civie newly dx'd with asthma

[Ann and Murphy and Tom]

My 10 y/o, 17 lb civie has just been diagnosed with asthma. My vet gave her an injection of solu medrol and wants to hear from me in 1 week as to how she is doing. He seemed to suggest that IF she is doing well, he would manage her with every 4-6 month steroid injections, if not that we may have to go to nebulizer/inhaler treatments. I am worried about her taking steroids long term--I know they can be worth their weight in gold but can also carry some really nasty side effects. On the other hand, I am not anxious to have to convince her that neb treatments are for her own good either. My vet thinks there is an allergy component to this as at the same time I noticed her increasing wheezing/coughing , she has developed a terrible dander problem along her back. Prior to the solu medrol injection we have tried adding cod liver oil to her diet and benedryl for the coughing--neither has had any effect. She is a real chow hound and eats just about anything--I fed EVO and Holistic, mostly chicken, turkey, lamb and beef flavors with a very occasional treat of Purina kibble. We haven't changed foods in over 2 years. Does anyone have any experience with feline asthma and can you give me any words to the wise? thanks.

 

[SherylandClouseau]

Inhaled meds!!!

are the go to choice for asthma control . The injections can lead to serious side effects down the road (in particular, diabetes). Join the feline asthma inhaled meds group at yahoo and check out fritzthebrave.com for more information. My Clouseau lived for 13 years with VERY severe asthma- and was stable on inhaled meds from 2002 until his death last summer (non-asthma related). I wish they had been available when he was first dx, I am certain his quality of life would have been much better, and he likely would never have become diabetic...

 

[jt and trouble (GA)]

Inhaled meds are the way to go for us. My Waldo has only coughed 3 times since starting flomax almost 1 year ago. I also dont hear the gurgling when he purrs.

I wish you good luck and good healing with you kitty.
jeanne

 

[chriscleo]

yep, check out fritzthebrave, for sure. i think a protocol is posted there that shows prednisolone being used and tapered off as the flovent inhaler builds up in the system. takes a week or two for the cat to get the full effect of the flovent.

honestly, inhalers are the way to go. i'd hope the cat would only need to be on steroids for a short time. i used albuterol as the rescue inhaler (use during/after big asthma attack) and flovent as the regular inhaler once it builds up in the system.

 

[Kelly & Oscar]

Oscar's diabetes was caused by steroid injections for his asthma. Inhaled meds are the safest way to go about treating it. There are also environmental triggers for asthma: cleaning products with strong smells, scented candles, dust, very dusty litters, etc.... We found out that a big component of Oscar's issues was his litter. We changed to World's Best Cat Litter and it made the world of difference!

Flovent (an inhaled steroid that isn't systemic) can be found cheaper at pharmacies outside the US. Most (including myself) purchase from the 4 Corners Pharmacy. Most cats have to start out with 1 puff of the 220mcg dose twice a day and go up from there if the symptoms aren't controlled. (My Oscar takes 3 puffs twice a day since his asthma has been uncontrolled for a long time and he has quite a bit of lung damage) Flovent takes 2 -4 weeks to build up enough in the lungs to be able to control symptoms without the help of pred or the injected depo steroid, so it would be best to get your kitty on the flovent before the steroid shot wears off in about 3 weeks.

 

[Laurie and Mr Tinkles]

I also have a civie with asthma, and she uses flovent and albuterol inhalers with the aerokat spacer. Ditto on ordering flovent (flixotide) from 4 Corners Pharmacy...flovent is quite expensive otherwise. You will need to order the spacer, it is not available locally, unless your vet happens to stock them. My vet didn't even know about using inhaled meds, much less the spacer! :lol:

Something to be aware of with asthma and long-acting steroid injections....once the shot is given, you can't take it back. My civie almost died as a result of being given a "reduced dose" steroid injection for asthma while she had an upper respiratory infection. The steroid compromised her ability to fight the infection, and she ended up critically ill with pneumonia. We very nearly lost her. If you MUST use systemic steroids, stick with pills....much quicker to get out of the system in case of infection. I know the injections sound attractive and easier, but don't do it.

 

[Jean and Megan]

Yes, inhaled medications are the way to go, and fritzthebrave is a wonderful website.

I have a civvie with mild asthma. So far, he is only on the Albuterol (inhaled) for coughing attacks, because the coughing is very infrequent (often he goes a month or even a couple of months between coughing fits, and x-rays show very little lung damage - breathing sounds are absolutely normal).

When I insisted on inhaled medications, my vet was quite willing, even though he was at first encouraging injected (or oral) medication. Later it turned out that his initial reaction was conditioned by the fact that almost none of his clients will go to the trouble of giving daily medication, much less inhaled medication. He is entirely aware of the side-effects of injected or oral steroids and is happy to avoid them.

My vet has a big reference book of diseases and treatments, something that is updated very frequently, it seems. The article in the most recent edition encourages the use of inhaled Albuterol and Flovent, with the Aerokat. He got the dosage, etc. information from that, ordered what I needed, and had it in a couple of days.

By the way, you may read somewhere that Flovent is a steroid. As I understand it, it is indeed a steroid but is a large-molecule steroid and, in most cats, doesn't get into the bloodstream at all, which is why it usually has virtually no side-effects.

Oh, the trigger for my civvie is food allergies. He doesn't itch but coughs. I gather that this is extremely rare but is definitely true for him. There were indications even when he was a kitten that he had a sensitive stomach, so the food allergies issue wasn't a complete surprise. He didn't start coughing for some time, though.

Pretty much anything in the world can be the trigger. It can be something that used to be fine, also; it doesn't have to be a new addition to the cat's environment. Finding it is mostly a matter of persistence and a bit of luck - eliminate something, see if that helps, eliminate something else, see if that helps, until you find the trigger.