Gingivitis- Stomatitis, red gums in a 2 year cat.. Please Help!!

[2catwoman]

My cat has a chronic mouth inflammation that has required prednisone (steroid) shots every 4 weeks, and also daily application of the steroid cream in his ear. He is about 2.5 years and have been getting this same treatment since he was about 11 months old. On his last visit, the vet also gave him a Convenia injection along with the steriod injection. He said that if this doesn't clear up his condition then he wants to extract some it not most of his teeth, reasoning that this is the only thing left to do to remedy the situation. A previous vet warned that continuous steriod injections can lead to diabetes and will also shorten life span. Is anyone else going thru this as well, and if so how has your vet treated the condition and was it successful or not??

My kitty will only eat dry food, and he often goes for days without eating (with the exceptions of a few pieces of food at a time), although when he gets his shots he fills up on food until the injection starts wearing off. The steriod injection, in combination with the daily application of steriods (by ear) only lasts about 3 weeks. When all this started, it would last him a little longer than that. Any suggestions from anyone out there???
Thanks!

[growler~GateKeeper]

Has your cat had a full dental cleaning without extractions - just a cleaning?

Are there ulcers (usually bright red) in the cat's mouth aside from the inflammed gums?

I think a switch to a canned only or a raw diet will help, not only is it better nutritionally but less rough on the gums texture wise.

More info on nutrition found here: http://www.catinfo.org/

One thing that may lead to stomatitis is a food allergy, so trying a grain-free, limited or novel protein food is a good first step.

Some info on Stomatitis here: http://www.felineoutreach.org/Education/Stomatitis.html

I do also want to mention a full mouth extraction is not guarenteed to cure the problem, especially if the cause is not the teeth themselves.

[Dr Lee]

Stomatitis is a frustrating problem.

Antibiotics can help keep the bacterial load down. There has been some success with low dose doxycyline use as it can have an anti-inflammatory effect as well.

In a recent study, it was noted that 88% of cats with stomatitis were also shedding calici and herpes virus. At this time, we do not know if there is a connection or not. However as growler has mentioned - food and diet may be helpful. Lysine supplementation is a safe, holistic method to address the potential presence of herpes.

Other options such as cyclosporine have been suggested but more information is needed on this disease unfortunately.

I have also prescribed oravet and had some success with it. Oravet is an electrically charged wax polymer that binds to the teeth, helps reduce plaque and reduce the bacteria. It is easy to apply and is used once a week. It is currently being marketed as a dental sealant but may have some applications in the treatment of stomatitis. Link: Oravet

Unfortunately dental extraction is still the recommended treatment of choice for many cats and appears to have the best long term effects. However as growler mentioned, some cats still have problems. Those that do - CO2 laser ablation therapy is recommended. Here is a excerpt from a lecture on stomatitis with regard to dental extraction response: "The response to tooth extraction ranges from complete resolution of inflammation (60%), minimal residual inflammation and no oral pain (20%), initial improvement requiring continued medical therapy to control clinical signs (13%), to no improvement (7%)." - Dr. Alexander Reiter, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine at the Atlantic Coast Veterinary Conference 2008.