Why is my senior cat drooling and has swollen gums? Is it serious?

Hi and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I cannot say for sure, but if Tommy's teeth are black/worn away, it is likely a dental issue. I would recommend a visit to your veterinarian to look into Tommy's mouth. If this is the case, Tommy would likely benefit from a dental cleaning which includes scaling, polishing and sometimes xrays of the teeth with extractions! Good luck and I hope he feels better!

Hi and thanks for your post this evening! Swelling of the face and drooling can be a sign of a severe dental infection. I would have Harry's seen by a veterinarian soon so he can get an oral exam done. If a dental infection is suspected, Harry may be dental surgery to remove a tooth or teeth. They may take dental x-rays if needed. I hope Harry is able to see a veterinarian soon! Best wishes to you and Harry.

Although a picture of it would help to determine the underlying cause more specifically, this presentation seems to be likely related to a tooth abscess/infection. A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

Yes! I would take him to the vet for an exam. The swelling you are seeing is due to infection. Over time the infection will loosen the dental ligaments and the teeth will fall out. This is a painful condition and should be addressed with a dental cleaning, some antibiotics and maybe a long term antimicrobial rinse for the mouth that you can do at home. Hope this answers your question. If you have more questions you are welcome to post again.

Typically excess salivation is either caused by nausea or pain (oral or abdominal), although this is not an all inclusive list. There can still be oral disease present, especially if these missing teeth were not removed but fell out. Cats can get resorptive lesions of their teeth which can be really painful and the changes can be hard for owners to detect. They can also get lesions in their mouth (stomatitis, a mass, ulcers, etc.) that an owner may not see. Additionally diseases of other body systems may cause drooling (kidneys, gi, etc ). I would recommend your kitty seeing a vet for a thourough oral exam and blood work to start. A good oral exam will likely require sedation and perhaps dental xrays. Additional testing may be recommended based on the case. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hi and thanks for your request. These signs could be due to severe gum inflammation and even infections, with abscesses building up on the dental roots (so sometimes not completely visible. These signs are quite concerning and another check up would be needed as antibiotics may be best given. Multiple dental extractions and cleaning are recommended in these cases. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

It is difficult to tell from the pictures, but it looks like the swelling is involving the lower lip. Anytime there is a significant change, I always think it's worth having your veterinarian examine it just to make sure it doesn't need treatment before getting worse. Your vet will need to evaluate Tracy's mouth to check for dental problems and make sure they don't suspect eosinophilic granuloma complex (https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=656). If it is getting worse, I would certainly have it evaluated as soon as possible. Otherwise, I would schedule an appointment with your veterinarian at your earliest convenience just to be safe. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that Tracy is fine. Thanks for using PetCoach.