I need advice, help with cats health

[funny felines]

has anyone had any experience with feline lingual eosinophilic granuloma?
one of my cats has this, has had it for over a year, but it was being treated.
recently I switched vets, and I liked the new vet untill a couple days ago, now I am not sure. Since Sept. my cat's illness has gotten much worse, I did not bring him to the vet in these past months, because I had a health issue then my mother was sick for a long time, several reasons I didn't get him to the vet. Last week I noticed he was probably in pain again, as he had food smeared outside of his mouth. I got him some pain meds at the vet, and made an appt. for him, the vet referred me to a vet specialist.($$$$$)
the specialist vet said my cat needs at least one tooth pulled, ex-ray, biopsy, lasor...total 1,500 to $2,000. they don't take payments and there is no way I can afford that. I am upset with the new vet for not mentioning anything about the teeth when I was there last week. I have made some calls to other vets, but they don't do lasor. I left a message at the specialist vet to find out how much for just lasor, but I am worried about his teeth too. I don't know if the ex-ray and biopsy are necessary. I really want to take care of my cat but I have really come to realize that alot of vets are a racket!

if anyone as any advice or ideas, I would appreciate it.
howdo you know whats necessary and when you are just being taken?

[krazyaboutkatz]

Hi and welcome to PT.:) I'm so sorry to hear about your cat.:( I've never heard of feline lingual eosinophilic granuloma but I have heard of eosinophilic granuloma. This is what my Pearl has. Since she's been eating a grain free diet,Innova Evo, she hasn't had any more breakouts.

When she did have a break out, she was put on prednisolone for about 2 weeks and this cleared it up. I guess that her's is food allergy related so I'm glad that her diet is helping her stay healthy. Some vets love doing uneccesary tests. If I were you, I would go to another vet for a second opinion. Why did you decide to switch vets if your cat was being treated well by your original vet? I hope that you'll be able to get your cats illness under control again. Good luck.:)

[lvpets2002]

:) Welcome to Pet Talk & enjoy the talks & pics..

Well I looked up what you said your baby has && yes it is a Dental Teeth issue.. On the computer it states it can be caused from how many teeth the feline has.. Also states it can be caused from the way the teeth came in as a kitten to a adult.. So you might want to do what I did & look up on the computer & just read all about it.. It does sound as if the baby is to be in alot of pain with this.. Sending Lots of Prayers & Huggss.. Good Luck & Keep Us Posted ok..

[Medusa]

I've never been confronted w/this issue so all I can offer are prayers that all will be well w/your kitty. Keep looking for a new vet, though, until you find one that you like and that you can either afford or who will take payments. Most vets will if you make arrangements in advance and not after your cat has been treated. Good luck and please update us. :)

[lvpets2002]

:) For sure there has to be a Vet that will take payments.. I cant even think a Vet would think you could dish out $1,000.00 to 2,000.00 in a lump summ.. Now can you go back to the first Vet??

[Catlady711]

:) For sure there has to be a Vet that will take payments.. I cant even think a Vet would think you could dish out $1,000.00 to 2,000.00 in a lump summ..??

Just 2 of many reasons many vets, particularly specialist or ER vets don't take payments.

http://www.dolittler.com/2007/12/19/pet.vet.dog.cat.terrierman.veterinary.veterinarian .html

http://www.dolittler.com/2009/01/14/The-animal-hospital-%E2%80%9Cdine-and-dash%E2%80%9D-Theft-of-services-in-veterinary-medicine.html

I've seen these things firsthand at work even from the old lady who cried like a baby and swore on her childrend's lives (no joke that's what she said) that she'd make the payments. Oh she did, in the end only ended up paying for less than half and had to be turned over to collections. The hospital got stiffed over $500 in that one alone. Guess who makes up the difference in lost income? The regular paying client in higher fees.

A separate credit card just for the pets, and/or a savings acct you put in a set amount each week for emergencies is a very good idea in case of emergencies.

[Catty1]

Google Care Credit - they have a good loan plan for pets. No interest if paid back in the first 3 months.

And get a second opinion too!

[funny felines]

I'm so sorry to hear about your cat. I've never heard of feline lingual eosinophilic granuloma but I have heard of eosinophilic granuloma. This is what my Pearl has. Since she's been eating a grain free diet,Innova Evo, she hasn't had any more breakouts.

When she did have a break out, she was put on prednisolone for about 2 weeks and this cleared it up. I guess that her's is food allergy related so I'm glad that her diet is helping her stay healthy.

it's the same thing, I have never heard of it called that, with the "lingual" before either, I guess each vet calls it different I don't know. anyway you are right, it is an allergy related illness,I brought him to a new vet, got him a new food and have an appt. with a vet that does lasor tomorrow, I didn't like the other one because after bringing 7 cats there for several years, she wouldn't take one quick look at the cat when I brought him in for a shot only. I didn't want her to take a long time, it was just a quick look, and I even said if she's busy now she can call me later, but no, she would not do it so we got mad and said give us our cat, say goodbye Leo because you or the other 6 will not be back here.

yes he was also on prednosone but he wouldn't take it, even in his food. the speciality vet also wants to do x-rays which I will have done, but as for interferon, to boost his immune system, I am going to try L-Lysine first. then if it does not work I will try the interferon. I feel better about my cat's care now, I was just overwhemed the other day, the last 6 months have been "hectic" to say the least!
K.A.K.-- I would like to hear more about your Pearl's illness and how she is doing now?

[funny felines]

yes I understand a vet wanting to get their money, unfortunately too many people don't pay for the vet services, just like many don't pay back the money to the places that loan money to help pet owners that need financial help. making the places run out of money! but, I would have not felt like I was being taken at that first speciality place if I didn't walk in to very fancy place, and was served coffee...that should have been my first clue! not that it should be a dump but ...come on, $90 just for a consultation? $2,000 upfront? anyway it's ok now, and I got him more pain med that is helping him feel better til the surgery.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Pearl's been fine ever since she's been eating Innova Evo. I guess it must be grains in other cat foods that she's allergic to although I did try another brand of grain free food that also had some fruits and vegetables in it and she did end up breaking out. My cat Starr has IBD/colitis so he also has to be on a grain free diet and he also didn't do well on the other brand. So I'm sticking with Innova Evo.

The first time that Pearl broke out the vet I used to see gave her a depo shot and she became very sick from this. She developed a bacteria infection so if she ever breaks out again she'll get prednisolone. I had it compounded into a liquid form because she's also very hard to pill. You might also want to try buying some Pill Pockets to help hide the pills. You can buy them at most pet stores or your vets office. I use the chicken flavored ones every day for several of my cats and they love them. They just think that they're getting a treat.:) I cut them up into 4 pieces and then wrap the pill pocket around the pill. It's very soft and pliable.

I also took Pearl to a holistic vet and she was fine at the time but she said that if she ever breaks out again I can go to Whole Foods and buy Gaia which is a licorice root herbal liquid. It's the low alcohol (glycerin) formula and you give .5cc by mouth daily for 14 days when needed. You can also buy it online. She's been fine ever since so I never did try this. I know that she said that it would take a bit longer for her to clear up with this than with the pred.

Pearl's never had breakouts inside of her mouth. It's just on her lips. She starts by breaking out on her chin so I just thought she had feline acne at first. Then within a few days she broke out on her lips and she wasn't eating very well. I took her into my new vet and sure enough she had eosinophilic granuloma complex or EGC. I also tried giving her some lysine but it was hard to give it to her and she also started having a lot of diarrhea so I stopped. I hope that your cat will start feeling better and that hopefully a diet change will also work for him. Good luck.:)

[funny felines]

I have an appt. for my cat to get his lasor surgery done on wednesday...and now, as if I needed something else to go wrong, another cat is sick, she has not eaten or drank water for 2 days...I brought her to the vet yesterday, and after x-ray and blood test, nothing is wrong, but she still is not eating. I am very upset and very worried about her. I called the vet this morning, she said I can bring her to the 24 hr. vet if needed, tonight will be 48 hours since she ate,(after 3 days it is serious) she said I can also give her pain med(Leo's med ) but after 3 hours, she still would not eat so I called the vet again, she said to try syringing food into the cat's mouth( duh why didn't I think of that?) I got some canned food, fed it to the other cats, poured a little water into the can with the juice and syringed that into her mouth. it worked, she did not throw it up. so at least she is getting nutrients and water, till Monday I will bring her back to the vet to get an anti-flammatory med, (her gums have tartar and plaque) I don't understand why the gums could suddenly make her stop eating, the vet couldn't find anything else wrong, so after going home I wondered, well what has changed? the next day, (this morning) the vet gave me the results of the blood test, all fine. anyway at least I can syringe food into her mouth so I don't have to pay the other vet to give her an IV !! as long as her eyes look ok and she seems ok considering... :eek:

[Medusa]

When your gums are sore, you don't want to chew or eat anything that causes pain or that causes them to burn, so I can understand why your kitty would stop eating. Hopefully, your vet can get this under control quickly.

[Catty1]

If she has tartar and plaque on her teeth, it hurts to eat! Syringing food and antibiotics will help in the short term, but I am really surprised the vet did not suggest a dental cleaning. It's expensive too...but not like the other surgery.

There is a liquid you can put in cats' drinking water that helps remove plaque...it's not a cure, but might help in the short term. Ask your vet about it.

HUGS and good luck with your babies!:love:

[funny felines]

the vet did suggest a teeth cleaning, and I had scheduled it, but the vet called and said that she does not want her to go under anesthesia (sp?) while her mouth is sore or the gums are inflamed.

catty1-- thank you I will ask about that.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm sorry to hear this.:( Storm had this problem last year and I was able to schedule a dental cleaning for him without any problems. He even ended up having 2 small teeth extracted. Maybe her condition is worse and she needs some antibiotics to clear up her gums first. I hope she'll feel better soon.

[funny felines]

thank you. the vet gave her an anti-biotic the other day. in my last post, I was in a hurry and forgot to say-- she( her name is snickers a.k.a. sassy girl) is doing better as of last night, after I syringed liquid food several times, and gave her a little pain med...she was more of her old self, and even used the litter box this morning! of course now that she feels a little better she fights me more now when I syringe her. and since the other day she drools. since I gave her a syringe of liquid, it stimulated her appetite and she keeps going up to the food dish, puts her face to it but can't eat, my poor baby! it's so hard to see her do that! she is going back to the vet first thing in the morning. and Leo is having his lasor surgery wednesday morning, so my house will be like a cat recovery zone! my poor babies. I can't wait till they're well again. I might never have any money again but at least they will be taken care of even if I have to eat top romen noodles !! just kidding. I might have to sell all my furniture and sit/sleep on the floor! maybe the healthy ones better learn to sing and dance to bring in some money! just kidding, I feel better now that I know they will both be ok. I was so upset last week, actually I still don't know exactly what is wrong, but I think it's the inflamed gums so here's hoping some med will easily take care of that... I hope it is that simple anyway then she can get her teeth cleaned. I bought gauze at the store and at the vets I bought an oral rinse for cats and toothpaste, you can bet I am starting a cat oral hygiene for each or them daily, it won't be easy but I don't want anymore gum/ mouth problems for them. Leo's is allergy -related but made worse by the plaque the vet said.

[funny felines]

I forgot to say...the "speciality" vet said my cat would have to have at least one tooth removed, the next vet I took him to does not think he needs a tooth removed, and the last regular vet he went to never said anything about it. hmm, odd. I think that place, even though they are board certified vets and I'm sure very good at what they do, I think they suggested some things that weren't necessary. a friend of mine asked me, how much without the coffee?? lol :eek:

the thing about the vets is: I was taking all cats to one, then one day I took Leo there, and then after that visit I decided to switch vets. THAT new vet sent me to the EXPENSIVE speciality vet, after that visit I wondered why didn't the curent regular vet mention the tooth needing removing?? well then I switched vets again, and THAT new vet didn't see the need to remove a tooth. the new speciality vet that is doing the lasor surgery, also does not think Leo needs a tooth removed. and the surgery estimate is HALF the cost of what the first place quoted me. $700. -$900. is much better than $1500 to $2000 !!

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm glad that you saw several vets to get their opinions about the laser surgery. You may want to try feeding Snickers some baby food she'll be able to eat better. Most cats can't resist this. Good luck.:)

[columbine]

Pet Promise canned food is ground up small and mushy like baby food, but nutritionally balanced for cats - you could try mixing it with a bit of warm water and letting them lick it off your finger (which also warms it a bit, so it makes it smellier and more tempting!)

Love, Columbine

[funny felines]

Leo is doing good, and will have lasor surgery on wednesday morning. Snickers is also(thankfully!) doing better:D

I brought her to the vet today, and she gave Snickers an anti-inflammatory.
the vet said that the "stomitis " sores she saw on the side of her tongue are gone, and looks much better plus the kitty let her examine her much better today, she did not fight like last week. last night I was going to syringe more liquid but she lapped it up before I could, I had fed the other cats the canned food, then put water into the can with the juice and she licked a little so I poured it into a dish to see, and she finished it!! she even played a little this morning! she is acting happy again! the vet said Snickers should be able to eat by tomorrow, if not let her know..the vet also said she thinks maybe Snicker doodle girl may have bit or chewed on something that hurt her mouth..then light bulb moment for me.... a cord, I have a new electric blanket and kitty is a chewer! I keep it very low and have the cord covered up but sneaky cat-- SNEAKY was almost her name when I got her then decided on snickers--- found a way to chew anyway and now I feel like a total bad neglectful cat mommy! I thought I will rub some red pepper on the cords in the house to prevent that from happening again! or get some pvc tubing and run all cords thru them.. about a year ago kitty chewed my phone charger, (not plugged in) and ruined it and mommy had to pay $30. for a new one.:eek: so I THINK the mystery has been solved but I will wait to feel better till I see her eat. I will post update on wednesday after Leo's surgery. thanks for all the help everyone.

[funny felines]

sorry I didn't post earlier...Snickers is eating again:D as of Tuesday!

Leo is doing very well. I brought him home last night and he was so active for all he has been thru. the lesions on his tongue had to be stitched, and there was 2, the vet found one way in the back of his tongue, and they had to go deep to get them removed, the stitches will dissolve on their own, Leo has to eat canned for a week then go back next week for a follow up visit. He was PISSED:mad:at me when I brought him home, in the carrier he kept turning away from me, and at home he kept running whenever I came near him, but it did not last long, after an hour he was next to me and purring again. he stayed fairly active for about 4 hours before he was ready to settle down. he was loaded:eek: my babies are ok, whew! after the last 6 months, what a way to start the new year, hopefully this is the end of it.