Stomatitis: what is it?
Stomatitis is a medical term that refers to inflammation of the oral mucosa. It can thus affect the gums (gingivitis), the tongue (glossitis), the palate (ouranitis), the periodontium (periodontitis), the lips (cheilitis) or their mucous membrane, the inside of the cheeks or even the alveolar mucosa.
Clinically, stomatitis is manifested by redness of the oral cavity. It can be the only condition presented by the animal or just a clinical sign of a more general he alth problem.
What causes stomatitis in dogs?
Stomatitis can simply be caused by a dental infection, usually associated with poor oral hygiene. But, it can also be linked to the presence of a foreign body, an oral tumor, a mycosis that develops in the oral cavity or be linked to contact with a toxic or irritant product.
Apart from these local causes, stomatitis can also be secondary to a systemic disease such as high uremia (during chronic renal failure), distemper, leishmaniasis, leptospirosis or intoxication to heavy metals.
Sometimes it can also be caused by an autoimmune disease or an allergic reaction.
What are the clinical signs of gingivitis and stomatitis?
Stomatitis is manifested by redness and swelling of the tissues of the oral cavity. Often very painful for the animal, it leads to a decrease in appetite or even anorexia due to the pain.
It also happens that stomatitis is accompanied by hypersalivation and bad breath.
Depending on the condition causing stomatitis, other symptoms specific to that causative condition may be present.
How is stomatitis diagnosed?
In case of stomatitis, the diagnosis is mainly based on the medical history, the observation of the clinical signs and the appearance of the lesions by the veterinarian as well as the use of additional cytology and histology examinations .
The veterinarian may also order blood and urine tests to look for any underlying systemic disease that could explain the inflammation of the oral tissues. Dental x-rays may also be needed to see if there is damage to the tooth roots and other dental supporting structures.
How is stomatitis in dogs treated?
The treatment of stomatitis first consists of the administration of anti-inflammatories, painkillers and antibiotics in order to relieve the animal's symptoms. Then it involves specifically addressing the underlying cause of the problem, if it can be identified.
The natural boost
In case of simple stomatitis diagnosed by your veterinarian, you can relieve your dog (if he lets himself be done) by applying an organic aloe vera gel to his oral mucous membranes to soothe them. You can also irrigate the inside of its mouth with a propolis-based spray or with officinal sage hydrosol (at the rate of 1ml per 5 kg of body weight) diluted in low mineral water.
If the animal cannot feed properly, nasopharyngeal tube feeding or liquid feeding can be implemented.