Halitosis is the disease which in layman’s terms is also called bad breath. In cats, bad breath can be a serious issue since it might imply towards a primary disease. Although it is mostly caused by dental problem, it may also point towards other problems afflicting the cat. Deteriorating teeth and gums health is bad news since the blood supply in gums is very good and if there is the presence of bacteria in gums, it can easily be carried to other parts of the body causing as serious as organ failures. Thus, it is imperative that you consult your vet on the issue.
Causes
Halitosis is found in cats because of various reasons. It could be because of stomatitis, gingivitis, diabetes, gastrointestinal problems, kidney disease or liver disease. It can also be because of tooth and gum related problems such as decayed or abscessed teeth, mouth cancer or the entrapment of a foreign object in the mouth.
Symptoms
Since halitosis is caused by a number of causes, its symptoms also differ accordingly. If your cat has bad breath because of dental problems, it will also show signs of red, swollen gums, plaque on teeth, frequent pawing of the cat at the mouth, dribbling, reluctance to eat and bad coat condition because of temporary aversion to brushing.
In case of non-dental problems, the symptoms that the cat might show are loss of weight, diarrhea, lethargy, vomiting, increase in thirst and urination and an abnormal growth of the kidney or the liver.
Diagnosis
This disease will be diagnosed through a thorough medical examination of your cat by the veterinary. Although this will suffice, your veterinary still might want to take a few more tests. These include an X-ray of the mouth to check the condition of teeth bones and roots, diagnostic tests to find out if the cat has liver or kidney problems and FeLV and FIV tests.
Treatment
Bad breath can be treated by solving the problems which causes it. If it is because of the presence of tartar, then, your veterinary will remove any such impurity or take out any decayed tooth. However, if there are other reasons related to other organs of the body causing bad breath, they need to be solved in order to get rid of halitosis.
Home Dental Care
There are a lot of ways in which take care of the dental health of your cat at home to avoid problems such as bad breath. You must make sure that you brush your cat’s teeth regularly i.e. at least 2 times in a week. There are specially designed brushes and toothpastes for cats and also certain food supplements that help reduce plaque.
You can also feed raw chicken necks or bones to your cat to help remove tartar from your cat’s teeth. However, this is a controversial method and you must consult with your veterinary before taking such a step.
Also it is very important that your cat gets a yearly check-up so that any underlying or otherwise disease can be detected and dealt with.
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