# Antibiotics for gum disease?



## Waterfaller10 (Oct 14, 2009)

I took my cat in for non-anesthesia teeth cleaning and the technician told me that my cat really needed cleaning under anesthesia instead. I told her I was concerned about having my cat go under anesthesia because she is 15 and the woman told me I could try treating her with a course of antibiotics instead and see if this clears it up enough to where I could do just the non-anesthesia teeth cleaning and come in for that every 4 months to keep on top of it. When I called a vet to make the appointment so I could get the antibiotics, I was told that antibiotics wouldn’t do anything for the underlying gum disease. Are the use of antibiotics an option for controlling gum disease? Has anyone else used them for this purpose?


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

Kathy,

Last year my VERY elderly CRF, hyperT, and hyperPTH cat, Billy, developed a bad dental infection. I tried initially to treat it with antibiotics (the antibiotic of choice for mouth issues is clindamycin), but the vet explained that it would, at best, be a temporary fix. Antibiotics simply can't reach deep enough into teeth roots and deep gum areas to eliminate infections. All the antibiotics can do is hopefully knock back the infection enough to make the cat feel better until it flares up again. In Billy's case, the flare up was almost immediate upon completion of the first round of antibiotics. Since antibiotics themselves carry certain risks for a renal patient, and since they weren't providing Billy with enough relief to make his life tolerable with the mouth pain, I had no option but to have a thorough dental exam and FOUR tooth extractions performed under anesthesia.

I was careful to choose a vet who trained extensively in veterinary dentistry, who had substantial experience working on aged cats with chronic diseases, and who worked at a clinic that was fully equipped with all necessary monitoring equipment (including a dopplar blood pressure machine) to insure proper monitoring of Billy before, during, and after anesthesia. I discussed which sedatives and anesthetics would be used on Billy, I made it clear that he was NOT to be given ANY Metacam in any form, and I insured that Billy would be administered fluids before, during, and after the procedure. Dental x-rays were also taken to insure that no problem areas were overlooked under the gumline that might cause trouble later (the last thing I wanted was to have to have another procedure performed under anesthesia a month later when another rotting tooth abscessed). Billy took Clindamycin for a week before and a week after the procedure, as well.

Billy came through the procedure beautifully and recovered quickly. His blood pressure did drop for a moment during the procedure, but with the constant monitoring and fluid administration, they were able to raise it back up very quickly before there was any compromise to his other body systems. I only mention this to emphasize the importance of choosing a surgical facility with blood pressure monitoring equipment and staff who knows how to use it.

I recommend you find a suitable vet and facility and get your cat's mouth taken care of properly now, rather than try to temporarily knock back the infection with antibiotics. All that'll do is prolong your cat's discomfort and give the infection time to do more damage to her teeth. You really can minimize the risk of anesthesia by having your vet follow the protocol outlined at the following link:

http://www.felinecrf.org/related_diseas ... recautions

Laurie


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## Waterfaller10 (Oct 14, 2009)

Thanks much for all the info Laurie!  I'll take your advice and search for a veterinarian that is well versed in veterinarian dentistry. I have an appointment for my cat with a new veterinarian on Wednesday and I'll ask them about all the things you listed and/or were in your link. If they don't address these concerns satisfactorily, I'll search for another veterinary dentist to do the procedure.


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