My cat has very smelly breath and dark, inflamed gums. What's wrong?

I am sorry Christian is having a painful mouth. Honestly, I would recommend taking Christian to a vet for a good physical exam. Severe dental and gum disease usually needs treated with antibiotics , pain medications and possible extraction of the bad teeth. At home I would avoid trying to brush or examine Christians mouth often because it is a painful disease. I hope that helps

Bad breath and inflammed gums in an older cat can be caused by gingivitis or stomatitis. This is a severe inflammatory disease caused by a reaction of the body's immune system to plaque on their teeth. It is extremely painful. I would recommend that Snowball be checked out by a veterinarian for treatment before it gets worse. If Snowball is a young cat or kitten, then there may be another cause, like oral trauma from eating something or an infected tooth. All of these should also be evaluated by a vet as soon as possible before they have a chance to get worse.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. From the pictures you provided, Popcorn's teeth on that side do not look that diseased. There may be an infected tooth somewhere in the mouth that is causing the odor. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine him so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. He may be in need of a dental cleaning under anesthesia to help determine what the cause of the bad breath could be. There may just be bacteria in the mouth, not necessarily an infection. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hello. Roxie probably has some significant dental disease, & this is often accompanied by a condition called stomatitis, which is a chronic irritation of the tissues within the mouth. The exact cause is unknown, but it is often multifactorial involving bacterial infections & an abnormal immune system. Your history definitely points to this, but your veterinarian needs to confirm things. Treatment can be relatively simple with antibiotics & periodic use of steroids. Most important will be an initial examination & cleaning of the teeth under general anesthesia. In the worse case, all the teeth may need to be removed because they present an ever presence of antigens in the mouth that promote the painful lesions. The next step is to make an appointment with your veterinarian as soon as possible to start to address Roxie's problems. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Poor Eli! Severe dental disease can certainly cause nosebleeds and nasal discharge, since the roots of some of the upper teeth are connected to the nasal cavity. It's also possible that he has a severe bacterial or fungal infection, a foreign body of some kind stuck in his nose, or even a nasal tumor. I would recommend taking him to the vet as soon as possible to have this checked - he/she can do a thorough oral exam under sedation if needed to help determine the problem and see what needs to be done to treat it.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Coffee grain type material from the ears is usually associated with ear mites. These can be treated with any broad-spectrum deworm/deflea product, please ensure it is designed for cats. Redness on the gums that you are displaying could be a sign that this cat could have a condition where the immune system attacks the teeth, and the gums become red as bystander damage and inflammation. The treatment is to remove the teeth. The other option is that Leo could just have very bad dental disease. Both of these are consistent with bright red gums and bad smelling mouth. Both are also very painful and uncomfortable. I recommend you have Leo seen by a vet in order to assess the teeth and make a plan for either removal or cleaning. Best of luck with Leo!

Hi there and thank you for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Unfortunately, I cannot legally advise on medication or the dosages of medications over the internet. If Boo is coughing and having trouble breathing, he may have an upper respiratory infection or his symptoms may be caused by another medical condition such as feline asthma. Foul smelling saliva can be related to an oral infection such as a tooth infection or can be related to an upper respiratory infection. I would recommend Boo see his primary care veterinarian for an exam to help diagnose Boo's condition so he can receive the most appropriate treatment. Best wishes to you and Boo!