Expert: Jessica - 11/11/2009

Question
hello i am dealing with 3month battle with inside cat not eating and acting sick,took to vet had bloodwork done,xrays nothing turned up,he got steriod shots,antibotic shots and penniciline shots,would be fine for about month then back to base one again.took to vet today discovered right side ear,eye,has lost some feeling and right side inside of gum is red and swelled up with infection vet said either sinus cavity tumor or bad infection,could this be an abcessed tooth on right side,vet wants to refer me to specialist at cost of 2500.00 for possible sinus tumor,please try and help me,i donot want to put him down,could bad tooth on right side cause this problem.thank you for your time,he is like one of my kids.

Answer
Hi Michael.  A bad abscessed tooth could cause these symptoms, because the bone between the sinuses and the upper jaw is very thin.  Bacteria can pass through it or even rupture the bone, creating an open cavitiy that allows bacteria from the mouth to easily fill the sinuses.  Your kitty would need a prolonged course of an antibiotic, and he would need to have his teeth removed to address the problem.  But tooth extraction is a rather painful surgery in some cases, and it's quite expensive.  I'm sure this is why your vet recommends you have the problem definitively diagnosed before having him undergo a dental surgery.  It would be a shame to put the kitty through surgery and invest your money when the underlying problem is not his teeth.  Unfortunately, in the skull, an MRI is really the only non-invasive way to diagnose a tumor, and that's what costs so much money.  There are some oncologists who have seen cancer cases with such classic symptoms that they know without doing these tests at all that a tumor does exist, so a consultation may not be a bad idea, and that shouldn't cost you too much.

Or your vet could try a good course of antibiotics aimed toward mouth infections to see if he responds.  Clindamycin is typically best for those infections that have deeply penetrated the gums and roots of the teeth.  If he does respond, that might give the vet enough reason to believe your kitty's problems are all related to an infection, and with his improved condition, he may be in a better position to face surgery.

Best wishes, I hope all turns out well with your kitty.

Jessica