Gum Disease in Cats

If your cat exhibits the following symptoms:

    Swollen or inflamed gums that appear red in color
    Bleeding gums
    Pain while eating
    Lack of appetite and subsequent weight loss
    Excessive salivation
    Development of halitosis
    Foul breath

Then they could be suffering from feline periodontal disease. It is important to control this condition before it progresses to a much worse stage of chronic gum disease.
 

Periodontal disease is the most diagnosed problem in cats and dogs. Approximately 90% of cats over the age of one year have some degree of periodontal disease. If they have grade I-II periodontal disease, basically a veterinarian would recommend doing a dental prophylaxis (basically a cleaning under general anaesthetic). Grade I periodontal disease is reversible though. It is most similar to gingivitis in humans. A few things can be done - try... switching the cat off any high protein food they may be on, and switch from canned to dry. High protein food s linked to foul breath odour. Recommended are the dental diets cat foods which will help scrub their teeth as they eat- t/d (Prescription Diet) is the ultimate in these diets but Medi-Cal Veterinary Diets also does a dental diet and so does Science Diet.

There are also additives you can put in their water that can help with the breath- Breathlyzer is one of these.

One of the best things to do too is to brush their teeth. It helps to gradually work up to tooth brushing. Even if they lick a bit of the toothpaste (don't use human toothpaste)- it will help. It has enzymes in it that help prevent calcium from binding and forming tartar.

If the disease has progressed to a later stage; this feline gingivitis can be a very painful condition and although antibiotics may help reduce the infection, tooth extraction may be the only long term solution.

This article was written by Nancy Sobry - your no. 1 source for online pet supplies, http://www.superiorpetsupplies.net, and your source for top quality sporting goods and apparel, [http://www.qualitysportinggoods.net]
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