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Our dear cat, especially if he is 4 years old or older, it is normal for him to have some other oral problem, such as gingivitis. Over time, tartar accumulates on the gums, until there comes a time when they become inflamed. Unless treated, the animal could lose some teeth.
For this reason, and taking into account that the teeth need them to hunt, feed and also to clean themselves, we are going to see what are the Symptoms and Treatment of Gingivitis in Cats.
Table of Contents
What are the symptoms?
To help the cat, the first thing we have to do is identify the problem, since this will make it much easier for us to know what to do. In the case of gingivitis, what we will see is a thin red line that will cause you more and more pain and discomfort. As a consequence, one of the symptoms is refusing to eat dry feed, since it is hard.
As the disease progresses, other changes will appear in the cat that have to alert us that veterinary help is becoming urgent, like these:
- Weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- Bad breath
- Excess salivation
- Behavior changes
- The mouth is not allowed to be touched
What are the causes?
The causes of gingivitis can be diverse. The most common is poor oral hygiene. If we do not clean the teeth over time, tartar accumulates, which can cause diseases like this. Now this is not the only one.
In fact, calicivirus and the leukemia are one of the culprits that the cat has gingivitis. Fortunately, there are vaccines that prevent them.
How is it treated?
If the gingivitis is mild or moderate, the veterinarian will give him pain relievers and antibiotics that, along with a cleaning of the mouth and brushing that we will have to give at home, will help to solve the problem. If the cause is viral, this virus will also be treated.
In more advanced cases, an extraction of the affected teeth will be carried out.
To prevent the cat from getting gingivitis, it is important that we brush its teeth daily using specific products for felines. So you can use them throughout your life 🙂.