? 3/1 Bella AMPS 274 recommendations for gingivitis treatment?

Discussion in 'Lantus / Levemir / Biosimilars' started by JanetMR, Mar 1, 2018.

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  1. JanetMR

    JanetMR Member

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    http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/2-28-bella-amps-191-acting-spacey.191861/#post-2141181



    Bella had a better day today.

    Home vet visit went well. Vet drew blood for PSL and gave her mouth a thorough check. Her teeth look good, has some mild gingivitis.. I declined antibiotics and the oral gel she recommended ( at first) had glucose as an ingredient :( so much for that.

    Can anyone recommend a treatment or alternative/ holistic treatment that is ok for a diabetic cat?

    Barring any unforeseen events, I plan on increasing Bella to 1.75u Lantus tomorrow am
    Ketones have remained negative. Yeah
     
  2. Sandy and Black Kitty

    Sandy and Black Kitty Well-Known Member

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    Sounds to me like it’s time for a dental.
    It may appear to be mild gingivitis however under the gum line could be a whole other story. There is a reason for the gingivitis-antibiotics will not address the root cause of the inflammation.

    An entire ketone free month under her belt! Go team Bella!
     
    Tracey&Jones (GA) likes this.
  3. JanetMR

    JanetMR Member

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    What do you mean by a “dental?”
    I’ve had both vets look at her mouth carefully. They see no evidence of anything other than mild gingivitis. Her teeth are ok

    What would the root cause be?
    Inflammation somewhere else?
     
  4. Sean & Rufus

    Sean & Rufus Well-Known Member

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    I had 4 vets, including a dental specialist, tell me Rufus had no dental issues since September last year . Visually inspected. I demanded xrays 2 weeks ago. They found some issues and said I was right. Look at my ss since Feb 14th. Not saying your situation is the same, just saying they can't always tell by visual inspection.
     
  5. Jill & Alex (GA)

    Jill & Alex (GA) Senior Member Moderator

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    FWIW, a mild case of gingivitis knocked Alex out of remission after almost 3 years...

    I agree with Sandy about getting a dental. Here's some cause and effect info for humans on gingivitis that offers a better explanation than I ever could... much the same applies to cats: https://www.emedicinehealth.com/gingivitis/article_em.htm#what_is_gingivitis. It even mentions people with diabetes have a weaker ability to fight bacteria invading the gums.

    If there's any hint of dental problems such as gingivitis, it's best to get a dental because feline dentists have a very, very hard time determining the extent of the problems until they "get in there" and take a look.

     
  6. JanetMR

    JanetMR Member

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    So I should get dental xrays?
     
  7. Tracey&Jones (GA)

    Tracey&Jones (GA) Well-Known Member

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    My civvie who is 6 had mild tartar/gingivitis - then a cavity was discovered. Upon the dental surgery and x-rays- she had to have 3 teeth removed due to re absorption. Which is a painful condition.

    Would never have known without the dental.
     
  8. Jill & Alex (GA)

    Jill & Alex (GA) Senior Member Moderator

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  9. Sandy and Black Kitty

    Sandy and Black Kitty Well-Known Member

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    Plaque formation on the tooth surface. The gum responds to plaque with inflammation and pockets form between the teeth and gums. As gingivitis develops, the bacteria present in these pockets changes, releasing toxins which destroy the gum tissue.

    Gingivitis almost derailed BK on his way to remission. Check out the graph below and you can spot the 1st dental (12/2008) and the second dental (05/2009).
    AE94A4B2-29BD-4452-BCB8-95CFDB91BDE1.jpeg
     
  10. JanetMR

    JanetMR Member

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  11. JanetMR

    JanetMR Member

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    I know what it is, I have it.
    Thanks
     
  12. Jill & Alex (GA)

    Jill & Alex (GA) Senior Member Moderator

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    You're welcome.

    Just a suggestion...
    You may want to revisit your vet's suggestion for an antibiotic and the oral gel as an interim measure... until having a dental becomes an option. Although, I think I'd want to have a heart-to-heart discussion about that gel if glucose is the first ingredient...
     
  13. JanetMR

    JanetMR Member

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    The gel had other ingredients that were not diabetic friendly, that’s why I asked about some alternative or homiopathic options.
    I said no to antibiotics because Bella has had wacky side effects to medications in the past.
    I don’t need to add more complications to the mix, not right now anyway.

    I know there is probably another alternative for the gingivitis.. I use essential oils.. not a good idea with cats.
    Anyone familiar with other options?
     
  14. Kathy and TiTi

    Kathy and TiTi Well-Known Member

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    Are there any antibiotics that can be absorbed thru the skin? That would bypass the digestive system, which is where most badd reactions occur. Or maybe convenia which is administered sub-q (under the skin)
     
  15. Dimmu & KL

    Dimmu & KL Member

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    I'll second @Sean & Rufus and @Tracey&Jones. Dimmu had a lot of under-the-gumline problems that we wouldn't have seen without xray. We had 3 vets checked his mouths in that last 2 months and all of them said it was mild gingivitis and calcium deposits. We finally found a dental specialist and took 10 xrays and found out how serious his dental issues were. He had a surgery a week ago, and although he's still recovering, he already seems happier and purrs more.

    I'll share Dimmu's experience of alternative dental treatments, I'm sure some of the more knowledgeable and experienced members will step in later.

    Dimmu's dental health has never been great since he was young. His teeth just rot away at a faster rate, and his gum would inflame constantly, our holistic vet told us to give him seaweed for general dental health and raw chicken wing/neck, mice or chicks (I didn't have the heart to give mice or chicks, my boyfriend tried a few times, though) to chew on to help clean his teeth naturally. Canna, our civvie does great on this, but Dimmu's teeth and gum were hurting so much he didn't like to chew. We tried brushing, but his gum would bleed, and he couldn't tolerate the pain. He had regular teeth cleaning, but the problems would come back in no time. The vet then suggested gold implants, to increase the blood flow in his gums in the hope that it would reduce pain and eventually encourage him to chew and be brushed. It helped, he could kinda chew again and there was less bleeding when we brushed his teeth. The vet also switched him to phytoplankton from seaweed (high iodine and sodium). His breath smelled better, but the foul smell was still present. With all these, we still couldn't save his teeth, he had molar extractions 2 years ago and we continued with phytoplankton after that. After he was diagnosed with FD last year, we moved to Belgium and couldn't get phytoplankton anymore, so we started him on Pet Wellbeing healthy gum, and he did pretty ok on it, chewing harder things for an extended time was still difficult, but there was rarely bleeding from brushing. We knew although all these treatments seemed to help, they were only supportive, we still need to get to the bottom of the problems, hence the xrays and the dental surgery last week.

    Dental work and gold implants are costly, if affordability is a concern and Bella isn't a raw eater, maybe it's a good idea to reconsider the AB's as @Jill & Alex (GA) suggested and give phytoplankton or healthy gum a try. For phytoplankton, there's a risk that it comes from contaminated water, you might want to do more research.
     
  16. JanetMR

    JanetMR Member

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    Thank you so much for taking the time to write about your experience. I will look into the options... it’s all overwhelming.
     
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