Stomatitis in Cats

What is stomatitis? In cats, is this disease fatal? Is stomatitis in cats contagious? You must be plagued by these questions if you suspect your beloved cat to be suffering from this disease. Stomatitis is a common disease of animals which is characterized by chronic inflammation and ulceration of the soft tissues present in the mouth. It is also termed as lymphocytic-plasmacytic gingivitis-stomatitis-pharyngitis (GSPC). The exact cause of stomatitis is not yet known. However, veterinarians believe that it is a multifactorial disease which involves an immune mediated component. Some of the possible factors are hypersensitivity to oral bacterial antigens, immunodeficiency disease, viral action, metabolic diseases and drug reactions. The answer to the second query is mostly not in affirmation. However, you should not keep the affected and unaffected cats together to avoid even a small possibility.

Stomatitis in Cats Symptoms
Stomatitis in cats generally begins in the area in the back of the mouth where the lower jaw meets with the upper jaw. This area is known as fauces. The affected area is painful, red, swollen and ulcerated. Some other common symptoms are anorexia, weight loss, bad breath, difficulty eating, excessive salivation, reluctance to groom and gums which bleed easily.

Stomatitis in Cats Causes
There are several factors which may lead to stomatitis in cats. The most common among them are hyper-responsiveness, immunosuppression and microbial infection. Hyper-responsiveness is described as the allergic reaction of the cats to bacterial plaque. Such cats are called plaque-intolerant. Hyper-responsiveness involves movement of the immune cells, lymphocytes and plasma cells, to the tissues of the mouth and causing mild to severe inflammation. The part which is most affected by hyper-responsiveness is the spot where the tooth meets the gum line. Hyper-responsiveness may also be triggered by food or fleas. This is because they may manifest themselves as skin or oral lesions called feline Eosinophilic Granuloma. Immunosuppression, or suppression of the immune system's activity, in cats can be stimulated by a number of factors. The most common among them is viral infections. Infection caused by bacteria and virus can lead to oral lesions like stomatitis.

Stomatitis in Cats Diagnosis
The appearance of the affected tissues helps a lot in the diagnosis of stomatitis. The examiner may conduct an oral biopsy to find out whether the lesions are caused by diseases like neoplasia, eosinophilic granuloma complex, etc. If the biopsy reveals a dense infiltration of lymphocytes and plasma cells, the examiner suspects stomatitis and considers carrying out other confirmatory tests. He may conduct FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus) and FeLV (feline leukemia virus) test to collect information about retroviral infections which may lead to inflammatory oral diseases. The examiner is most likely to study the data obtained by biochemical profile of the affected cat. The information generally helps clinicians to rule out other oral conditions resembling stomatitis. The examiner may make your cat to undergo a full mouth X-ray. This is done to check the condition of the dental roots and bones. Stomatitis commonly affect the molars and pre-molars more than the canines and incisors.

Stomatitis in Cat Treatment
The veterinarian is most likely to follow a more or less standard treatment method to cure your cat. He will ask you to make your cat fast for 3 - 4 hours. This is necessary to prepare him for anesthesia. The veterinarian will administer intravenous combination of antimicrobials or antibiotics to your cat. He may consider administering fluids if the cat is dehydrated. The veterinarian may conduct ultrasonic scaling and root planning on your cat. The purpose of both these procedures is cleaning of the mouth, particularly the teeth under the gums. Anesthesia is required to conduct both the procedures.

In case the result obtained by X-rays indicate severe damage of the teeth, the veterinarian may carry out tooth extraction and crown amputations. The latter is a procedure wherein visible portion of the tooth, termed as crown, is removed and the part of the tooth under the gums, called root, is left behind. The root serves the purpose of a bone graft. This helps reduce the healing time as well as discomfort. The gum gets typically seamed over the root.

A very effective way of treating stomatitis is carbon dioxide laser vaporization of granulomas and other infected areas. This is a procedure which involves induction of rapid change of tissue, bacteria, debris and water by carbon dioxide gas. All the mentioned substances are inhaled into a filtration system. During the procedure, the bacterial protective coating gets disrupted. The veterinarian care and attention for stomatitis may involve regular fluoride application, prescription of antibiotics and corticosteroids, and administration of vitamin and mineral supplements.

You can accelerate the treatment of stomatitis in cat by following some cat care measures. Brush your cat's teeth on a daily basis. Use chlorhexidine based rinses and toothpastes to get impressive results. Also, use a soft toothbrush so as to avoid unnecessary tissue injuries and damages. Give him dental care diets. You may ask an expert on cat food to learn about such a diet as it help maintain a healthy mouth.