STOMATITIS

Even cats raised on a raw meat diet and not vaccinated have developed stomatitis, though usually it is milder and they do not have to have their teeth removed. Most of us in the holistic community do think the cause is vaccines and commercial diets.

 

So many cats are developing this serious and expensive disease these days. I strongly encourage you to spend the time NOW working with your cat to allow you to easily look in the mouth, pulling the lips back to see the far back molars. I would check the mouth at least weekly – not “looking for disease” but looking for healthy gums. If you do see any indication of red gums, be sure to contact an integrative veterinarian.

 

My own cat has had red raw meat looking gums above his molars for years – no better no worse. When he had one flare up (some decreased interest in the bony meat pieces of his diet) a few years ago, Reiki returned him to a simmer within a week.  When I could get him to eat VetriScience Periosupport (had to mix with anchovies or sardines) his breath improved, he had less drool and less red meat on the gums.  Other company’s mouth supports did not help him, though they do help many of my clients’ cats.

 

He has never been vaccinated and has been on a raw meat diet since birth, mostly. One holistic veterinarian says: “I’ve been recommending rubbing the teeth and gums with raw coconut oil.  I think it works beautifully.  Recently I also considered using using LTCI from T-Cyte Therapeutics for its immunomodulating properties.”  Several suggested gold bead implants in the gums – one said it saved the teeth every time.  A class IV laser worked well for one vet if used frequently and not at all for another.

 

One veterinary homeopath said they are hard to treat. “I have had some success approaching this as a food allergy, and using minimal allergen diets (not the commercial crap, but just simple home prepared foods for awhile). As far as homeopathic treatment, I have one case at the moment doing very well on Lanthanide remedies (Cerium oxydatum and then Cerium muriaticum), although it was not an advanced case. … the Lanthanides might help because there is so much autoimmune disease covered by them. My experience is also pretty dismal with them otherwise. It is so common these days. I suspect connected to calici or rhino vaccination, but it is hard to say. But for some reason treatment is difficult. Tautodes might also help, although I am not sure if I have tried them on these cases.”

 

Another homeopath has good success by treating them constitutionally (finding the remedy that matches the animal, not focusing on the condition), though others are not as successful.

 

Others feel they can help, but not cure, and many are much healthier and happier once the teeth are pulled.

 

A feline holistic expert says she has never cured a case, thinks the cause is likely vaccines. Her own cat is the best success so far: “The best I have ever accomplished is with my own cat Buggy, who came to me from a multi hoarder cat home at about 7 months of age (dying from complications from URI, and revived with some Carbo veg!). He had a raging red gum line and horrible halitosis. His siblings (who remained in that home) were toothless (resorptive disease and severe periodontitis and stomatitis) by age 2.5 years. Buggy got: NO MORE vaccines, other than one rabies, a homemade raw food diet, constitutional homeopathic care, DAILY home brushing with CET toothpaste, AND an annual prophy (w/radiographs to check for resorptive disease) for several years.  He is also allowed outside, which I think is really good for the health of most cats, provided they don’t get run over by cars, shot, or bitten up by other cats of course! He is now, at age 8, in a sort of “stable” place: breath a bit stinky and gum line a bit red, but has needed no prophy for 3 years, and has only lost 2 lower premolars to resorptive lesions. He is not cured but I feel that I have arrested the progression of his disease. Even the board certified dentist was amazed that the resorptive disease noted on rads just sort of stopped and he asked me what I was doing.”

 

In addition to the diet, I strongly recommend finding an integrative veterinarian with whom to work for this condition. This is a person trained in many different approaches, including using conventional drugs only when absolutely needed. Working with one can increase the chance that your cherished companion can live a long and healthy life after recovering from this current problem. If you find a great one they will be able to remove teeth only if really needed (depending on the status of your pet), or maybe even try some treatments before deciding to pull. Most holistic vets do end up pulling some teeth unless they get the cat very early on. There are good ones and great ones, and a few homeopathic veterinarians will consult by phone or email. You can go to the web sites for each type of holistic practice and use their referral list to find one near to you. Many practitioners are members of only one or two of the organizations, so you do need to go to every site to find who is near you:

 

  1. Wide range of other treatments: www.AHVMA.org, American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association and www.civtedu.org.
  2. Homeopathic veterinarians (these can often help you by phone if no other holistic practitioners are nearby that you like): www.theAVH.org and www.DrPitcairn.com. 3. Chiropractor – www.animalchiropractic.org 4. TCVM (Acupuncture and Chinese medicine): www.IVAS.org, www.avaa.org & www.TCVM.com (this school for vets is in Florida, so you may even want to see if the school could treat your cat).
  3. Herbal – www.VBMA.org
  4. Postural rehabilitation – dogs and horses – http://www.posturalrehabvets.com/Postural_Rehabilitation/Find_a_Practitioner.html

 

Read my article on selecting and working with holistic vets.