Flux on the gum - how to quickly remove swelling

A purulent formation on the gum is popularly called gumboil. Very often it is not taken seriously, but it is not just a small swelling that will go away on its own. Flux is an ontogenic periostitis, a complex infectious disease that affects the periosteum and jaw bone. Periostitis occurs quite often, but without adequate treatment it is fraught with serious complications, including blood poisoning.

It is almost impossible to cure gumboil without the help of a dentist. The treatment program includes therapeutic, physiotherapeutic, and surgical methods.

Have you noticed purulent formations on your gums and swelling of your cheeks? Do you have acute pain in your tooth or gum? Come for a consultation with a dentist at our clinic. Timely treatment of flux allows you to get rid of the problem within about 7 days.

Why does flux form?

Dental diseases are always the precursor to gumboil. Most often lead to suppuration:

Untreated caries. If caries is not treated, the inflammatory process begins to spread to other tissues. Pulpitis and periodontitis gradually develop.
Mechanical injury. Injury can lead to more than just crown destruction. Very often, an inflammatory process develops in injured tooth or gum tissues. Without treatment, purulent processes develop and gumboil forms.
Periodontitis. In more than half of the cases, gumboil develops precisely against the background of periodontitis, as its complication. This is due to the fact that purulent processes from periodontal pockets can spread to the neck of the tooth.
Poorly sealed canals. Before filling, the canals must be completely cleaned and the filling material must completely fill the cavity. If at least one of the conditions is violated, the infection from the canal spreads to other tissues.

When trying to make a cat vomit is pointless or prohibited

There is no need to induce vomiting if:

there is already vomiting (it can get worse and there is a risk of inhaling drugs);
Substances containing acidic bases or alkalis got inside - bleaches, any household cleaning chemicals, liquids for clearing blockages, petroleum distillate. All of the above products cause burns to the mucous membranes. When vomiting, the cat will receive additional chemical trauma to the mucous membranes;
the animal is in convulsions/convulsions;
foreign objects with sharp, piercing edges (needles, small splintered bones, paper clips, glass) have entered the esophagus or stomach cavity - there is a risk of additional injury to the insides when attempting to evacuate them naturally;
contact or inhalation poisoning - if the cat has inhaled toxic fumes or by absorbing toxic substances through the skin, or by licking their remains from the skin. There is no point in vomiting;
The cat is pregnant - no attempts at self-help, only to the veterinary clinic!
there are no signs of consciousness, breathing is depressed, swallowing movements are difficult;
if more than 1-2 hours have passed since the poisoning, the bulk of the poison has already been absorbed into the blood, vomiting is pointless.

When do you need dental help?

Flux has pronounced symptoms. The main one is the appearance of an abscess on the gum next to the diseased tooth. The abscess develops gradually. At first, the gums swell a little and a small red or whitish bump is noticeable on it. After some time, a noticeable fistulous tract forms on the lump, from which pus flows. The development of periostitis is accompanied by other symptoms:

Swelling and swelling of the gums, lips, cheeks. Sometimes they can be so large that facial features are distorted.
Severe cutting pain in the tooth area. Innervates the temporal region, orbits.
The diseased tooth begins to become very loose, even if there was no mobility before or it was insignificant.

Since flux is caused by infection, it is characterized by symptoms that appear during any infectious process. The patient feels unwell, his temperature rises, his head hurts, and weakness appears. Lymph nodes on the head and neck become enlarged.

Any of these symptoms is a reason to consult a doctor. The more advanced the case, the higher the risk of complications. This disease is often accompanied by other pathological processes. For example, a cyst may form in tissues affected by infection.

Reasons why a cat wants to eat grass

Scientists cannot agree on the reasons why cats eat grass. There are several versions on this matter.

1. The herb helps cleanse the intestines and stimulate its functioning. Thanks to the presence of fiber, the digestion process functions stably, and undigested food (grass) irritates the intestinal walls. It begins to actively contract and remove accumulated “garbage”, which accumulates in the form of wool and other random small elements.

It should be taken into account that in the wild, the normal functioning of the digestive system is ensured by cats eating fur and feathers along with the flesh of the prey, which are not digested and almost completely leave the animal’s body. Domestic cats lack this.

2. The herb acts as a laxative/astringent. What type of greens a cat should eat is determined by her own feelings.

3. The herb helps replenish the lack of fiber in the body and saturate it with folic acid. There are no such substances in the meat that makes up the main diet of predators. The need for them becomes especially noticeable during pregnancy, growth and development of the body.

Folic acid is involved in the formation of the circulatory system and helps strengthen the immune system. Cats choose a plant based on their instinctive needs. Herbal preferences can indicate a deficiency of a particular substance in an animal.

4. With grass, the cat receives vitamins and minerals when its body signals that there are insufficient quantities. A lack of vitamins and minerals affects the animal’s appearance (fur, claws) and general well-being.

5. Chewing grass gives pleasure to the cat and improves its mood. Perhaps she just likes the taste of young greens and their juice. At the same time, she can simply chew the grass without swallowing it.

It’s just that the feeling of hunger cannot be satisfied by eating grass: it is not digested in the cat’s stomach. It is impossible to say that a cat eats grass, but it would be more accurate to say that it supplements its diet with greens. If homemade food consists only of meat and cereals, then the pet clearly does not have enough nutrients in its diet.

Flux treatment methods

Treatment should be started as early as possible. If an abscess on the gum opens spontaneously, there is a risk of infection entering the bloodstream. With such an infection, blood poisoning develops, and such a complication can lead to serious consequences, including the death of the patient.

Flux treatment is always complex. The treatment program depends on the degree of tooth decay and the spread of infection.

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How to understand that a cat has been poisoned

Vomiting is a contraction of the walls of the stomach, which promotes the removal of contents through the mouth. Normally, a cat may vomit on its own due to indigestion or excessive food consumption. Sometimes cats, feeling discomfort, deliberately eat a certain type of grass to induce vomiting. However, in cases of poisoning from household toxins, there is no time to wait. The life of a cat in such cases often depends on the speed of your reaction.

An attentive owner will notice that something is wrong with the animal. The cat becomes lethargic, refuses to eat, and may experience convulsions, diarrhea, and increased drooling.

Opening an abscess on the gum

The abscess is always opened. This reduces the risk of spontaneous opening, which can cause complications. The flux is opened under local anesthesia. If the patient has panic or other indications, the doctor may choose a different method of anesthesia.

A small incision is made on the anesthetized gum in the area of the gumboil, no more than 2 cm in length. After the dissection, the doctor completely cleans and sterilizes the purulent cavity and treats it with antiseptics. A crust should not be allowed to form in the area of the incision, as it will interfere with the outflow of ichor and purulent contents. To do this, a drainage is inserted into the incision. After the cavity is cleared of pus, you can begin general treatment, the purpose of which is to eliminate the causes that caused periostitis.

Why induce vomiting in an animal?

You may need to induce vomiting in your pet for the following reasons. For example, a pet has eaten a toxic substance that is absorbed into the blood. Therefore, this process urgently needs to be stopped by vomiting. This must be done very quickly, because after a few hours all actions will be useless.

What toxic substances require inducing vomiting in a pet:

a rodenticide that causes blood clotting;
various tablets;
arsenic;
foreign object;
antifreeze, which causes kidney failure.

In this case, poisoning in an animal may look like this. Excessive salivation, diarrhea, cramps. We remind you that you need to perform all gastric lavage actions as soon as possible.

General treatment

Methods depend on the reasons that caused the flux. The only exception is periostitis, which develops against the background of periodontitis. In this case, immediately after opening the abscess, the doctor begins periodontal treatment. No medical manipulations with the tooth are required. In other cases of dental disease you need to treat:

Pulpitis. First, the dentist drills out carious cavities and performs pulp removal. After this, endodontic canal treatment is performed.
Periodontitis. Treatment depends on whether depulpation and canal filling have been previously performed. If periodontitis has developed for the first time, the doctor will remove the pulp, clean and fill the canals. If filling of the canals has already been performed previously, they need to be unfilled and treated again. Since it is very important that the pus comes out of the flux completely, when treating complicated pulpitis and periodontitis, a temporary filling is not placed.
Tooth after restoration. At the first stage, the doctor is faced with the task of completely removing inflammation. After this, the damaged tissue of the root apex is removed. If the condition of the root allows, the tooth is restored again using a core tab or pin and an artificial crown. When the damage is very severe, it is more advisable to remove the tooth.

What to do after vomiting

Artificially induced gastric emptying is the first aid for your pet, which means further treatment will be required. It is necessary to call the veterinary clinic and find out which adsorbent agent to give to the animal. Then bring it to a specialist.

Vomiting is not only an indicator of poisoning. It is often caused by a number of serious pathologies, including infectious ones.

To provide assistance, the veterinarian will need accurate information about what substances the cat or kitten was poisoned with, and the owner will also need to describe in detail the symptoms and condition of the pet.

For complete recovery, it is important to complete the treatment, following all the doctor’s recommendations. In the future, you should protect your cat from such troubles by limiting access to toxic substances.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapeutic methods are used as additional ones. They allow you to quickly cope with the infection and stop the inflammatory process. The following methods can achieve good results:

Fluctuarization. The inflamed tissues are exposed to low voltage current.
Electrophoresis with lidase. Electrical current is applied to the tissue, allowing the drug to be effectively distributed.
Ultrahigh frequency therapy. The method is based on the influence of an electromagnetic field.
Ultrasound therapy. The effect of ultrasound on infected tissues accelerates their regeneration.
Laser therapy. Damaged tooth tissue is treated with a laser beam.

Cases when you need to induce vomiting

Vomiting is a reflex evacuation of the contents of the stomach and duodenum through the mouth. It happens spontaneously when the stomach is full, but when an animal is poisoned, it must be provoked before the toxic components are absorbed into the walls of the digestive organ.

Inducing vomiting will be required for 2 hours until the toxic substances begin to affect the cat.

Cases when you need to empty your stomach:

Getting into the digestive tract of poison for mice, rats, cockroaches, ants. These products contain heavy toxic substances, but sometimes they have an overly appetizing odor that attracts pets. When scattering these drugs, you need to isolate the cat for a certain time or limit access to them.
Some owners note that their pets are attracted to the aroma of antifreeze. It is dangerous for the body because it causes kidney failure. In this case, it is advisable to induce vomiting as quickly as possible.
Many cats persistently try to get to detergents and taste them. Washing powder, whites, pipe cleaners, soap, and dish gel pose a danger to them.
Some weed control products contain arsenic. Gardeners leave the preparations in the public domain on their plots, and cats can taste them. Vomiting should be induced if the animal is observed eating a toxic substance.
An open first aid kit with medications is also quite attractive to your pet, especially if it smells, for example, of valerian. Poisoning with certain types of painkillers, aspirin, and paracetamol is considered dangerous.

Rinse

They are used as an additional treatment in order to completely remove pus and ichor from an opened abscess and prevent the infection from spreading to healthy areas. Soda-salt baths and rinsing with antiseptic solutions help make treatment more effective and speed up gum healing. When rinsing, you must adhere to the following rules:

During the day, do 4-5 gentle rinses or baths. To do this, just take the solution into your mouth and hold it for about 30 seconds.
During the day, do 4-5 gentle rinses or baths. To do this, just take the solution into your mouth and hold it for about 30 seconds.

In what cases is vomiting caused?

Before inducing vomiting, it is necessary to determine the cause of the cat's poor health. There are several situations where this procedure will help save the life and health of your pet :

Serious poisoning with chemicals, rat poison. If your cat has ingested a deadly substance, you need to act immediately.
Accidental ingestion of arsenic along with an herb used by cats to cleanse their stomachs. This substance is often used to remove weeds.
Ingestion of medications or cleaning products. Here treatment must be carried out with caution, since the product often contains alkali or acid.
Eating poor quality food, which caused poisoning.
Ingestion of foreign inedible objects.

You can determine that your cat is sick and need to induce vomiting by observing your pet’s behavior. The animal becomes lethargic, there is a urge to vomit, and diarrhea. It stops eating and drools noticeably. The cat becomes drowsy and may have seizures.

Diet for vomiting

If an animal suffers from nausea, its diet must be reconsidered. It should be balanced and dietary. Introducing rice water, flax seed, and chamomile infusion into the diet helps a lot.

In modern veterinary nutrition, there is a line of special foods with gastro-effects. During the acute period, it is better to use wet ones, then you can gradually add dry mixtures.

Specialized food contains a balanced complex of micro- and macroelements, vitamins and essential substances (such as taurine) necessary for the normal functioning of the cat’s body.

We recommend GastroIntestinal wet food (Royal Canin line) with a dietary effect and Hepatic dry food, which improves liver regeneration.

To improve the cat's condition, the probiotic drink Viyo is added to the diet, which is available in separate forms for kittens and adults.

It should be remembered that the change of food should be gradual, with the addition of a new product to the usual diet. Otherwise, the course of the disease can be aggravated by food stress.

Provocation of vomiting: how and with what

There are few ways to make a cat vomit. Due to the natural characteristics of these animals, it is difficult to tell which one will work and which one will not. We provide a list, starting from the most frequently used and most effective method in the direction of decreasing effect.

Hydrogen peroxide

The initial dose orally is 1 ml/kg or 5 ml/5 kg (teaspoon). Repeat the procedure after 7-12 minutes as many times as necessary until vomiting begins. Usually one time is enough, in some cases it may be necessary up to three times. This method is considered the most effective.

Ipecac concentrate (emetic root)

It is given strictly once at the rate of 1 tsp. syrup for every 5 kg of animal weight. Maximum – no more than 3 ml/kg Do not repeat, even if vomiting is not provoked! The drug has a dose-dependent effect - it acts as an emetic at the specified dosage, and when exceeded, it has a toxic effect on the cardiovascular system.

Regular table salt

A concentrated saline solution is prepared - table salt is added to warm, boiled water until it can dissolve. An aggressive animal wraps itself up, a calm animal simply sits on its knees and is lifted onto the withers. Pour the solution through the toothless edge into the mouth, without throwing your head back too much. The volume of infused saline solution can reach up to 100-150 ml. But more often than not, vomiting begins before such an amount of liquid can be infused.

If you don’t have time to prepare the solution, you can try pouring pure salt on the root of your tongue. There is often an effect, but it happens that vomiting does not occur, but poisoning from the salt itself may increase.

Plain clean warm water

You can try to make your cat vomit by infusing a large volume of plain drinking water - up to a maximum of 230 ml. Overdistension of the stomach sends impulses to the vomiting center, and the cat begins to vomit. In addition, large volumes of water slow down the absorption of the toxic substance. However, the method is difficult in its technical execution - it is very difficult to pour such an amount of liquid into a cat, which, after the first infusions, will begin to kick and struggle, showing with all its might its reluctance to drink further.

Medication (xylazine, apomorphine)

Vomiting is provoked by medications only in a veterinary clinic. It is strictly forbidden to use them at home due to the dosage peculiarities and the large number of side effects.

Diseases that cause vomiting

The most common diseases accompanied by convulsive urges in cats:

Feline distemper or panleukopenia is a severe infectious disease, often fatal, especially in kittens and unvaccinated individuals.
Intestinal enteritis caused by coronavirus. Symptomatic therapy is required, the prognosis is favorable.
Infectious peritonitis is caused by a pathogenic strain of coronavirus. A serious disease from which the animal can rarely be saved.
Cat flu or calcivirus is characterized by convulsive stomach attacks in the initial stage. Timely vaccination of kittens will help prevent the disease.
Theriotoxicosis is an endocrine pathology characteristic of older individuals. The cat eats a lot, but at the same time loses a lot of weight due to profuse eruption from the stomach. Therapy is symptomatic.
Hypocorticism is a fairly rare disease - insufficiency of the adrenal cortex, accompanied by frequent foamy eruptions. The cause is often constant stress.

What else can vomiting be associated with, besides poisoning?

Vomiting may occur without provocation. This symptom accompanies not only poisoning - this must be taken into account.

What else provokes gag reflexes in mustachioed pets:

endocrine pathologies (diabetes mellitus, with a sharp decrease in sugar levels);
impaired renal function (renal failure);
gastric atony (motility cessation);
parasitic diseases (worms);
infections (feline distemper, leukemia);
blood pressure surges;
if the cat choked and something got stuck in the esophagus;
motion sickness during transportation;
side effects from medications (some groups of antibiotics, NSAIDs, anthelmintics);
heat stroke, overheating in the sun.

Getting rid of vomiting

Treatment in cases of repeated pathological nausea in cats is aimed, first of all, at eliminating the cause that caused it.

For severe infections, there are special techniques:

For panleukopenia, therapy is symptomatic; vaccination can help when the kitten reaches three to four months with preliminary deworming. Treatment is carried out to maintain the body's reserve forces; antibiotics are administered to eliminate the risk of additional infection with other viruses, since the animal's body is weakened. Droppers are used to maintain salt balance and intramuscular injections of immunomodulators.
Helminthic infestation can be prevented by taking anthelmintic drugs. During illness, deworming is not always possible. Maintenance therapy is carried out using anti-dehydration agents. After removing the intoxication, it is necessary to eliminate the cause and remove the parasites. Through laboratory tests, it is determined what type of helminth the cat is infected with. To select the right anthelmintic drug, you need to contact the clinic.
Uremia is caused by chronic renal failure (CRF). Nausea with eruption of stomach contents during illness further weakens the animal. To combat this reflex, H2 blockers and other antiemetic drugs are used, and a special diet is prescribed.

For any type of vomiting, it is necessary to take measures to eliminate its cause and help the cat cope with the disease on its own. The main thing here is to prevent excessive dehydration of the body. Therefore, droppers or subcutaneous infusions of saline, glucose, and Ringer-Locke solution are almost always used.

If the cat drinks on its own, add Regidron solution or table salt to the water.

In some cases, antiemetic drugs and sorbents (Enterosgel, activated carbon) are prescribed by a veterinarian. In cases of poisoning, hepatoprotectors (Essentiale, Karsil) will help.