Stomatitis in cats has nothing to do with your cat’s stomach – like it sounds. Feline stomatitis is a painful, chronic oral disease in cats. It’s thought to be autoimmune in nature and happens when the immune system overreacts to plaque build up on the teeth. This causes painful inflammation in a cat’s mouth. Due to the stoic nature of cats, this inflammation may go unnoticed for some time, making stomatitis a difficult disease to manage once discovered.
We’ve worked with several cat parents who struggle to find relief for their cats with this disease. It’s not easy. However, the good news is that there are natural ways to approach stomatitis in cats that can provide great relief.
Managing Stomatitis in Cats
If you catch this issue early enough you can manage feline stomatitis with frequent dental exams, natural nutraceutical remedies and a species appropriate diet (another reason why dental checkups are so important!). A fully balanced raw diet with no carbohydrates or grains will also help reduce inflammation in your kitty’s mouth.
Using natural anti-inflammatory remedies to treat stomatitis provides relief as well. Integrative veterinarian, Dr. Karen Becker, recommends the following:
“I use an esterified fatty acid complex for periodontal health. I also use plant-derived sterols and sterolins, as well as proteolytic enzymes. All these natural agents help control the systemic mediators of inflammation.”
She goes on to suggest even more aggressive nutraceutical treatments: “These include Ubiquinol (a reduced form of CoQ10). I also use a product from Standard Process called Biodent, as well as some great probiotics.”
Yes – there are a lot of words to Google here, but we promise you’ll find some great, helpful stuff!
Unfortunately, stomatitis in cats does not respond well to most medication treatments – though very chronic cases have been helped by a full teeth extraction. It’s a bit heartbreaking to think about having all of your cat’s teeth removed, but studies show that 80% of cats with the disease that have had a full extraction respond favorably – and require no further action (other than nutritional support, of course). Make sure that the extraction is performed by an experienced veterinarian dentist who can successfully get to the roots.
Managing stomatitis in cats is not simple, but when treated appropriately kitties can live happy healthy lives.
Recommended Product for Stomatitis
Recent Comments