My cat has what appears to be a inflammed lower lip; it's noticeably bigger. At first i feared it was a serious internal disease, but now i think it's more likely a dental problem. if this is dentally associated, what can i do to improve his gum health? if he were to have gum disease is it reverseable and/or treatable. today i bought friskies dental diet dry food to help improve. his lower lip or gum appears to be inflammed. as i open his mouth it looks like the swelling goes back to his two front bottom teeth, kind of like his gum and his lower lip....? he's young if that helps (turned 2 yrs. this month)
what do you think? any suggestions would be helpful, please?
P.S i do plan on taking him to the vet a.s.a.p.
2007-01-24 13:51:36 · 4 answers · asked by morobell 3 in Pets ➔ Cats
Hi there...gum disease (gingivitis) that are caused by periodontal disorders can be managed. However, the problem with gingitivitis is the plaque has already hardened in to calculus on the teeth and underneath the gum line (part of the reason why you can see inflamed gums turning red), which cannot be scraped away with foods or treated with rinses. An ultrasonic scale needs to be used to remove the calculus in order to eliminate the gum inflammation. If gingival disorders are not medically treated it will later lead to painful periodontal diseases because of tissue and bone loss. Surgery will be required to remove teeth and necrotic tissues which have decayed as a result. Gingivitis and periodontal disorders later lead to other health problems because of the bacteria entering the blood stream. ONLY after a dental cleaning you can then use rinses and special treats in addition to regular brushing to minimize the recurrences of gingivitis and periodontal disorders.
More on gingivitis and how it's treated:
http://www.petplace.com/cats/gingivitis-in-cats/page1.aspx
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=223&S=2
Instructional video on how to brush cats teeth by Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine for Feline Health:
http://www.felinevideos.vet.cornell.edu/brushing_teeth/full_movie.shtml
2007-01-24 14:29:02 · answer #1 · answered by ♪ Seattle ♫ 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Hi there. It all depends on the cat. Some older cats can't process dry food as well as others. And who ever told you that dry food is healthier they are very unknowable. Dry food leaves a cat dehydrated if fed all the time. What I suggest is that you keep er on wet. Although if you find she might like dry better do a mix. Put half of an 85gram can in her bowl then add a little bit of water. Next put 3/4cups of dry food and mix it together. (the extra water is so that it makes the dry food softer so it isn't as painful to her tiny, aged mouth). If that idea doesn't satisfy you or your cat then try just dry. But make sure to still give her a lot of wet food so she doesn't get kidney stones. Also you can go to your local pet stor and pick up vitamins. And you can add it to her foodso she will be live longer. Make sure you feed good foods like Merrick or Wellness. If you want your cat to stay healthy then do boith dry and wet with the vitamins and DO NOT feed Fancy Feast or Iams. Good luck. And I hope I helped!
2016-03-29 01:09:27 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like you are going to have two teeth pulled for the cat. Don't worry, after about a week on soft food they can eat hard food again. For preventative measures, you could start brushing the cats teeth. I just use my finger and kitty toothpaste and sort of massage and get on the teeth if they let me. I've got FIV+ cats and I have to watch their teeth real good.
2007-01-24 14:03:27 · answer #3 · answered by Terry Z 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Feed him more mice.
2007-01-24 13:59:41 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋