My cat vomited, drops food after diet change. Dental problem or food?

I think your theory makes some sense - it's possible that some oral pain is changing his behavior when he's eating. It is also not unusual for some cats to eat their food too quickly, and some cats do better with dry food as compared to wet or vice versa. The burping however sounds more like he might have some stomach upset. This could be from a food sensitivity, parasites, or something like inflammatory bowel disease. I would recommend making an appointment with your veterinarian for an examination and to discuss testing if indicated.

You may want to look at his teeth, especially his molars (cheek teeth). Mikkel may have a lot of tartar on his teeth and severe inflammation of his gums which then hurt when he eats dry food. If you see brown concrements on his teeth, then he should be seen by a veterinarian and get his teeth cleaned under anesthesia. There is no need to have a tooth ache, and the bacteria in tartar can actually cause heart and kidney problems.

While it can not be determined for sure, it would definitely seem that the food resulted in either an upset stomach, an allergic reaction, or a mixture of the two. The vomiting could have certainly irritated the lining of the throat and resulted in the some pain / discomfort. Another consequence of vomiting however that is far more serious is if an of the vomit was inhaled accidentally into the lungs. This can result in pneumonia and the various consequences of such a condition. Since his condition has persisted for a number of days now even after switching back to the old food, I would say that it is time to have him examined by a veterinarian to make sure there is nothing else going on that's requires addressing. They may want to obtain some blood work or imaging to ensure you that there are no serious problems. Hope this helps.

It’s difficult to tell, but I don’t find it’s particularly common for a cat to suddenly change preferences as an adult and become picky. If your vet is concerned about periodontal disease it might be best to go ahead and schedule a full oral and dental exam under anesthesia if it was recommended- there are many oral and dental problems that just can’t be seen on an unsedated oral exam.

Given the symptoms described, gum inflammation ([gingivitis](https://www.petcoach.co/cat/condition/gingivitis-and-stomatitis)) or other [dental disease](https://www.petcoach.co/cat/condition/dental-disease-1/) may be the underlying cause(s). Both are very common in cats and may cause pain, especially when eating hard/dry food. Any[ treatment](https://www.petcoach.co/article/4-ways-to-treat-dental-disease-in-pets) will depend on the diagnosis but may include a [dental cleaning](https://www.petcoach.co/article/your-pets-dental-cleaning-what-to-expect), extractions, antibiotics, pain management and brushing her teeth at home. Consider a second opinion with a veterinary dentist if necessary. A dental cleaning and extractions (if necessary) will likely resolve the issue. To treat severe gingivitis, the last resort is total teeth extraction, which solves the problem for most cats. [Cats can eat without teeth](https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-things-every-cat-owner-should-know-about-dental-care/) and the appetite may actually increase due to there being no more pain. If your cat eats wet food without any problem, I would probably advise to just keep her on wet food as a full mouth extraction is a major surgical procedure.

You can try keeping him on a sensitive stomach food such as Iams limited ingredient, Fromm, or Purina sensitive stomach. However, it sounds like Keeko may have a inflammatory bowel disease and really the prescription diets have more reliable results. Also I would keep in mind that sudden switches from one food to the next can cause upset stomach issues in and of themselves. It is recommend to do a slow transition over the course of 7-10 days whenever you are making a food change. Website link on inflammatory bowel disease https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951476 You should at the very least get her examined and open up the conversation with the vet to do baseline bloodowork to rule out anything major and then ask for a prescription diet for Royal Canin Rabbit and Potato or Roylal Canin hydrolyzed protein diet, or HIll's Z/D Ultra to start her on a food trial. This is just 1 test to run so this should be something you could feasible do to at least get him started on something more reliable and effective. If the vomiting does not improve within a few weeks of being on the food, or if he develops any more symptoms, then he should be worked up further (i.e. abdominal x-rays). I hope that your pet Keeko feels better soon and stops vomiting so frequently. Best wishes and take care!

Have Jack checked out by a vet. He will not be using his canines to chew his cat food, that's the job of the molars and pre-molars, so if he's eating a dry cat food, the lack of a canine tooth won't be contributing to the vomiting. It could be he is eating too quickly or he could have an illness causing the vomiting. Please give his vet a call to make him an appointment. Best of luck.