calcivirus even a tiny bit of root can cause a persistent problem.
Other things to investigate are that for some cats the stomatitis is better on Sainsburys Classic cat food - who knows why.

I know this was posted a week ago but we are insured with petplan(middle policy -name I can't recall) they covered something similar (ulceritve stomatis and gingivitis). When asked the vet said generally insurance don't cover cosmetic (scale and polish) or old age related but stomatitis was a medical condtion and would be covered. Had no issue or quibble from the insurance.

Thanks for the replies. Vet has been really good and has persuaded the insurance company that the treatment is for stomatitis rather than it being a dental condition. Should hear back this week. Hopefully we will get the go ahead as poor kitty is off his food now.

Just got pre approval from insurance company so going ahead with extraction - K9s back. So glad it's sorted as poor Charlie is starting to lose weight as he can't eat so well.

This sounds more like a juvenile gingivitis and although calici positive it may be worth attempting some medical treatment first before commiting to the extractions. Hexarinse solution can be gently syringed onto the gums twice a day and convenia (antibiotic) injected once every two weeks to give a full 6 weeks of antibiotic cover, then reasses the response. You still have the extractions option if this is not sufficient to get a decent response. Worth asking your vet to call someone like this for specialist advice first www.theveterinarydentist.com/ as I happen to know this guy is especially helpful and highly regarded in the world of veterinary dentistry.

Lizcat - Classic Cat is made by Butchers and has no additives, colourings or flavourings and is Gluten free. (It's an off shoot of Butchers Dog Food). It's one of the cheaper foods on the market, but ironically also one of the best. The only problem, is many cats turn their noses up at it because it's not full of additives and crap!

The Specialists at the Animal Health Trust recommend a diet of that and Royal Canin Sensible dried for IBD/stomatitis. I know that because when my boy was diagnosed with IBD there, that's the diet they recommended I put him on.

OP - I had a cat (still do) who had calicivirus & stomatitis in the same way yours does. She had all her teeth extracted at 5 and she is now 12. It did help clearing up the problem dramatically. Our vet also used interferon injected every other day over about 3 weeks to try and tackle the virus too, but it was a new and experimental treatment for calicivirus at that point. She's happy and healthy and the Stomatitis hasn't reared its ugly head since.