Double Trouble: Texas A&M’s Veterinary Dental Team Treats Two Cats With Rare Dental Condition
Tollie and Felix receive care at the Texas A&M Small Animal Teaching Hospital after being diagnosed with feline chronic gingivostomatitis.
For Sharon Cotton, her cats are her whole world and, in particular, Tollie and Felix are especially close to her heart.
“They’re the big boys in the house,” Cotton said. “They antagonize each other a little bit, but they’re both super loving.”
So, when both Tollie and Felix began showing signs of dental issues, Cotton knew she needed to get them help. As luck would have it, both were diagnosed with feline chronic gingivostomatitis (FCGS), a relatively rare condition that occurs in less than 0.7-12% of cats.
Fortunately for Cotton, Tollie and Felix, the Texas A&M Small Animal Teaching Hospital’s Dentistry Service knew just how to help. Dr. Leah Taylor, a clinical assistant professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary & Biomedical Sciences, performed surgeries on both Tollie and Felix to treat their cases of FCGS and help them return to their normal, playful selves.
The Root Of The Problem
Tollie and Felix were both strays when they became part of the Cotton family in 2018, yet both were immediately warm and playful toward Cotton and her other cats.
“Tollie is a lover,” Cotton said. “He is just an ordinary looking cat, but his personality is super friendly, super loving and very talkative. Felix is very loving as well.”
In June of 2022, Cotton noticed Tollie acting out of the ordinary, including being hypersensitive to having his head touched and having abnormally bad breath.
At first, Tollie’s veterinarian diagnosed him with oral ulcerative stomatitis, a painful inflammation in the mouth caused by an immune system malfunction.
“That’s where his journey began,” Cotton said. “We tried steroids every couple of months with antibiotics, and absolutely nothing worked.”
After several more appointments, Tollie’s symptoms only worsened, and his veterinarian told Cotton that pulling Tollie’s teeth was the only way to treat his condition. Naturally, Cotton was initially hesitant because it seemed like a drastic step; however, after Tollie lost 7 pounds as a result of the issues he was experiencing, Cotton knew it was time to move forward.
“Removing his teeth was always going to be the ultimate last resort,” Cotton said. “But, after he began constantly drooling and couldn’t open his mouth, I could tell he was in pain.”
Cotton’s veterinarian referred Tollie to the SATH, where she met Taylor, received a formal diagnosis for Tollie, and began developing a plan of action to get Tollie back to his normal self.
A Tough Treatment
Sharon Cotton and Dr. Leah Taylor pose with Tollie and Felix at the Texas A&M Small Animal Teaching Hospital, where both cats were treated for feline chronic gingivostomatitis.
Taylor diagnosed Tollie with FCGS, a condition that causes the immune system to overreact to plaque on the teeth. While FCGS is relatively rare, it is extremely painful for the animal.
“There’s no evidence in what causes FGCS, but we do know it is immune-mediated, and likely is related to viral infection” Taylor said.
The only treatment for FGCS is extraction of all teeth, which decreases the amount of plaque present in the mouth.
“There is no additional treatment that we can do without first having the teeth extracted,” Taylor said. “So you have to start there, but cats with this condition can do well with this treatment; they don’t need their teeth as much as we think they do.”
With this in mind, Taylor and Cotton discussed the procedure and ultimately moved forward with extracting all 32 of Tollie’s teeth during a three-hour procedure.
During the first month of recovery, Tollie experienced continued inflammation. However, once Tollie’s stitches fell out and the inflammation subsided, he gained 4 pounds of lost weight and started to return to his normal, playful self.
“The first month of recovery is challenging for both the pet and owner,” Taylor said. “They don’t immediately feel better because they take some time to heal. But, within eight weeks, Tollie made a huge turnaround. I didn’t even recognize him at first due to his change in demeanor and how robust and friendly he was.”
Although he has already made much improvement, Taylor will continue to monitor Tollie as he recovers.
“There can be ups and downs during the recovery,” Taylor said. “The full extent of recovery isn’t known until after the procedure. It was great to see such improvement in these cats.”
It Takes A Village
During the long journey to recovery, Cotton’s friend, LaDonna, traveled to all of Tollie’s appointments to support Cotton and Tollie.
“I think it was very well worth our time and the care that these boys have received to come here,” LaDonna said.
When Felix developed the same clinical signs as Tollie, Taylor was able to diagnose and treat him much sooner. He is on his way to recovery as well.
“I couldn’t let him go through the same pain,” Cotton said. “So we jumped on his surgery a lot quicker.”
Cotton said she appreciated Taylor’s willingness to listen to her concerns during what was a difficult experience for both her, Tollie and Felix.
“To have Dr. Taylor was definitely a God thing,” Cotton said. “She listens to what you have to say and is phenomenal. I cried when we were here the last time because I was just so grateful.”
