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Old June 21st 04, 04:01 PM
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We feed her canned food which she
usually gobbles up quickly, but recently
she does this weird thing where her
chewing motion becomes very exaggerated
and sloppy. Much of the food just falls
out of her mouth and she turns her head
from side to side like she's having a
lot of trouble keeping it in her mouth
and getting it down. Instead of eating
all the food in the bowl which she'd
usually do (she loves food), she just
gives up after a few bites and walks
away in frustration.


You need to get this cat to a different vet that is determined to find
the cause of your cats problem, and do so today if t all possible. It
sounds like she has some issues with her teeth, and often the only way
to see what's going on is with dental xrays. Make sure the vet also
looks down her throat to check for any growths or irritation.

The fact that she is eating very little makes this especially urgent
because she could develop liver problems fairly quickly if this is not
addressed. The gums have a very large blood supply, and there is also a
risk of infection traveling from the gums to other organs and wreaking
havoc.

It's also possible that teeth issues could be related to the breathing.
My cat Simon just had a dental and they had to take both front canines
as, although they looked fine on visual examination, there was actual
deterioration at the root far up under the gumline where it was
impossible to see. That's very close to the sinus cavity and when the
teeth were removed he was very snuffly/snorty for several days.

Don't worry too much about putting your cat under anesthesia becaue of
her age. They have very safe gas anesthesia available and if you discuss
this ahead of time with your vet you can develop a safe protocol. The
risk of harm to your cat from putting her under for a dental is far less
than to allow things to remain as is.

Megan



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