Floyd -The Burmese With No Reason To Smile
Name: Floyd
Age: 5yrs old
Weight: 5kgs
Breed: Burmese
Sex: Male
History: Floyd came to visit us after his owner noticed some swelling in his face. The swollen area was covered in a purulent and caseous (cheese like) discharge that is consistent with an abscess. The most probable cause for an abscess in a cat is a cat fight, dental disease or foreign bodies (i.e. something stuck under the skin similar to a splinter etc).
As Floyd does not venture outside we could rule out a cat fight abscess so we proceeded to check his mouth for signs of dental disease.
Examination: The oral examination revealed the same discharge of puss along his gum line which indicated to us that his teeth were the likely cause of his abscess.
To further examine and correct the painful abscess Floyd needed to be started on antibiotics and be booked in for a general anaesthetic and dental procedure. Floyd went home with some antibiotics and pain relief medication and was scheduled to return in two days for his procedure.
Treatment: When Floyd returned to us for his procedure he had a blood sample collected for a pre-anaesthetic blood test to ensure Floyd and his organs were in good health prior to the anaesthetic. Floyd was also started on intravenous fluids to help protect his kidneys and maintain his blood pressure during his dental procedure. Once Floyd was anaesthetised the true extent of his problem was revealed. After probing the abscess we could see if it originated from a necrotic (dead) tooth root belonging to an upper pre-molar tooth.
Dr Meredith started with the long procedure of removing the rotten tooth and once it was out she checked the rest of the mouth to look for other signs of dental disease. One other tooth was removed due to dental disease and the rest of Floyd’s teeth were scaled and polished.
Once the procedure was finished, Floyd was recovered from his anaesthetic and given strong pain relief medication as well as more antibiotics to go home with.
Followup: Floyd returned a week later for his check up and was looking and feeling a whole lot better. His gums had started to heal well and he was happily eating without any discomfort.
Floyd may now be missing part of his smile, but it hasn’t dampened his spirits!
