Riyah
Member Since 2023
Hi everyone!
Been a while since I posted. Ever since Lily's diabetes diagnosis and remission, I've been looking into dental work for her. Our vet wanted to wait until her numbers were stable, which they are now, so we have a dental scheduled for next Wednesday, 3/13.
However, last week she had what seemed like an asthma attack (evening of 2/29) and I noticed some light coughing but not a full on attack yesterday. She also had one 2/16. Prior to this, her last attack was mid November of last year. She had 2 that month as well, and the last one before then was August.
We had a check up with our vet today and I showed him one of the videos I recorded, and he gave me a few options. He said that with any restricted breathing, anesthesia isn't ideal. However, her upper teeth look inflamed and diseased (photos linked here), so I'm currently weighing my options. I know that dental problems can cause cats to come out of remission, which would be the last thing I'd want to happen. At the same time, if the risks for anesthesia are higher because of the asthma, that's also a concern for me.
These are pretty much the options he laid out:
1. Start her on an inhaler, which is a low dose steroid. He saw her through her diabetes journey so he knows she can't have the usual asthma high dose steroids. Come back in for a dental after some time on the inhaler.
2. Monitor her for the week and proceed with the dental if she seems fine and no asthma symptoms.
Now, she hasn't actually been medicated for asthma. Her attacks are infrequent, I think a once a month max, but the gap between the last one and the 2/16 one was 4 months, so every vet I've seen hasn't ever suggested or pushed medication. She did have chest x-rays done last summer, which showed irritation/inflammation, but even then, that vet didn't suggest long term meds.
Any thoughts or experience with similar situations? I'm wary of steroids but he said with the inhaler, the dose is low enough that it shouldn't effect her remission. He said that if it does, he thinks taking her off would bring her numbers back down. But more importantly, I'm just wondering whether it makes sense to keep the dental or if we should wait for a longer period where she's asthma fit-free. Right now, behavior wise, she's so lively, eats well, normal bathroom habits, so if something happened to her during the procedure I think I'd be devastated thinking maybe she didn't need the procedure then. I tend to worry more about her than my own self so that's part of the issue as well! Thanks all!
Been a while since I posted. Ever since Lily's diabetes diagnosis and remission, I've been looking into dental work for her. Our vet wanted to wait until her numbers were stable, which they are now, so we have a dental scheduled for next Wednesday, 3/13.
However, last week she had what seemed like an asthma attack (evening of 2/29) and I noticed some light coughing but not a full on attack yesterday. She also had one 2/16. Prior to this, her last attack was mid November of last year. She had 2 that month as well, and the last one before then was August.
We had a check up with our vet today and I showed him one of the videos I recorded, and he gave me a few options. He said that with any restricted breathing, anesthesia isn't ideal. However, her upper teeth look inflamed and diseased (photos linked here), so I'm currently weighing my options. I know that dental problems can cause cats to come out of remission, which would be the last thing I'd want to happen. At the same time, if the risks for anesthesia are higher because of the asthma, that's also a concern for me.
These are pretty much the options he laid out:
1. Start her on an inhaler, which is a low dose steroid. He saw her through her diabetes journey so he knows she can't have the usual asthma high dose steroids. Come back in for a dental after some time on the inhaler.
2. Monitor her for the week and proceed with the dental if she seems fine and no asthma symptoms.
Now, she hasn't actually been medicated for asthma. Her attacks are infrequent, I think a once a month max, but the gap between the last one and the 2/16 one was 4 months, so every vet I've seen hasn't ever suggested or pushed medication. She did have chest x-rays done last summer, which showed irritation/inflammation, but even then, that vet didn't suggest long term meds.
Any thoughts or experience with similar situations? I'm wary of steroids but he said with the inhaler, the dose is low enough that it shouldn't effect her remission. He said that if it does, he thinks taking her off would bring her numbers back down. But more importantly, I'm just wondering whether it makes sense to keep the dental or if we should wait for a longer period where she's asthma fit-free. Right now, behavior wise, she's so lively, eats well, normal bathroom habits, so if something happened to her during the procedure I think I'd be devastated thinking maybe she didn't need the procedure then. I tend to worry more about her than my own self so that's part of the issue as well! Thanks all!
