cat with very bad breath - update!

Weequine

My cat (now long gone) had feline gingivitis-stomatitis-pharyngitis-komplex. He had very stinky breath as a result of it but I couldn't say what the other symptoms were as he was diagnosed long before I got him (rescue cat) and was medicated.

As you've seen from just a few posts here, stinky breath could be an indicator of so many different things. Some easily treatable and some not so. Best bet is to see what the vet has to say.

Hope puss is alright x

thehappybutterfly

peachyprice wrote: »

Have you looked in his mouth? One of my boys once had stinky breath, when we looked in his mouth we found a piece of wood wedged in the roof of his mouth, it was a piece of one of those wide wooden skewers you sometimes get satay on.

I haven't dared look Peachy. He's very much a "get your hands off me, human" cat. I'd a get a swipe if I attempted to look in his mouth. Plus I'm all out of gasmasks.......

thehappybutterfly

OK, got the boys to the vet this afternoon and it turns out Mr Halitosis has some really bad tartar build-up and his gums are bleeding. I feel terrible but also relieved that it's not something more serious.

Back on Wednesday for a dental op under a general anaesthetic and a week's worth of antibiotics

I'll get some advice from the vet on how to prevent this in future. Preferably something hands-off! You get chew bones for dogs which help control plaque build-up - is there anything similar for our feline friends?

Fluff15

A cat shelter I visited not too long ago recommended plaque off - the home visitor said it improved one of her old cats teeth considerably. She said it takes a while to work but she swore by it, all you have to do is put a scoop in the cats food each day. The reviews on amazon and the likes are pretty good too, I can't vouch for it myself as my two haven't had any problems yet to compare!

aliby21

Oh, I'm pleased it isn't anything worse - though still not nice having to have an op, will be a worrying day for you (and probably sleepless night the night before trying to explain to him why he can't have food!).

you can get stuff that is supposed to help with dental hygiene. there is stuff you sprinkle on food, "plaque of"f, and also a gel that you can dab on their paws that they are supposed to lick off, can't remember what it's called. of course all depends on how accepting your cat is likely to be of either! I've not managed to trial either for long enough to tell if they work!

If you're going to try the plaque off I'd get the special one for cats, not the general cat and dog one. It's supposed to be designed to appeal to their taste buds

HappyMJ

thehappybutterfly wrote: »

OK, got the boys to the vet this afternoon and it turns out Mr Halitosis has some really bad tartar build-up and his gums are bleeding. I feel terrible but also relieved that it's not something more serious.

Back on Wednesday for a dental op under a general anaesthetic and a week's worth of antibiotics

I'll get some advice from the vet on how to prevent this in future. Preferably something hands-off! You get chew bones for dogs which help control plaque build-up - is there anything similar for our feline friends?

Raw partly frozen chicken wings work reasonably well. Hard, chewy and safe to eat. Don't cook them. Just pull one out of the freezer and put in the food bowl. They carry it off and chew it for ages.

meritaten

First Cats breath could strip paint after he was 12! it was bad teeth - and he hadn't given any indication there was anything wrong. he didn't seem to have toothache, he ate normally, he didn't mind his face being touched (well, not more than normal). it cost an arm and a leg for his dental treatment - but the vet showed us what was wrong and why it was needed and tbh she was very trustworthy we went ahead. unfortunately within a year he developed kidney disease and had to be PTS. but, that was unrelated and we didn't regret paying for the dental work for him.

lisajane8482

HappyMJ wrote: »

Raw partly frozen chicken wings work reasonably well. Hard, chewy and safe to eat. Don't cook them. Just pull one out of the freezer and put in the food bowl. They carry it off and chew it for ages.

Such a stupid question but do you just buy some chicken wings and basically give them to the cats without doing anything to them? Just I was thinking of giving our yougest them as he loves chicken but want to make sure I'm not going to make him ill.

ka7e

I buy small packs of value wings and then cut them in half for smallish dogs and large cats. I think freezing them first helps destroy any bugs that might be harmful. Definitely don't cook them at all as that makes the bones brittle and they become choking hazards.

his_missus

thehappybutterfly wrote: »

OK, got the boys to the vet this afternoon and it turns out Mr Halitosis has some really bad tartar build-up and his gums are bleeding. I feel terrible but also relieved that it's not something more serious.

Back on Wednesday for a dental op under a general anaesthetic and a week's worth of antibiotics

I'll get some advice from the vet on how to prevent this in future. Preferably something hands-off! You get chew bones for dogs which help control plaque build-up - is there anything similar for our feline friends?

Hope his op went well. One of mine had bad breath due to gingivitis (sp?) and had a couple of teeth removed which seemed to cure the problem. My other smelly (once a stray) cat is too old to be operated on and has gingivitis too. We haven't really found anything to cure his bad breath but we use pet wipes on his fur or he smells after he's groomed.