11/03 Chanel induced asthma...possible pancreatitis??? PMPS 168

Laura & Chanel

Laura & Chanel

Member Since 2019
yesterday's link: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...his-morning-pmps-131-at-the-vet-again.270354/

Yesterday we ended at the vet, again. All the way there, Chanel did not make a sound, she did not even get up. I think she also hoped for some relief. She is so exhausted, she does not even wash herself after eating, usually is an entire spectacle she offers and every time I find it enjoyable and amazing, such a small tongue and such a clean-smelling cat. Well, not these days...
All the tests came back normal but I was smart enough to take a video of her at home. Well, it seems that the asthma was induced by something that gives her so much pain she cannot breath properly.
In spite of her normal values, the vet thinks it may be pancreatitis or another infection that is trying to hide from us but causing havoc in Chanel's body and not letting her have a complete inhale, while the exhale seems normal. Stupid me, I should take pictures and videos so the vet can see things. Chanel always behaves normal at the vet and they were stunned to see her BG at 131 last night (by the way, they stayed after hours for two hours to take care of our baby girl) in spite of her pain and eating 10% carbs.
I know I keep saying I will update her sheet and I am sorry for not doing that, hopefully I will do it this weekend. The night before I did not sleep and last night I went to bed at 1 am and waking up from time to time to check on her. I hope to get myself up to date here on FDMB (including the signature), but I hope to see Chanel doing better soon. The vet said that it may take a couple of weeks for Chanel to improve and the pancreatitis symptoms to go down.
 
Hi Laura - I'm sorry to hear Chanel is having such a rough go of it. Did your vet run a blood test for pancreatitis? There is a test called Feline Pancreatic Lipase Immunoreactivity (or fPLI), which indicates inflammation of the pancreas. It's not included in general blood panel.

I have an asthmatic kitty, he's been on inhaled fluticasone for years. It does take a little bit of time to build up and start kicking in - was Chanel on any asthma meds before? I can't tell from your post yesterday whether she has been diagnosed a while ago or very recently. She could just be having severe symptoms if it wasn't treated before. It's not uncommon for asthmatic kitties to get worse when seasons change. Just like humans, changes in air temperature can affect them, on top of classic triggers like scents, dust, pollen, allergens etc. which you seem to definitely have under control (I also don't used anything scented, and I command your efforts to even make your own shampoo!).
 
Also just saw you asked what regimen people's asthmatic cats were on: my cat Wicket gets 2 puffs in the morning and 2 puffs in the evening of fluticasone 250mcg (there is also a lesser strength of 125mcg, which wasn't enough for him). And we use ventolin (salbutamol) when he gets an attack (very occasionally, on brisk Fall or Winter mornings, or in the Spring when it rains for the first time in a while and it sends pollen flying all over the place). He is very well-controlled at that dose, but he doesn't have diabetes, so I'm not sure what the impact would be on BG. Personally, I would prioritize asthma treatment over BG, since not being able to breathe properly has such a dramatic impact on quality of life. But of course all of this applies only if she does indeed have not-yet-controlled asthma, and not a condition that simply mirrors it.

Did you get any diagnostic tests for asthma? (chest X-rays)
 
Virginie said:
Also just saw you asked what regimen people's asthmatic cats were on: my cat Wicket gets 2 puffs in the morning and 2 puffs in the evening of fluticasone 250mcg (there is also a lesser strength of 125mcg, which wasn't enough for him). And we use ventolin (salbutamol) when he gets an attack (very occasionally, on brisk Fall or Winter mornings, or in the Spring when it rains for the first time in a while and it sends pollen flying all over the place). He is very well-controlled at that dose, but he doesn't have diabetes, so I'm not sure what the impact would be on BG. Personally, I would prioritize asthma treatment over BG, since not being able to breathe properly has such a dramatic impact on quality of life. But of course all of this applies only if she does indeed have not-yet-controlled asthma, and not a condition that simply mirrors it.

Did you get any diagnostic tests for asthma? (chest X-rays)
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Hi Virginie, Thank you very much for the info. Yes, we actually repeated the tests last night, x-rays and ultrasound (the vet was looking to see if there is infection or fluid in the lungs, but she could not find any). We tested before for fPLI last night and everything was normal. The fact that she is a chubby baby of almost 20 pounds does not make things better. However, with the antibiotic the doctor gave her last night and the gabapentin, she seems to breathe better (a little too fast for my tste, but not noisy). The doctor advised us to give her food and treats because as long as she eats, she is loading up on oxygen as well. So last night Chanel had a blast eating tuna treats.
As for the BG, yes I did not care much about it since asthma seemed to have such violent episodes. However, Chanel is still particular about her meals and she likes them in the order she had them all the time.
It seems that her being chubby and some inflammation going in her body probably for months made her breathing more difficult. I saw her struggling to raise her chest during sleep but I thought it was because she was chubby. I should have known better. From now on, I will take videos of her all the time, it is better for the vet too because Chanel puts such a healthy face & behavior when she gets there, she meows and let them spoil her. Only after watching the video the vet realized that it was another condition that was causing her asthma attacks.
Still, I will get the oxygen cage and maintain the rest of the changes (believe it or not, my hair does not fall as much when making my own shampoo). I think they will improve our lives as well, we learn lots of things having this furbaby.
One thing is for sure: old age is difficult for cats too, not only humans....still amazed of the brave face she puts on every day.
 
The test for pancreatitis used here is the SpecfPL. It gets sent out to a lab. Were you given buprenorphine for pain to give at home I hope? Did you get cerenia or my drug of choice ondansetron for nausea? If not what meds do you have at home for both? Pancreatitis is often very painful and Max who had it a few years before becoming diabetic always became inappetent ir lucky about food with flares. The first time he was tested for it he went from being picky to refusing all food nor was quite scary and Christmas Eve!
 
tiffmaxee said:
The test for pancreatitis used here is the SpecfPL. It gets sent out to a lab. Were you given buprenorphine for pain to give at home I hope? Did you get cerenia or my drug of choice ondansetron for nausea? If not what meds do you have at home for both? Pancreatitis is often very painful and Max who had it a few years before becoming diabetic always became inappetent ir lucky about food with flares. The first time he was tested for it he went from being picky to refusing all food nor was quite scary and Christmas Eve!
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they did only the fPLI. We have gabapentin capsules that I mix with tuna/chicken juice and she loves it. Buprenorphine was apparently not the best choice this time, we used it previously and no result. She gets Cerenia every day but Chanel, ashamed to say, is a total piggy and not getting nauseated any time soon. She has a wonderful appetite and did not need Cerenia, but the vet felt that it would be better to be on it for a week.
Just to offer you an idea. I always feed her before eating. I fed her today, then went to get my lunch going...yeah, she looked at me but since she is to tired to sit in the food position, she just licked her lips (we have an entire sign language established, after being together at home for the past 3 years). So mommy left the lunch to feed the baby again.
 
Laura & Chanel said:
they did only the fPLI. We have gabapentin capsules that I mix with tuna/chicken juice and she loves it. Buprenorphine was apparently not the best choice this time, we used it previously and no result. She gets Cerenia every day but Chanel, ashamed to say, is a total piggy and not getting nauseated any time soon. She has a wonderful appetite and did not need Cerenia, but the vet felt that it would be better to be on it for a week.
Just to offer you an idea. I always feed her before eating. I fed her today, then went to get my lunch going...yeah, she looked at me but since she is to tired to sit in the food position, she just licked her lips (we have an entire sign language established, after being together at home for the past 3 years). So mommy left the lunch to feed the baby again.
Click to expand...

:bighug: just because you sound as if you need it!
 
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