2/4, Bell, AMPS 127 +2 137 +4 145 +6 171 +8 163 PMPS 222

Seth&Bell

Seth&Bell

Very Active Member
Yesterday

Hopefully this is just a bounce after those really low 50s last night. I could use a break tonight :). We'll see in the next few cycles if this is a bounce or if the large depot was finally depleted with the recent reductions. Hopefully just a bounce!

I have noticed something concerning with Bell. This has been going on periodically since after her dental a few weeks ago. Sometimes after eating, I've noticed her pawing aggressively at her mouth. Sometimes she will stick her tongue out and gag during this. Today she threw up a bit during it and then almost went head first into the ground because she was pawing at her face. It has only happened a handful of times. Always after eating (not during). She seems totally fine after the episode passes, but it scares me a bit.

For the first week I just chalked it up to sore gums from the dental, but now I'm a bit more concerned. It is almost like the licking of her lips after eating her food triggers it. Frequency is about once a day or once every few days. Googling a bit, it looks exactly like FOPS (Feline Orofacial Pain Syndrome), but that seems pretty rare. I don't notice any tenderness when I press on her mouth. Ugh. I don't like it. Hopefully I'll test negative soon and can get her in for a check. I'm hoping this is just a temporary thing from the dental (dental was on 1/21) as FOPS sounds like a horrible syndrome with the only treatments being pain meds and steroids.

I keep trying to get a video of it but it is really infrequent.

Hope everyone is doing well. :bighug:
 
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Hi Seth. Love that Bell is running all over playing with her string! She is so cute!! :joyful:
Butch seems to paw every now and then when eating. My vet said it was caused from missing teeth. Did Bell have any teeth extracted during her dental 1/21? Maybe that is the cause. Paws crossed that it's nothing! Hoping it is just a bounce too!
Have nice evening and safe surf :bighug::cat::bighug:
 
Hi Madeline, that’s the strange thing, the dental ended up being just a routine cleaning and the vet said her teeth looked very good. The X-rays also looked good. The video I posted is pretty mild compared to a few times where she was really pawing and sticking her tongue out. It is super strange!

Bell has had multiple teeth extracted in the past, along with some teeth reabsorption when I first got her.

Thank you for the reassurance! :bighug:
 
This is a new condition to me, had never heard of FOPS. Have you noticed any changes to yawning? I assume you see her yawn periodically and it’s a typical wide mouth full blown yawn? Any recent food change, as in a new pate flavor or even a new case / box of same food? Are you able to hold her and gently get a finger inside mouth on that side to try to rub and feel the gums to see if there is any sudden reaction? It’s so hard with the mouth, most cats resist heavily any attempt to open and look. I might call my vet to relay this new behavior and ask for their thoughts.
 
Thanks Laura. No change in food or yawning. I did rub on her gums after this happened and she didn’t display any sign of pain or discomfort.

It seems tied to the dental as I noticed it the day after the dental and I’d never seen it before.

I’m going to try and catch a better video and sent them a note on it.
 
Hey Seth, are you able to open her mouth with some help to get a good peek inside? Get a headlamp and look around for any inflammation or anything that jumps out to you?

Maybe quickly try to take some high resolution photos with your phone so you can look at it closer.

With Kona, she had surgery twice to remove oral masses in her mouth, non-cancerous, but scared the hell out of me. If she just had her dental, I'm sure they would've noticed abnormal tissue growth, I don't think it can even grow that fast.

Hope it's nothing...
 
Hey Jason, I’ve looked around her mouth the best I can and don’t see anything out of the ordinary. If she didn’t just have her dental, I’d be thinking this was a bad tooth or gum thing. But the fact that it started the day after her dental procedure makes me feel it is related. Another strange point is that she is totally fine while she is eating. This only happens when she starts to groom and lick her lips after eating.
 
Hmm. Agreed, can’t hurt to phone it to the vet. Surely they would have noticed anything out of the ordinary when they had her in January… Does the tongue come out like she’s trying to clean out her gums? I feel like that pate is so mushy it gets everywhere.
 
My concern is that something got aggravated nerve-wise during the dental procedure. Fingers crossed this is just a temporary thing.
 
Bandit's Mom said:
I too wondered if it was due to extractions and her taking some time to get used to gaps in her mouth. It's been 2 weeks since the dental. Do you see the frequency off the episodes reducing?

I'm going to tag a few others for their input:

@Bron and Sheba (GA)
@Sienne and Gabby (GA)
@tiffmaxee
Click to expand...
Hi Bhooma. Frequency seems about the same, although I’m really watching for it now. Yesterday she seemed to do it multiple times. For her AM meal today she didn’t do it at all. It is very strange.

Thanks all. I’m going to try to get a better video of it and send it to the vet. I’m still battling covid so it may be a few days yet until I can get her in. In the meantime, I’ll see if I can find any specific triggers to it.
 
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