? 5/25 Phoenix asthma or insulin injection?

Scdal

Scdal

Member Since 2020
@Bandit's Mom
Phoenix has been coughing on and off for almost a year. At his last vet visit, his lungs sounded clear and the vet thought he might have allergies. The coughing comes and goes.


For the last week, I have heard Phoenix making funny noises when he is laying down. His stomach is also heaving up and down. If I disturb him, sometimes he will stop but not all the time. I looked on the internet and it seems like it is asthma.
I have read on several posts of people injecting insulin into a muscle and causing respiratory problems. How do you know if it is asthma or if you have injected into a muscle?

Phoenix is eating great and runs for treats. He hasn't wanted to go out the last few days but it has been raining a lot. Our yard is like a swamp so I don't blame him. If I throw a treat out the back door, he will run outside onto the deck to get it and then come back in. I am calling his vet in the morning but I am concerned about this muscle injection. Can someone tell me how do you know if you have accidentally done this or if it is asthma? His vet usually doesn't work on Tuesdays and is sometimes slow to respond to calls.
 
Bandit's Mom said:
I really doubt it is the insulin. Sound like either allergies or asthma.

@Bron and Sheba (GA)
@Wendy&Neko

Also tagging some folks who have experience with asthmatic kitties:
@Margaret (and Pearl)
@Jan D & Squeaky
@Adrienne & Molly
@Mel and Cargo
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Thank you, Bhooma. He has me so confused. It seems to come and go. One minute he is making these strange noises and then the next minute, he is up playing.

I had very bad allergic asthma about 30 years ago. I could hardly walk. Mine was constant. Can asthma come and go like it seems to with Phoenix?
 
Scdal said:
Can asthma come and go like it seems to with Phoenix?
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Susan, I have no experience with asthma. I hope some of the people I have tagged can help.

If you search for asthma on the forum, you should find a lot of threads with info as well.
 
Amethyst has Asthma Unfortunately I hit a muscle twice injecting her insulin, it sent her into Respiratory Distress.:( She was rushed to our ER and admitted and placed in Oxygen I read that the lungs in a cat are their stress organs,so injecting insulin into a muscle causes unbearable pain therefore it triggered a severe Asthma Attack:(My poor little girl,it was all my fault:arghh: Since then I have switched to the Sure Comfort Short Needles and I give her the insulin in two syringes everyAM and two syringes every PM it is alot more relaxing and less stressful for both of us.Asthma can only be diagnosed with a chest XRAY Good Luck:):bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
I have never heard of insulin in the muscle causing asthma or breathing difficulties, but I see Pamela has had this happen.
I have not had a cat with asthma either, but coughing can be a sign of asthma. It might also be an idea to ask the vet to check Phoenix’s heart.
 
I didn't know you could send them into respiratory distress with a shot either. Yikes, something to be very mindful of! I can't speak to everyone's experience, but Cargo's asthma initially manifested as a rise in BG. Then I started catching him making a series of little coughs. Then, if I had let him outside while it was windy and dusty, he started having full blown attacks (which I google searched to see what an asthma attack looked and sounded like). @Pamela & Amethyst is correct - the vet had to do a chest x-ray to make the diagnosis. If Phoenix does have asthma, it's really not much additional work added to the FD and I coincide his asthma inhaler with meal and shot times. He has been very patient with the inhaler and hasn't had a big attack since! You want to catch it early if it's asthma so there's minimal damage to his lungs. Good luck to Phoenix and please keep us informed of the diagnosis! :bighug:
 
Pamela & Amethyst said:
Amethyst has Asthma Unfortunately I hit a muscle twice injecting her insulin, it sent her into Respiratory Distress.:( She was rushed to our ER and admitted and placed in Oxygen I read that the lungs in a cat are their stress organs,so injecting insulin into a muscle causes unbearable pain therefore it triggered a severe Asthma Attack:(My poor little girl,it was all my fault:arghh: Since then I have switched to the Sure Comfort Short Needles and I give her the insulin in two syringes everyAM and two syringes every PM it is alot more relaxing and less stressful for both of us.Asthma can only be diagnosed with a chest XRAY Good Luck:):bighug::bighug::bighug:
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Phoenix hasn't seemed to be in any pain. He just has this stomach heavy breathing. I just got up and Phoenix followed me out of the bedroom and then went outside. He walked around and nibbled on the grass and then came back in. He went and layed down for a minute and started grooming himself. Then, he coughed a couple of times. Then, he got up and looked out the window and is walking around. There is no obvious distress.
One thing that does concern me is that he has started dragging his stuffed animal all around the house with him. He has had this since he was a baby. Even though Phoenix is neutered, he tries to do his thing with this stuffed dog. All his life, he has played with this dog. Sometimes, once a day and sometimes not for week or two. But, for the last couple of weeks, he drags it everywhere with him. It reminds me of a security blanket. Could this be a sign that he is sick?
He is grooming himself again with no sign of heavy breathing or distress. I am calling his doctor this morning but he is usually off on Tuesday. I am a worried mama.
 
Mel and Cargo said:
I didn't know you could send them into respiratory distress with a shot either. Yikes, something to be very mindful of! I can't speak to everyone's experience, but Cargo's asthma initially manifested as a rise in BG. Then I started catching him making a series of little coughs. Then, if I had let him outside while it was windy and dusty, he started having full blown attacks (which I google searched to see what an asthma attack looked and sounded like). @Pamela & Amethyst is correct - the vet had to do a chest x-ray to make the diagnosis. If Phoenix does have asthma, it's really not much additional work added to the FD and I coincide his asthma inhaler with meal and shot times. He has been very patient with the inhaler and hasn't had a big attack since! You want to catch it early if it's asthma so there's minimal damage to his lungs. Good luck to Phoenix and please keep us informed of the diagnosis! :bighug:
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Thank you, I will.
 
Scdal said:
Phoenix hasn't seemed to be in any pain. He just has this stomach heavy breathing. I just got up and Phoenix followed me out of the bedroom and then went outside. He walked around and nibbled on the grass and then came back in. He went and layed down for a minute and started grooming himself. Then, he coughed a couple of times. Then, he got up and looked out the window and is walking around. There is no obvious distress.
One thing that does concern me is that he has started dragging his stuffed animal all around the house with him. He has had this since he was a baby. Even though Phoenix is neutered, he tries to do his thing with this stuffed dog. All his life, he has played with this dog. Sometimes, once a day and sometimes not for week or two. But, for the last couple of weeks, he drags it everywhere with him. It reminds me of a security blanket. Could this be a sign that he is sick?
He is grooming himself again with no sign of heavy breathing or distress. I am calling his doctor this morning but he is usually off on Tuesday. I am a worried mama.
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Heavy breathing can be a sign of Asthma. Please try not to wait it can become very serious very quickly Keep us posted:cat:
 
Sounds like you are contacting the vet, that's a good plan. A chest x-ray can help determine if there is asthma or a heart issue (which can also cause coughing and heavy breathing).

To eliminate the possibility of injecting into a muscle, maybe review this post: Testing and Shooting Tips.
 
Hi Susan, I have experience with asthma. When you take your cat in, you will need x-rays. They will diagnose asthma if they see the feathering of the bronchial tubes on the x rays. Usually the bronchials are so teeeny they do not show up. If they are inflamed (asthma or potential infection) then they will show up.

Also, you need to make sure you don't have fluid on the lungs. I'm a bit concerned about the stomach heaving, so make sure you mention checking into this too with the vet.

If the x ray does show asthma, ask how the heart looks. Heart issues pair with asthma. If the heart looks a bit odd I would personally make a cardiologist appointment to ensure that is functioning properly. You don't want cardiac or respiratory distress in general, but even with asthma those things could be worse.

I hope this helps. I am here to answer any questions you may have!
 
Hi I have not been on the board for a few days. If the coughing is recurrent it could be asthma. Did you say you took your cat to the vet to get testing done? Does sound like your cat needs some help.

When my Squeaky started coughing at one year old, I put him on a raw diet and it helped for about a year. After that the asthma got worse and I put him on an inhaler. We've been using an inhaler every day for 12 years now. It has been actually a rewarding experience, using the inhaler every day has bonded us and brought us so close in love.

Also there is definitely a dietary component. I learned that Squeaky would cough within about 20 minutes if I gave him seafood. So he can't have any. If you are feeding different types of canned food maybe seafood is making your cat better and worse.

Is your cat way overweight? That also might be making a difference in how he breathes.

There used to be a Yahoo group for feline asthma. Probably it is a facebook or other place now. If you find it you could get a lot of help and information. They coached me through the asthma much like all of you are coaching me through the diabetes.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Sounds like you are contacting the vet, that's a good plan. A chest x-ray can help determine if there is asthma or a heart issue (which can also cause coughing and heavy breathing).

To eliminate the possibility of injecting into a muscle, maybe review this post: Testing and Shooting Tips.
Click to expand...
I would love to get a chest x-ray but that is impossible unless he was very ill. He has breathing issues under sedation and will not tolerate being handled at the vet. He usually gets all his blood work and vaccinations in his squeeze cage. He is 34 lbs. and very strong.
Phoenix was fine most of the day yesterday and was fine last night. It has been in the low 70's at night and extremely muggy. The humidity is around 80%. I think this might have caused it. I don't like being cold so I had the windows open. Yesterday, I turned on the air conditioner when it got to 78 degrees and left it on all night. I was huddled up under the blankets but Phoenix enjoyed the cool air. I remember when I had allergic asthma many years ago, the air conditioning used to help. I don't know if it filters the air or the coolness that helps.

I called his vet yesterday but it was his day off on Tuesday. He is supposed to call me today. Phoenix is fine this morning and went outside for a few minutes. It is still real humid and the grass is wet. I am thankful that he is feeling better. The vet seemed to think his coughing was caused by allergies at his last visit. I will see what he says today. Thank you for your help.
 
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