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My cat has been diagnosed with Feline AIDS, I'm gutted, the vet has taken out her fangs as you can see from the pic below. her breath does smell a bit though.
This is the second female cat I've had that has acquired this and the first one Gimpy lived until 12, this is the reason why I couldn't believe it when the vet wanted to euthanise her.
Why did your vet take out her fangs?
If there are no other animals who can readily contract the virus from her, then I see no need to have her euth'd. The vet probably does not want her to possibly infect other cats.
I would seek out a more supportive vet.
I'm sorry, but on what medical grounds were the cat's teeth removed??!
Cats can live for many, many years being FIV+. While chances are that they will die sooner/at a younger age than a cat that does not have the virus, it does NOT mean that a cat is going to keel over tomorrow or the next day. I've known a cat that was FIV+ and was 19!
By no means should an initial diagnosis of FIV and having a cat PTS be mentioned in the same breath. Tests can provide false results and you should have the cat retested. I believe the advice is a six week interval on that, but I stand to be corrected on the time frame there.
And before you do anything further with poor puss, find a more clued-up vet. The very last thing a cat with a suppressed immune system needs are holes (and therefore breeding grounds for all sorts of nasties) in her gums. Tell me the vet at least provided you with a decent course of antibiotics for her. (If none were provided, you really need to get her to another vet asap. Cats mouths are cats mouths - not the cleanest of places.)
I'd second the advice to find a different vet -- one that wants to help you keep your cat healthy and alive for as long as possible. Here's to many years together for you both.
For starters, being tested positive for FIV can never, and will never mean the cat has FIV. The most it can conclude, is that the cat is a carrier for FIV. That is where the false-positives occur, as the above poster stated. Cats are not routinely PTS for testing positive, due to this fact, and this fact alone.
It's not recommended that they socialize with other cats, because of the possibility of spreading the disease, but the disease itself does not shorten a cat's lifespan or hinder their lifestyle by any measurable quantity.
The only reason I find from a medical standpoint for someone to remove the cat's fangs under the result of a positive FIV test, are to handicap it from being able to defend itself, with no teeth (or claws, in other instances) the cat is less likely to escape outside, or socialize due to the unwanted prospect of starting or being involved in other cat fights. The cat mentally will want to be a loner, an outcast because it knows it can't protect itself with out it's teeth - thereby lessening the chances that it will carry and spread the FIV virus to other kitties in the area. And seeing as how 90% of FIV carriers spread the disease, under assumption, is by bites. So it's not out of the realm as medically excusable, but a moral abomination if you ask me.
Whether that is the reason YOUR vet chose to do this or not, is beyond me.
Please look into finding a second opinion, not only for the sake of your kitty, but for those that are also falling under their practice?
Second opinion, for sure! The fact that this vet removed the fangs and said euthanize her is puzzling. Why remove the fangs if he thought putting her down was the best thing? Very odd.
Before you jump on the vet about the fangs - it could be because of a dental condition or stomatitis. That could explain the bad odors. In the case of stomatitis, recurring infections can wreak havock on the gums to the point where the teeth are impacted and extraction was necessary. The FIV test was probably run to diagnose the source of the infection.
Some people don't have the stomach or finances to support never-ending relapses. Euthanasia is appropriate to present as an option for some people. However, it should never have been presented as the only option. I would go to another vet and ask about prognosis and potential costs.
The kitty is absolutely gorgeous - with or without fangs. I would do whatever I could to keep her happy and around for a long time.
Hi the vet said that because of the illness her teeth were decaying and needed to be removed, my brother took her in and that's all the vet did was to remove her fangs I was not happy as the infected teeth were not removed and she still cries while eating, my brother thinks it's ok.
She's still living a happy life without them, maybe the vet didn't wan't her biting other animals I don't know but she still needs her bad teeth taken out. I will look for another vet.
B.T.W. I found her as a kitten in a scrap car due to be crushed I loved the markings and I saved her. Let's hope she has a long life.
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(If none were provided, you really need to get her to another vet asap. Cats mouths are cats mouths - not the cleanest of places.)
Love her markings.
