Gum disease - to treat or not to treat?

[muffinmonster]

Just took our cat to the vet for annual vaccinations and checkup. He has gum disease (gingivitis). Vet said he can recommend special food but there's no guarantee cat will chew it sufficiently for it to work. He recommended a descale and polish under general anaesthetic, which will cost £200-250. It's not covered by our pet insurance.

What concerns me is that we could go ahead with the treatment but there's nothing to stop the cat getting gum disease again. He's only about five years old.

Would it be really terrible and cruel to just leave it be? Has anyone any experience of the treatment?

Hi muffin. Just this week Sparkling Cat had a scale and polish and it cost £147. This was with no complications or extractions.

I came away with a bottle of liquid to add to her drinking water.

If you leave it be it will cause the cat pain and loss of teeth in the long run.

My boy had gingivitis (but his was as a result of FIV.) He had 5 extractions under GA and appeared to be in a fair bit of pain. So we went ahead every time.

Hopefully yours will be a one off but I generally do what what the vet recommends.

Hi OP, my cat has had lots of teeth removed due to gum disease.

I couldn't work out why she would start to eat her food, then run away from it, after about 30 seconds of trying to eat.

It wasn't until after the vet checked her teeth, that we realised it was so painful for her - plus she would dribble constantly & it smelt awful.

She really is a better cat now, much happier & a goid weight.

If you leave it the cat is more likely to develop feline oral neck lesions on the teeth which then lead them to require extraction before they snap off. Many cats have chronic gingivitis due to calicivirus infection and required repeated treatments. In about 50% of these cats total extractions help in others it does not.

Wow, thanks to everyone for the prompt responses. Our cat is eating properly and not showing any signs of being in pain at the moment (though his gums are red so they must feel tender), but it sounds as if this is something to be dealt with sooner rather than later. I will phone the vet and book the treatment.

I think you are doing the right thing OP

Well done. They tend not to show pain until a problem is really advanced so that's best.

I am taking my cat to teh vet this afternoon as he has been chattering his jaw and dribbling for about 5 days We thought he had a stroke but he can still eat but drops it. Think its his teeth too. So worried

Oh noddy I hope you get some reassurance.

You're doing just the right thing, noddy. No sense getting worried right now - wait and see what the vet says this afternoon. Good luck to him.

noddy Yes, thats what mine did, started eating then dropped it due to pain.

Back and its not good news He has a tumour under his tongue and needs a biopsy. Very little success treating these all so sad here

I'm so sorry, noddy. But you still did absolutely the right thing in taking him to find out. How old is he?

Oh noddy.

He is 10 I can't stop crying My ds is 19 and is at a festival and will be heartbroken and he is off to uni on the 16th this is going to really affect him. Biopsy wednesday. Vet didn't give any indication of anything just said we need to biopsy but it is large and quite hard so doesn't look good.

Start your own thread, noddy, when the results come back so that we can all be updated.

(Sorry for the hijack, OP.)

And there's no shame in crying. Goodness, no.

I would be crying too, and such sad news for your DS when he is about to go to Uni.

I will thanks for the support I am shocked at the state I am in

It's understandable noddy.