Q: My cat came to me with horrible gum disease. She is on her fifth round of antibiotics, and I am making an appointment with a veterinary dentist. Her gums started bleeding, and she drooled some blood onto her chin. The vet told me even if they pulled all her teeth, the problems might not go away. She is almost 3 years old, and I’ve had her since October. I can’t tell you how upset I am. She is the sweetest cat, and her previous owner (a breeder!) neglected her. She has to be on a super high fiber food because she’s had loose stools on anything else.

However… I’ve read stories of people who say changing her diet might really help her. Spot’s Stew does have higher fiber than the other natural foods, but it’s 6.5%. Her food right now is 10%. I’m at my wit’s end. It’s not fair for my cat to suffer. Do you have any advice?

Thanks,
Meighan

A: Meighan, thanks for the question. I am glad you are making an appointment to see a dental specialist. The condition you are describing sounds like Feline Gingivitis/Stomatitis which is a severe and painful inflammatory condition of the gums and oral tissues. Most often the cause is unknown and is suspected to be an abnormal immune reaction to bacteria and plaque in the mouth. However, it is important to eliminate the other possibilities of gum and mouth inflammation. Things that a dentist should look for include infection (viruses–such as FIV, calicivirus; bacteria–such as Bartonella; etc), toxin exposure, and evidence of other immune disease.

Because the cause is most often unknown, the available treatments are largely symptomatic and include frequent professional cleaning of the teeth, and intermittent or long-term therapy with antibiotics or anti-inflammatory medications. Laser therapy can sometimes be used to stimulate healing over the inflamed, ulcerated areas. If a cat does not respond to any of these therapies, it is not uncommon that they require removal of some (or all) teeth to alleviate the symptoms of this disorder.

To date, medical research has not indicated a particular diet is effective in controlling this disease. However, choosing a natural food without preservatives and additives that can cause allergic-type reactions is always in a pet’s best interest. If she requires a high fiber food, you can supplement the Spot’s Stew with an additional fiber source. For example, powdered psyllium husk or canned pumpkin are both natural ways to increase the fiber content of the food to bring it up to 10%. Ask your veterinarian for advice on how much of this fiber to give her.

Good Luck and keep us posted.
Dr. Donna Spector

This entry was posted on Monday, June 15th, 2009 at 10:00 am and is filed under Ask a Vet, Dr Donna Spector, Pet Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.