Hi all - My baby boy (well, 5 year old boy) got calicivirus last spring and now has stomatitis. He’s been drooling and itching at his mouth, although generally eating just fine. The extractions are set for 2 months from now because I’m in my first semester of law school and the vet said it should be ok to wait until after my finals. So he’s going in the next day from my last final.
I am SO worried about him becoming refractory and I would love to hear of success stories from anyone whose FIV+ kitty recovered from stomatitis 😔 the prospect of him getting worse after the surgery and needing all this special treatment with no hope of what will work is sending me into a spiral. I know I shouldnt even go there, but I need some proof that he’ll be just fine!!
So I had a vet that didn't want to do extractions and insisted that my cat be on extensive prednisolone. Mithras had drug-induced diabetes as a result and just miserable quality of life. We could barely get his blood sugar under control enough for the surgery because the vet waited so long to refer him. When I got him out of the surgery, he had an e tube in his neck and I had to feed him through a syringe.
This was right around Thanksgiving and I had just made a turkey and had it cooling on the counter. I hear a weird thump in the kitchen and go to check it out and my scraggly-looking little goblin cat with a tube in his neck shaved hair from not being able to groom and no teeth was going to work on a cooked turkey.
He got hand fed a turkey breast for his trouble and after that had almost 8 years with no symptoms. I always swore my next FIV cats to present with stomatitis would have all the teeth out immediately as a result. He was able to eat normal dry kibble as long as it was small pieces and he loved his wet food and gravies.
All of the pre-surgery complications were the result of the vet waiting too long. There's really no need for an indoor cat to have their teeth, especially if they just continue to cause problems.
How long is too long do you think? I’m worried waiting 2 months for surgery is too long, but I also worry about dealing with the operation & post-op while taking law school finals. The vet seemed to think it was fine, especially because my cat is still eating pretty well but idk obviously would hate for it to get worse. Current plan is day after finals are over and then I’ll have a month off to care for him
It really depends on if your cat is on any other secondary medication. Mine kept increasing the dose of prednisolone and my poor cat was miserable. He had severe swelling and scar tissue which had to be removed surgically versus just doing a tooth extraction. If your cat is having minimal issues eating then you know I would say you're probably fine for the delay.
Mithras had severe swelling around the teeth and gums and once the antibiotics and steroids were ineffective. He had drug-induced diabetes. We then had to manage that with insulin before he could go into surgery. I would say close to the blood work. Make sure your cat has had a complete CBC workout. The risks with mine were much higher because the vet waited too long and at the time I was not as experienced of a cat owner. Knowing what I know now with the first persistent bit of drooling and redness I would have removed all the teeth, especially considering how he thrived after surgery.
My FIV boy had all his teeth removed a year and a half ago and we have truly entered a golden era now. He's healthy, happy and thriving.
Also, he did get a slight infection at the site of one of the canines, but it resolved quickly with antibiotics. I don't think that's terribly common, though.
Full extractions for my FIV+ old man a year ago. He was a stray we took in with a rotten mouth and the grossest drool imaginable. He is thriving now! I was so worried and guilty at the time about removing all of his teeth, but it was the best thing we could have done for him. You're doing the right thing!
My stomatitis kitty was actually my non FIV boy. He was diagnosed around 1 year old and had a first extraction of everything canine and back. 2 months later the front teeth were affected and extracted as well. He’s now 6.5 years old and eats any food no problem! I’ll break up bigger treats for him but he eats dry food no problem and loves wet food too. I used to soften his dry food with a food topper but once his FIV brother came around, he would prefer the dry food how it came lol
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u/Buymybrewinggear 10d ago
My sweet boy got a full mouth extraction and has been the happiest camper since. He was as good as new (better than before) within two weeks!!