Stomatitis and FIV.

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi Beverly..I'm sorry to hear that Susie is having these problems.

Feline stomatitis is a very difficult problem to deal with and as you know, even more difficult in a cat with FIV.

I have had some decent success with steroid injections (depo-medrol) in these cats. The problem is that the injections need to be given regularly and this can cause a cat to develop diabetes. It is not common for this to happen - I have seen steroid induced diabetes two or three times in my ten year career.

Another problem though with giving steroid injections to an FIV cat is that it may further weaken the immune system.

It's often hard to tell if a cat is suffering. How I judge how a cat feels is by how their appetite is. If she is eating fairly well then she is likely not in pain or suffering. But, if her appetite is down then this is not a good sign.

There are also mouth rinses that can be used but likely you are trying this already. I often prescribe a chlorhexadine oral rinse.

You could talk to your vet about a medicine called Atopica (cyclosporin). It can often be more effective than prednisone or steroid injections and it has fewer side effects. However, it can be quite expensive.

I hope this information helps. I really hope Susie is ok. It can be challenging raising a cat with FIV.

Dr. Marie

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