Has anyone seen anything like this weird gingival hyperplasia in 7-month-old cat?

RE: Weird Gingival Hyperplasia in 7 month old Cat

Cerdic Grimbly — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 14:40:28 GMT

Thanks for the replies, very much appreciated and very helpful.

I have the cat booked in for May for the procedure (because of a large dentistry backlog) so will post an update then.

And yes, I'll ask the owner if will test for T4 and TSH and post the results if owner agrees...

Thanks again.

RE: Weird Gingival Hyperplasia in 7 month old Cat

Arlo Guthrie — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 14:11:00 GMT

[quote userid="11843" url="~/f/clinical-questions/30915/weird-gingival-hyperplasia-in-7-month-old-cat"]Long time lurker, first time poster.[/quote]

Cerdic Grimbly a very warm welcome!

RE: Weird Gingival Hyperplasia in 7 month old Cat

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 13:25:59 GMT

Cerdic, if you do get the T4 and TSH assays done, could you let us on the forum know how they turned out?

RE: Weird Gingival Hyperplasia in 7 month old Cat

Martin Hamilton — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 15:15:12 GMT

Thanks for sharing!

[quote userid="11843" url="~/f/clinical-questions/30915/weird-gingival-hyperplasia-in-7-month-old-cat"]I am guessing radiographs to establish what teeth are there, then trim the gingiva back to gingival sulcus level with a blade, removing any trapped deciduous teeth as necessary..[/quote]

Yes, this is the approach I would take. I would also assess T4 and TSH levels (the canine test is also reliable in cats) - there are several case reports of cats with congenital hypothyroidism that present exactly like this kitten. By performing operculectoy and initiating thyroxine supplementation these cats go on to have normal growth and eruption of the teeth. Prognosis with early intervention is excellent - I actually saw a kitten like this myself a month ago and he's doing fantastic.

Feel free to ask any further questions!