Page 610 - Problem-Based Feline Medicine

28. The cat with bad breath or oral

lesions

Gary John Wilson

KEY SIGNS
● Bad breath.
● Oral mass, ulceration or inflammation.
● Calculus.

MECHANISM?
● Bad breath occurs from the production of volatile sulfur-containing compounds. Hydrogen sul-
fide and methyl mercaptan account for approximately 90% of these. Gram-negative bacteria
are primarily responsible for malodor production.

WHERE?
● Oral cavity, nasal cavity, nasopharynx and respiratory tract.

WHAT?
● Most cats with bad breath have periodontal disease.

QUICK REFERENCE SUMMARY
Diseases causing bad breath or oral lesions

ORAL CAVITY
ANOMALY
● Congenital anomaly of hard palate (cleft palate) (p 610)
Cleft palate results in rhinitis and secondary bacterial infection and nasal discharge in young kit-
tens.
MECHANICAL

● Oral foreign body* (p 609)
Foreign bodies include grass seed, bone fragments and hair. They are usually acute onset associ-
ated with sneezing, rubbing the face, pawing at the mouth, coughing or gagging.

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