Blanco: The Trials and Tribulations of a Battle-Scarred Tomcat

Blanco is a 15 year old neutered male cat. He appeared, one day, and won the hearts of a family with his rough and tumble scruffiness. He was several years old at the time, and you could read his past like a newspaper on his raggedy coat. He was probably about 5-6 years old when he was taken in, neutered and tested. He was also FIV positive - not surprising, since he was a battle-scarred un-neutered male wandering the streets. However, he was otherwise healthy, and his FIV positive status did not deter his family. They confirmed that he was positive with an IFA test, and then continued to treat his battle wounds.

Dermatitis of Blanco's ear

All four of his canine teeth were fractured from fighting, and one was infected. The other three had broken far enough down the tooth that the canal to the nerve and blood supply was open and at risk for infection. He was scheduled for dental care, and lost a total of 10 diseased teeth, and 4 more teeth were discovered to be missing. He also got a microchip.

After his dentistry, his owners noticed that he was no longer "teething" and chewing on things around the house.

Dermatitis of Blanco's nail beds

Starting in 2011, Blanco began to have issues with itchy skin. He ran through several different antibiotics and tapering doses of steroids, before his dermatitis responded well to a combination of Prednisolone and Atopica. Since that time, he has been comfortable in his skin.

Later in 2011, Blanco began losing weight, and his senior bloodwork showed that he had developed hyperthyroid disease. A month later, he came in to our hospital to stay with us for a week while he received Radioactive Iodine treatment for his hyperthyroidism. His thyroid has been normal ever since.

In 2013, his kidney values began to creep up. So far, they continue to be only mildly elevated, but we are continuing to monitor them regularly.

Blanco's right eye is becoming cloudy and discolored

In 2014, Blanco started to suffer discomfort from old injuries to his right eye. The lens had been displaced by the trauma from a fight long ago, and when he started to form a cataract due to old age, the problem became worse. The body started treating the lens as a foreign body and he developed a condition called "uveitis".  The pressure in the eye decreased, and the eye became sensitive and  painful. On October 14, he had an enucleation surgery to remove the eye, and on November 6th, he came in for suture removal. His mom and dad were very happy and reported that he was brighter, more active and must have been in a lot of pain before his eye was removed. Now he is doing great, and as long as he is doing well, we don't plan to see him again for 6 months. At that time, he is planning on participating in the high blood pressure screening study that is going on, right now at our hospital.

If anyone wonders whether FIV positive cats can live a long and fruitful life, Blanco is happy to say that he has been FIV positive for close to 10 years, and feels great due to the loving family he has, and due to the exceptional care they give him. We appreciate that they turn to us to help give him that care, and we hope that he has many more FIV positive years ahead of him!

Blanco's right side after suture removal

Blanco's proud, scarred face

We can't wait to see how handsome he is when all his fur has grown back!

The tooth about your cat's dental health

Fish breath got you down?

February is Pet Dental Health Month! Time to sit back and think about your cat's teeth!

Many people don't like to think about their cat's teeth - they're sharp, pointy reminders that your cat is a natural predator and would love to shower you with gifts of innocent birds and mice, or the occasional frog. We're reminded of their teeth when they love-nip our toes in the middle of the night, or when we get a whiff of fish-breath after dinner. However, the health of your cat's mouth is more critically important that you might realize!

Dental disease is linked to kidney disease, heart disease and other chronic illnesses. Regular dental cleanings can often prevent dental disease and the need to extract teeth. It also gives us an opportunity to address other mouth abnormalities - check for cancer, broken teeth, misaligned teeth, etc. Read on to learn more about some of the conditions that can affect your cat's mouth.

If your cat has misaligned teeth, they can poke painfully into the lip, tongue, gums or the roof of the mouth. Additionally, crowded, extra, or missing teeth can cause the same trouble.














Tartar and plaque can build up underneath the gum line and destroy the tooth from below.

 Because most dental disease begins at the root of the tooth, and cat cavities (called "resorptive lesions") start from the inside and work their way to the surface, what appears to be a healthy tooth can actually be a tooth that is in the process of being destroyed.

 Bacteria and white blood cells build up at the base of the tooth and can enter the blood stream or build up a pocket of infection called an abscess, which can cause facial swelling, fever, nosebleeds or sneezing, and poor appetite. Sometimes this can occur even when most of the tooth has fallen out.

 This tooth is filled up with pus (white blood cells and bacteria).

That missing tooth left a big open hole that can fill with bacteria and cause infection. Besides the large blocks of tartar on the upper teeth, there is a large, painful cavity on one of the lower teeth, and a very painful area surrounding the exposed roots of another tooth affected by dental disease.

 This painful condition is "stomatitis" - a severe and extremely painful swelling and inflammation of the mouth. Ouch!











If your cat has never had his teeth cleaned before, you may wonder what happens during a dental cleaning or dental surgery. To find out, you may want to read more about why dental care costs so much in veterinary medicine.

Ask any one of our patients who has had a bad tooth removed! You may not realize it, but while most cats will not stop eating if their mouth is painful, they may play less, sleep more, and lose weight. Many people are simply amazed at the positive change in their cat's attitude and health after their teeth are cleaned. Ask Rowan!