Frankie Weiss and Her Magic

Gingivitis Rears It’s Ugly Head

Frankie and Johnnie were now about one and a half years old. During that time, never was their health a concern, until one day, noticing Frankie would only take a half-hearted nibble at her usual food, I put it off as a normal aspect of a felines feeding habit. Sometimes, disregarding a food they enjoyed devouring in the past. But this went on for a number of days; she’d smell and walk away from her food tray. She was not eating. Her flanks showed a loss of weight. I was worried, what is wrong with this cat that looms so large in my daily thoughts and life? This was not a good happening!

Calling Dr. Rothberg, I made an appointment for that afternoon. The pet carrier came out of the closet, Frankie went right inside and she regarded this carrier as a second home. Johnnie would run away and hide at its appearance. Johnnie deplored going to the Marlton Animal Hospital for her health checkups.

Arriving at the Hospital, neither Frankie nor I were prepared for the diagnosis. We went into the examination room, opening the pet carrier Frankie would not leave, I helped take her out onto the steel examination table. Dr. Rothberg gently opened Frankie’s mouth, to her trained eye, the cause was apparent. The gums had a flaming reddish color, an unforgiving indication of Gingivitis. She was afflicted with this curse.

This is a disease common to both human and animal. It could be inherited, just as many other life-altering illnesses are. My Frankie as beautiful and blessed she is and was could lose her life. This was not an illness to take lightly. Many cat keepers would put a cat down, rather than spend the money necessary to arrest this inherited genetic disease.

For me, there was no option. Frankie was part of my life. Two years prior, I lost my wife of thirty-nine years, now; I did not want to go through another tragedy in losing Frankie. Money had no value in my thoughts; Frankie and her survival came first.

A call was immediately placed to an animal Dental Specialist in Bricktown, New Jersey.

We made an appointment for the next morning to verify the diagnosis.

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