How to treat gingivitis in cats

Feline gingivitis can affect cats at any stage of their life cycle, although it is more common in young cats and adults. Gingivostomatitis is one of the most common periodontal diseases among middle-aged and advanced cats, it is a condition that seriously affects the gums, teeth and, in general, the health of your cat. In .com we tell you how to treat gingivitis in cats.

Steps to follow:

one

Feline gingivitis is a disease that causes severe inflammation in the gums of your cat, causes excessive drooling, tooth decay and can lead to loss of appetite and weight loss. How much a cat has this disease mouth pain will prevent you from eating for all the inconvenience.

The cause of gingivitis can be associated to different factors such as the ones indicated below:

  • Carry a soft diet
  • Having a poor prophylactic dental hygiene
  • Immunological origin
  • It can be caused by the toxins that inhabit plaque and irritation is a consequence of tartar.
  • According to scientific studies, this periodontal disease can cause autoimmune conditions of type I or III that are caused by the activity of bacteria in the body of your feline.

two

There is no specific cure for feline chronic gingivitis, what there are are various methods to treat the disease . Once diagnosed, it is necessary to evaluate the different treatments with a specialist and be clear that, despite the measures, there may be relapses. From a pharmacological point of view, broad-spectrum antibiotics can be administered through injections, the most common being amoxicillin, clindamycin and metronidazole, among others.

On the other hand, the disease can also be treated with immunosuppressive drugs such as cyclosporine, megestrol acetate or prednisone, among other options. The treatment with medications must be prescribed and prescribed by your veterinarian, never meditate on your own to your cat under any circumstances.

3

The treatment of feline gingivitis should include monitoring and control of the cat to observe all associated side effects such as hair growth and weight gain among others. It is very important that you have a complete and constant oral hygiene for your cat's health; It is recommended the use of gels, toothpaste, sprays and even specific rinses for pets to prevent the formation of plaque, tartar and also have controlled the infections derived. In we tell you how to clean a cat's teeth.

In many cases, it is necessary to perform an oral cleaning or odontexis with restoration to extract the most eroded teeth in the subgingival area and it is also very effective to perform a gingivectomy to remove the injured tissue. When cats do not respond well to this treatment, they usually remove all the teeth from the cheeks to improve general health, although it is an operation that has certain risks that must be taken into account such as mouth ulcers, stomatitis, endocarditis among others.

4

For the treatment of gingivitis to be a success you have to clean your cat's teeth every day. With a correct and frequent dental hygiene you will decrease the excess or even the appearance of the dental plaque and thus avoid or reduce the corrosive effect of tartar on the teeth.

Another precaution that must be taken into account since periodontal disease may be related to diet, is that most of the food of your cat is dry food. This type of food instead of the wet one has a prophylactic effect on the teeth of your pet.

It is also recommended that from puppy you accustom your cat to take pieces of carrot or apple as rewards because being pieces of hard food fulfill a function similar to brushing and reduce the accumulation of plaque in the teeth. If they do not like or do not like them anyway, there are snacks in the market designed for the oral hygiene of your cat.

5

Gingivitis is a chronic disease but it is reversible if an appropriate treatment is carried out, since with the removal of the plaque the inflammation that your cat suffers in the gums will be cured. With a treatment based on the surgical removal of tartar, a daily oral hygiene and the use of the medications indicated by your veterinarian, you will get your feline to recover.