Emergency dental surgery :(

[soddinghormones]

When we got our ex-street cat from Dubai checked over the vet mentioned he had a bit of gingivitis on one side, recommended crunchy dry food and suggested we tried to clean his teeth (hah!)

This week I noticed he was drooling a bit on one side, then on Friday he didn't eat his breakfast so took him to the vet expecting maybe a minor problem but he's got severe periodontal disease and will have to lose most of his upper teeth on the right side of his jaw. He's had ABs and painkillers and goes in for surgery tomorrow

The vet is shocked at how quickly it's deteriorated in such a young cat (he's only 4) and there is a possibility it could be being caused by something else so he's having blood tests as well

He is obviously feeling v uncomfortable and is uncharacteristically quiet - he even let the puppy lick his tummy

Any ideas why it's got so bad so quickly? Poor thing already has (mild) asthma

I suppose it's a bit like humans, if you've got one illness it can weaken the body & you can't fight off everything.

Poor lad, you don't know if he was properly fed as a kitten though & that would impact on his tooth development.

Ask to have him tested for calicivirus by mouth swab as this can be a cause of such rapid deterioration.
There are no specific treatments, but knowledge can help you make ongoing treatment decisions.

I do recall that The Lodger quite unexpectedly had bad teeth - lots of tartar deposit and also a couple of congenitally malformed teeth which had to be removed to avoid further problems. He'd brought himself up on the street but was only 3 at the time.

He had his mouth overhauled by the vet (with some extractions) and has been fine ever since.

Poor lad. Mouth problems are one of the most misery-making things for human and animal both. The vet will presumably run the full range of tests while he's out for the count.

Best of luck to him and let us know how he gets on.

PS - I harbour deep suspicions that The Lodger's time on the street contributed to his position - in particular, his diet. He was catching prey but was also foraging to get human food and was particularly given to raiding the local Chinese restaurant bins: lots of meat in sticky and sugary sauces.

Maybe Shuri didn't eat so heathily in the past? (Although the vet will presumably be checking as Lone suggested.)

thanks all

will ask vet about calicivirus - he's been vaccinated since he was about 2ish (when dh realised he'd been officially adopted) - could he still be affected though?

he was eating out of bins when dh found him so I don't think optimum tooth development was uppermost on his mind ... he's feeling very sorry for himself :(

Yes the vaccine only covers a few strains of calicivirus and it as infection like herpes once you have got it you have it for ever.

He's home - was a bit woozy still but refused to settle for ages as he wanted to go out and check his territory (was v miffed when I told him he had to stay in)

He's lost three teeth, including his enormously long canine so will look v lopsided when he yawns

Poor lad - but the after-effects of the GA will likely be far more noticeable than anything negative to do with the extractions. Cats seem to cope with missing teeth really well and at least he won't be in pain from those dodgy teeth any more. Good luck to him.