Feline Orofacial Pain Syndrome (FOPS)

[OlgaMaria]

Hello fellow sphynx lovers! Unfortunately, Olga has been in pain lately. She keeps chattering (shaking her jaw) and had reduced her food intake which is extremely unlike her. We took her to the vet and she thinks she might be having FOPs or feline orofacial pain syndrome which is a neurological disorder. Has anyone has any experience with this before?

To be honest I’m reluctant to believe this diagnosis. Part of me wanta to believe this is related to her missing upper canines. She still has her baby tooth canines and I think it’s starting to cause her pain. The permanent canines never erupted. She is un a bunch of pain relief medication while we wait for the dentist to give his opinion to my vet. There’s more about FOPs in this link: Feline Orofacial Pain Syndrome (FOPS) - Fitzpatrick Referrals

Attached video of chattering for reference, I had just goven her a piece of chicken to capture the chattering so it might look a bit exaggerated due to the licking. The video is from before giving her pain relief,!the chattering is al most gone since giving her medication but the underlying cause is what worries me.

 

[Catzzzmeow]

Hello fellow sphynx lovers! Unfortunately, Olga has been in pain lately. She keeps chattering (shaking her jaw) and had reduced her food intake which is extremely unlike her. We took her to the vet and she thinks she might be having FOPs or feline orofacial pain syndrome which is a neurological disorder. Has anyone has any experience with this before?

To be honest I’m reluctant to believe this diagnosis. Part of me wanta to believe this is related to her missing upper canines. She still has her baby tooth canines and I think it’s starting to cause her pain. The permanent canines never erupted. She is un a bunch of pain relief medication while we wait for the dentist to give his opinion to my vet. There’s more about FOPs in this link: Feline Orofacial Pain Syndrome (FOPS) - Fitzpatrick Referrals

Attached video of chattering for reference, I had just goven her a piece of chicken to capture the chattering so it might look a bit exaggerated due to the licking. The video is from before giving her pain relief,!the chattering is al most gone since giving her medication but the underlying cause is what worries me.

How old is she? just wondering due to her teeth not fully coming in. I always say trust your gut and it never hurts to get a second opinion which is great you consulted a specialist for her teeth. Please keep this post updated as your info can help others in the future.

From what I read FOPs is quite rare and some vets never even come across a case of it in their entire career. I also read that they usually paw at their face with this condition…does she do that at all?

 

[OlgaMaria]

Thank you for replying, I am going to keep you updated. Hopefully it helps someone in the future.

Olga turned one year old in March and when she got spayed they took an xray of her mouth to check why the baby tooth didn’t fall. The found no indication of her permanent canines although that was 4 months ago so it could’ve changed.

She is not pawing at her face, her jaw just shakes and sometimes she leaves it open.

The vet came back saying they were happy with the treatment she’s been given which is:
-1.0 Buprenorphine 0.8mg/l, one syringe in the mouth every 12 hours. From my understanding this is an opioid for the pain in the mouth.
-14.0Gabapentin 50mg every 12 hours. This one is aimed at treating the neurological disorder, it is an anti convulsant.

The chattering is not gone completely but it is better and she’s back to her old playful and hungry self. The only time I noticed the chattering completely gone was the day we took her to the vet and she received two very strong opioid injections for pain. By that evening the chattering was gone and I had not yet given her any other medication.

The plan of action is to keep my vet updated every 2 days on her progression. The only way to diagnose the condition is by cancelling other options so it’s kind of a wait and see thing. This condition is very common in Burmese cats but otherwise rare and I never read on sphynxes being prone to it. Hairless cats are prone to have teeth problems so maybe this is just her teeth bothering.

I’ll keep updating as this develops.

 

[Yoda mom]

@OlgaMaria , hugs n positive vibe head smooches to baby Olga. we are here for you. all paws are family. please keep us updated often

 

[Toa and Ross]

Sending lots of positive vibes to you and Olga. Goof of you you follow your guts and see if the dentist can help.

 

[OlgaMaria]

@OlgaMaria , hugs n positive vibe head smooches to baby Olga. we are here for you. all paws are family. please keep us updated often

Thank you so much! She’s still on medicine and behaving normal aside from the chattering from time to time. It is not completely gone so will keep her on the same medicine for another week. If she’s the same by then I’ll ask the vet to get me an appointment with the specialist. On a lighter note, she is her upbeat crazy self and seems as happy as always so I’m in a good state of mind and staying very positive. Thank you all for the support

 

[Natalie Murphy]

May I ask what are the signs your cat is in pain. Generally. My Shamus has been very quiet but I put that down to my house being cold with the.change of seasons. He has not been as playful as normal but I also but that down to the central heating being off. Not sure about the chatter but he does open his mouth as though he wants to speak to me the past few weeks. I have him on an electric blanket and he is sleeping next to a heater that is on full heat as I too am cold.

 

[Sekhmet]

Sekhmet had similar issues before, but I found out it was her teeth problems.
My vet recommended me to go to a dental specialist, so she did MRI scan.
Her lower fore teeth were long and a bit out than top.
She was making noise like in pain but looks like a chattering, can’t really explain
Anyway she took about 8 teeth out and she is totally fine now.
I hope she is fine