Cat not eating, chattering teeth after ear surgery. Should I worry?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Snaggles! Teeth grinding, hissing and crying while eating indicates oral pain. Before you start any medications Snaggles needs to have an exam by a Vet. He could have severe stomatitis or another tooth that needs to be extracted. Antibiotics and pain medications are temporary band-aids for both conditions. Without examining Snaggles, it is against the law for us to prescribe medications. We need a valid Veterinary Client Patient Relationship that requires us to be able to physically touch your pet. Since Snaggles was just seen by your Vet in June I would try calling them and asking if those medications are appropriate for him. My recommendations, for Snaggles sake, is to take him in for an exam so you know what you are dealing with. I hope this helps and I wish Snaggles a speedy recovery!

You should let your vet know that he is not eating. Your vet can prescribe pain medications and/or an appetite stimulant to help get him eating again. Offer him a variety of canned food and see if he will eat something.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Merri. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian. I worry that the extraction sites are either not healing well or are painful to her. Her veterinarian will examine her mouth and see of an infection os present. Antibiotics or pain medication may be prescribed. In the meantime, continue offering soft foods to encourage her to eat. Do not give any over-the-counter pain medications as these can be toxic to cats. I hope this information helps!

So sorry that Winnie is not feeling well! Winnie can be refusing to eat for a variety of reasons, however, from what you have described, it sounds like Winnie is grinding her teeth. Cats typically grind their teeth if their mouth is painful, and likely are unwilling to chew which could be causing her to not eat. This can be due to damage to the jaw, either from trauma, infection, or bone destruction. Depending on her age, different dental diseases could be causing these signs as well. Cats are also prone to developing conditions such as stomatitis (or inflammation of the mouth and gums), or she may have fractured a tooth. As all of these conditions are painful, Winnie should be examined by a veterinarian as soon as possible, especially if she is refusing to eat. Her veterinarian will be able to diagnose the condition and treat her to make her more comfortable. Her veterinarian will also be able to rule out other causes of decreased appetite, such as intestinal disease or a different condition affecting her jaw or mouth. In the meantime, you can try to offer her soft canned food, or even dilute the food with some water so that she does not have to chew, but rather can just swallow the food. I hope Winnie feels better soon!

Continue syringe feeding him and medicating him. If you can get some Oxbow Critical Care for Herbivores, that would be recommended. Have him rechecked by your veterinarian when you can to rule out any complications from the procedure. If his teeth needed extensive work, the recovery period may be prolonged.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry to hear Squeak hasn't been feeling well after a tooth extraction. With older cats, it sometimes can take a couple of days for them to recover from anesthesia, depending on the medications that were used. Did Squeak have any bloodwork run before his procedure? If he had an underlying kidney or liver issue, it could explain some of the signs that you are seeing now. If he is still on pain medications for his tooth extraction, it could also be that he is weak if the medication is affecting him strongly. If he hasn't had bloodwork done, I would recommend checking his liver and kidney function, as well as screening for diabetes, all of which could be adversely affecting him. Additionally, there are appetite stimulants for cats that can be given post-surgery to help kickstart them into eating normally again. I would recommend Squeak be re-evaluated by his veterinarian and have any testing done that may be necessary to start treatment to get him back on track. Good luck!

This definitely sounds concerning. Sometimes the tooth extraction site can become infected, or in some rare situations nerves in the mouth can be affected by dental surgery. It's also possible that the dental is unrelated and that Danny has developed a kidney problem or other disease causing a decrease in appetite. I would definitely recommend a vet visit.