Diabetic cat drooling all of a sudden!

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Sara and Sadie

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Hello,

Not sure if anyone else on here has ever had this problem with their cat, but here goes:

I have an 11-year old male diabetic cat that was diagnosed with Diabetes in 2004. I've been giving him 2 units twice per day for all these years and he's become healthier than when he was first diagnosed years ago.
Except for occasional diarrhea and upset stomachache from time to time, he's been very healthy and always has eaten like a horse! He lives for food, in other words!
Last Monday, however, all of a sudden he started drooling and not eating very much food. I've tried giving him every kind of food imaginable and from my observations he seems to be having a hard time chewing or swallowing or something that is mouth-related. I did take him to the Vet last Thursday and they did a physical exam, as well as a full blood panel work-up. The vet told me that his organ values (kidney, liver) were fine and that the only thing off was his electrolytes (probably from him not eating as much as usual). He had his teeth examined and cleaned (and a tooth pulled) about 2 years ago and I know his teeth are not in the best shape (he has rotten breath) and I haven't done the best in brushing his teeth. The vet did physically check the inside of his mouth and didn't see any obvious problems last Thursday. The vet told me that he might possibly have some sort of cancer or pancreatitus. I can't help but think from watching him eat that it has something to do with his mouth and that he's drooling profusely because he's in pain! He does go outside sometimes, but sticks very close to the house and doesn't really go anywhere...

Help! Does anyone have any ideas/suggestions or has this ever happened to their cat or someone else's? He's on a broad-spectrum antibiotic and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory right now...he's eating intermittently, but don't know what's wrong with him or how to help him.

Thanks for any help in this matter in advance!
Sara Shulstad
 
It really sounds like a tooth problem. Maybe you could politely ask the vet to check again. Pancreatitis doesn't cause drooling, although it can cause inappetance.

My own Lilly Grace had a dental about a month ago, before that she had difficulty eating and had some drool on her mouth.

FDs often have bad teeth, all the sugar in them makes for a breeding ground of bacteria on the gums. Could you ask the vet to check one more time?
 
Thank you!!! He has teeth cleaning/work scheduled for this Tuesday morning and the vet actually specializes in dental work...of course when they they looked at his mouth, he didn't like it and I don't believe he checked really thoroughly! The vet did ask me to observe him over this weekend to see what happened when he ate...he is eating a little and sometimes when he has just eaten something he takes both paws and claws his mouth, as though the food has gotten "stuck" somewhere in his mouth—that's why I continue to believe that it is somehow connected to his mouth.

Hopefully we'll know by next Tuesday night.
Sara
 
Lilly Grace was pawing at her mouth like food was stuck. Turned out both teeth in the very back on the bottom had to come out. She's fine now, but for those few days before the dental I had to water her canned food into soup so it wouldn't touch her tooth. Good thing your kitty is going in on Tuesday, I'm sure you'll both be feeling much better after that :)
 
Oh good, glad to know he will be getting checked on Tues. Please don't forget to post back and let us know. Hoping it is just something with the teeth and that he will be home and chowing down in no time.
 
Hello!

Just finished talking to the vet about Sadie and it looks like he has very bad teeth (2 cavities on both lower canines, one tooth needs to be extracted in rear, another rear tooth has massive amounts of tartar) and also ULCERS on his tongue. I knew his problems were related to his mouth! The vet will do a thorough cleaning and extract/fill cavities and prescribe an antibiotic and some type of "safe" steroid, as Sadie is a diabetic. The vet also suggested doing more tests to check for respiratory diseases that may have caused the ulcers in the mouth...I just can't afford any more than I absolutely have to to take care of Sadie. I'm thinking most, if not all, of his problems are due to the horrendous state of his teeth!

Anyway, thank you for your help and advice in this...I should be checking this message board more often, as the people on here are just absolutely awesome!!!
 
So glad you posted back and what the vet found. Hopefully getting that mouth all cleared out should help Sadie tremendously. Sending get well wishes to your boy.
 
Watch your kitty's blood sugar level after the teeth cleaning. My Marmalade was up near 225-250 pre-shot before his teeth were cleaned. After the teeth cleaning it dropped to 125-150 because the BG level can go up from infection (fighting the bad teeth) and back down after the infection is gone.
 
Thanks! I just finished my classes and I made a promise to both Sadie and myself that I would take better care of him now that I have all this time on my hands!!! That includes checking his blood sugar more than I have been and doing a blood curve soon. I think I'll wait a good week before doing all that, as he's still recovering. Right now he's eating like a pig (his usual self) and I feel much better!
 
Hello,

I am new to the board, and was just going through all of the posts. I am glad that you found out the problem. My cat Cyrus has stomatitis-had a full mouth extraction, but still needed steroids, and now has diabetes. When he is in pain, he will drool-a lot. I give Tramadol for his pain. We are trying a new steriod today. He also has horrible breath at times and has an ucler on his tongue.

Heather
 
Yes...that sounds exactly like what my cat went through! They cleaned his teeth and extracted two teeth...he's down to just a few teeth in his mouth! They also filled a cavity on one of his canines!
I've been giving him amoxicillin with something called "dex" (pain reliever, a "gentle" form of a steriod???) and he seems to be fine now. However, when I take him off of it, he's a little despondent again, so don't quite know what the deal is. I guess I'll just finish the prescription and see what happens.

Hope your kitty is doing okay!
Sara
 
Sara,

I just read that you are giving your cat "dex". I am assuming the it is Dexamethasone. I was told that you should wean your cat off of this because it be dangerous if you stop cold turkey. Not sure if you plan on stopping it. My Cyrus was on Dex for a year, now he has Diabetes so they switched him to a different steriod since he has Stomatitis. Just thought I would share my "dex experience".

Heather
 
Thanks for the info!
I had stopped cold turkey on the amoxicillan/dex combo (bright pink, refrigerated) medicine, and that's when I noticed that Sadie was getting despondent and inactive again. I will start tomorrow and give him a little bit less each day...hopefully that'll work!

Sara
 
I also noticed that when I even forgot for a day with Cyrus, his gums would turn red again and he would just sleep. Cyrus was getting 1.25 ml daily. I had our Dex compounded into a fish mixture so it tasted better. Best of luck to you!!
 
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