Ragdoll Cat Forums

So on Sunday I noticed my 5 month old Ragdoll acting differently... Sleeping the whole day, not wanting to play, etc. I went to wake him up and play with him and noticed under his left eye it was a little swollen and he kept pawing at it. Also, his inside eyelid was halfway covering his eye. The next day it was a little more swollen and he was still acting weird so I took him to the vet.

The vet tries to tell me that he's just teething and that he doesn't notice swelling at all. I insisted there was something wrong and that I thought his tooth was infected or something. He disagreed and said he'd be fine. I left the vet $60 poorer, without any real answers, and still knowing something was wrong (Also, I'm a nurse... I KNEW something was wrong with him!)
The next day I thought the swelling was a little worse but not too bad..

On Wednesday, I got home from work and took one look at my Dex and was out the door and on my way back to the vet. His entire left side of his face was so swollen that he couldn't even open his eye! And it was watery and goopy. The vet couldn't believe what he looked like and agreed with my diagnosis from Monday, that his tooth is infected.

Thank goodness he didn't charge me for the second visit! My poor babe is in so much pain and still sleeping all day. He's been on antibiotics for a little over 24 hours and I still don't notice a change yet. Hopefully the swelling goes down by tomorrow.

Trust your instincts with your kitties!

Check out my poor babe (These pics don't even do it justice!)


Trying to sleep off his sickness

Hopefully, the antibiotics will take hold soon. Do make sure he stays hydrated, since he may not feel like drinking. (If he is not eating or drinking because of pain, consider going back to the vet for a pain med.)

Thanks for your concern, Jan! He is definitely still eating and drinking. The vet suggested I give him canned food so that it's less painful to his mouth. I bought the canned version of the food I buy him and I've been mixing it with lots of warm water and some of his dry food too. He is LOVING it (I hope he doesn't get too used to the canned stuff though!) I didn't want to be giving him too much because he got loose stools from it one time. I don't need to add that to his problem list too!

Oh no, poor guy!! How frustrating!! Sometimes vets don't seem to understand that we know our raggies and how they act and are and KNOW when there is something wrong. I'm glad he at least had the good sense not to charge you for the second visit. I hope the antibiotics soon make him feel better. Will they have to remove the tooth the infection is gone?

Sending good thoughts, and please update us tomorrow and let us know how he's doing. It's great that he's eating!!

awww poor baby! i hope he feels better soon! :hug:

how did you know his swollen face was due to an infected tooth?? one would think it was due to a bug bite or something

Because he doesn't go outside and I rarely see any bugs in my house. At first I thought maybe it was an allergic reaction but he hasn't had shots recently, haven't changed food, he hasn't gotten into anything he shouldn't. And his lymph nodes are all swollen on that side of his neck too, so I knew it was something more internal rather than a skin thing.

[quote=ragdollmom]
awww poor baby! i hope he feels better soon! :hug:

how did you know his swollen face was due to an infected tooth?? one would think it was due to a bug bite or something
[/quote]

I'm so sorry Dexter isn't well - the poor love. Good for you for insisting with the vet. You probably know this with Leo, but it's amazing how quickly cats can bounce back when they get on the right track.

As Teresa says, please keep us posted.

Coral

Hi Lindz,

Hope that your Dex is feeling better now... Luckily he has you around.. I am sure you will pamper him with all the TLC that he needs, esp during this painful period... Give him a big hug for me!

~Wilson~

AWWW poor baby.
omg his poor little face is so swollen .
I sure hope he is feeling better today!!!

Thanks guys! He does seem to be feeling better. He was finally running around last night and playing like his normal self, and the swelling really seems to have gone down. Thank goodness!!!