Ragdoll Cat Forums

Well after his surgery last Thursday, Lance seemed to be doing very well. But over the last few days he has been completely off his food, hiding all the time and looking more and more sorry for himself... He was doing that chewing thing with his mouth like it was very sore. He was throwing up the antibiotics that he so religiously took before the op, and the painkillers we got also weren't doing anything (you have to take them with food of course, but being in pain doesn't help the appetite so its been a downward spiral poor guy). We took him back to the vet to exchange the pills for a liquid antibiotic... it was a big shock to see that he had a GAPING hole in his gum and 5-6 white ulcers underneath his tongue!! He was so scared, after they took his temperature he ran straight back to Pete and flopped... that look in their eye when they know something is wrong is heartbreaking... he has to stay overnight. They shaved his fluffy little neck and took blood straight from his jugular He was weighed and we discovered he is only 4.4kg! They prepared us for the worst, I hope its just a precaution. The vet listed everything including FIV that could be wrong. Of course we hardly heard what was said we were in absolute shock that he was in such poor condition. They will test his blood overnight and *hopefully* we'll get some answers in the morning. We are praying that its a reaction to stress (3 teeth out and a brand new kitten in the house might do that), and that its nothing contagious. We can't stand thinking our other babies might have caught something! Merlin isn't taking it too well, Lance is his best friend. It doesn't look good for our little guy and all we want is to have him home and comfortable. If any of you recognise these symptoms it would be really appreciated to have your insight. Please keep Lance in your thoughts, he is too young to go... only 1 year 4 months.

Sorry your going through this. Hopefully the blood panel will come back normal.

OMG!! This is sooo sad.... Poor Lancelot! His gum must have hurt alot... I will definitely put him in my thoughts and prayers... Hope that everything will turn out fine... Take care....

Poor Lance, and poor you - you must be so worried.

Will keep you both in my thoughts

xxx

How very scary!! I do hope that he will pull through. Sending lots of prayers for him. Please let us know as soon as you know anything about what is going on.

Hi Jo,

I would have the vet test Lancelot for stomatitis and calicivirus. It's been awhile since I went through this myself, but the test for calici is an eyelid swab (might be the same for stomatitis).

I would also ask the vet to switch Lance from the liquid antibiotic to an injection. That's likely the cause of his lack of appetite. I also went through the same with my kitty. The vet had to assist feed him until he started eating again on his own. They also gave him cyproheptadine (it's an antihistamine) to help boost his appetite.

I don't have my Raggie boy anymore, but I know he's doing very well after going through a lot of medical issues. I believe one of the things that helped his gums was a steroid injection. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the drug. He also had seven teeth removed when he was just a little over a year.

Take care and fingers crossed for your Lance.

Coral

Thanks so much... its very comforting knowing you all care about our sweet boy. We are definitely worried but still hopeful. I would love the blood tests to come back all negative! At the same time I really want to know what the cause is, even if its bad news. Updates will come as soon as we know. Thanks so much again, your responses give us hope

---

Hi Coral, I just read your message after I posted my own! The vet is going to give him a 48 hour painkiller injection, and pending the blood results, also a 2-week antibiotic injection. They are also thinking about removing the rest of his teeth... they mentioned something about his cross eyes too, he doesn't have it bad but the vet specialised in ophthalmics and said there was something wrong with his retina also...
Its great to hear your raggie boy is doing well now, knowing that he has recovered gives us a lot more confidence that Lance will be ok Thankyou!

I'm so sorry your baby is so ill and in so much pain. I don't have any experience with this, but it sounds like Coral's experience might be a valuable clue to go on. Be sure to tell your vet about this and ask for the tests. A swab won't hurt and you'll feel like you've done something helpful.
Thinking of you and little Lance,

janilee

Oh poor Lancelot! My thoughts are with you! I hope he gets better soon and that his lab tests come back normal!

Poor baby.
I'm so sorry that Lancelot is have such a bad week and you to, hopefully the vet can get a grip on this and you can have him home soon.
I'll keep you both in my prays.
Please keep us posted.