Feline chronic gingivostomatitis is an inflammatory syndrome affecting the mouths of cats. Apart from pain and inflammation, the presenting signs also include dysphagia, weight loss, halitosis, ptyalism (sometimes bloodstained), pawing at the mouth and reduced grooming. Lesions are usually concentrated towards the caudal parts of the mouth, particularly the palatoglossal folds.
There are no reliable estimates of the prevalence of this condition in the feline population and so the authors carried out a survey involving 4,858 cats attending 12 first opinion practices. Details of age, sex and breed were recorded for any animals that fitted the case definition.
There were a total of 34 cases, or a prevalence of 0.7%, of which 15 were new cases and 19 were receiving ongoing treatment. There were no statistically significant differences between affected and healthy cats in terms of the age, sex and breed.
Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 9 (5): 373-381.
Abstract reproduced by kind permission of Veterinary Practice magazine.