Merlin has started coughing more

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Traci and Boomer

Traci and Boomer

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Hi Everyone-

Merlin (civvie) has mild asthma. My vet told me I didn't need to treat him but I do anyway with Flovent - 2 puffs a day. He used to cough once or twice a month. All of a sudden I've seen him cough a few times this week. Nothing has changed. He DOES have toys with feathers because he LOVES them. They don't seem to have caused issues in the past. No new air fresheners or anything smelly. I DO use hairspray in the morning and always have. It's never caused him to cough if he's in the presence of the spray. Any thoughts?

Taking him to the vet isn't going to help because she doesn't think it's a big issue. (She even has an asthmatic cat who she doesn't treat) I continue to go to this vet because Merlin loves her and because the asthma was under control. He doesn't have trouble breathing - if I run him around he huff and puffs a little but doesn't pant anymore. He had a chast x-ray last summer. So....in summary the only change is that I've noticed he's coughing more and I need to know if that's something that I need to be concerned about or if something is causing it that I may have not thought of.

Thanks for your help!
 
As an asthmatic myself, I can tell you that an increase in symptoms means something is going on.

As to what, your vet will need to examine him.

He could have a cold which could progress to pneumonia; asthmatics have a more difficult time with respiratory infections.
He could have an allergy that just developed or has become worse.
He could have heart failure.
There could be a mass in his lungs making him cough.
Or something else.

I wouldn't try to wait it out if you can take him now. An x-ray may determine if there is some reason for the cough other than asthma, as well as ruling out some things, like tumors, or heart enlargement/myopathy, or something swallowed or inhaled which is stuck.

And you may want to find a vet who's a bit more up to date on treating asthma - not treating leaves the lung inflammation uncontrolled and increases the risk for status asthmaticus, a fatal asthma attack. Over time, asthma is believed (at least in humans) to result in permanent damage to the lungs, resulting in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
 
Gosh traci .. I don't really know ... my only thought would be, do you have your heat going more because it is cold? Could it just be extra dry in your house? I really don't know ....
 
Put your ear down to his ribs when he isn't purring and listen. It may help to cup your hands around your ear or use a toilet tissue core to focus the sound to your ear.

If you hear wheezing (increased inflammation), or bubbling/glubby sounds (increased mucus), please go to vet.
 
What dose flovent do you give twice a day? (220mcg or 110mcg?) It could be an environmental allergen that has popped up. I listen to Oscar's lungs every few days by putting my ear to his chest. His breath sounds vary each time, but you should barely hear the breathing sounds if he isn't wheezy. Please refresh my memory - what kind of litter are you using for Merlin? Litter is the number one trigger for asthmatics. Do you have an albuterol inhaler on hand for when these coughing episodes happen?

Oscar is currently on 2 puffs 220mcg + 1 puff 110 mcg twice a day. Before we got a better vacuum, he had to be on 3 puffs 220 mcg twice a day to keep him from coughing. Any time before that we tried to lower the dose, he would cough within days. Also, litter was a HUGE trigger for him too. We have gone through many different brands, but he does best with Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat Litter.
 
Kelly & Oscar said:
What dose flovent do you give twice a day? (220mcg or 110mcg?) It could be an environmental allergen that has popped up. I listen to Oscar's lungs every few days by putting my ear to his chest. His breath sounds vary each time, but you should barely hear the breathing sounds if he isn't wheezy. Please refresh my memory - what kind of litter are you using for Merlin? Litter is the number one trigger for asthmatics. Do you have an albuterol inhaler on hand for when these coughing episodes happen?

Oscar is currently on 2 puffs 220mcg + 1 puff 110 mcg twice a day. Before we got a better vacuum, he had to be on 3 puffs 220 mcg twice a day to keep him from coughing. Any time before that we tried to lower the dose, he would cough within days. Also, litter was a HUGE trigger for him too. We have gone through many different brands, but he does best with Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat Litter.
Click to expand...

Ahhhhhhh - see? This is why I come here! ;-) Cat litter....yes, I did buy a new one and YES it did seem very dusty. I'll bet that's it! It was Cat's Pride and I noticed right away it was extra dusty when I pour it.

Yes, I have albuterol - but I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't think of giving to him for the cough - I thought it was for panting. Thank you for the reminder. As far as the flovent, he gets 110 mcg twice a day and was doing fine. I'll have to go buy the other cat litter!!!! I've never heard of Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat Litter - where do you buy it???

Also - I put my ear to his chest but I didn't hear anything - I suppose that's good?

THANK YOU SO MUCH for responding!!! I totally forgot about the cat litter. nailbite_smile :shock:
 
Traci and Boomer said:
Ahhhhhhh - see? This is why I come here! ;-) Cat litter....yes, I did buy a new one and YES it did seem very dusty. I'll bet that's it! It was Cat's Pride and I noticed right away it was extra dusty when I pour it.

Yes, I have albuterol - but I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't think of giving to him for the cough - I thought it was for panting. Thank you for the reminder. As far as the flovent, he gets 110 mcg twice a day and was doing fine. I'll have to go buy the other cat litter!!!! I've never heard of Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat Litter - where do you buy it???

Also - I put my ear to his chest but I didn't hear anything - I suppose that's good?

THANK YOU SO MUCH for responding!!! I totally forgot about the cat litter. nailbite_smile :shock:
Click to expand...


I get the Dr. Elsey's at Petsmart. It runs about $16 for a 40lb bag. It is also the litter that Dr. Lisa recommends too. Its the lowest dusting I have found, and clumps really well too. Absolutely no scent to it, yet it keeps the "kitty smells" at bay. 110 is a really low dose to be controlled on, so you are lucky. Most cats need at least 1 puff 220mcg twice a day to be controlled. Especially until you are able to switch out the litter, you can give him 2 puffs 110mcg twice a day. Once the litter is switched out for about a week, you can try taking it down to 1 puff 110 in the morning and 2 puffs 110 in the evening for 2 weeks and then back down to your original dosing. He is going to need something now to help bring down that extra little bit of inflammation. Not hearing any wheezing is a great thing! I'd recommend to just keep a check on it every few days so you know when something is different.
 
THanks so much for your guidance about the dosing. No coughing last night. How should I make the decision about increasing the doseS Should I wait a few more days to see if I see coughing and then if I do, give him 2 extra puffs? I will be able to get the new litter tomorrow night if my PetSmart has it. Also - if I see him cough - should I give him a puff of albuterol on the spot?
 
Traci and Boomer said:
THanks so much for your guidance about the dosing. No coughing last night. How should I make the decision about increasing the doseS Should I wait a few more days to see if I see coughing and then if I do, give him 2 extra puffs? I will be able to get the new litter tomorrow night if my PetSmart has it. Also - if I see him cough - should I give him a puff of albuterol on the spot?
Click to expand...

If he has been coughing more frequently lately, I would go ahead and up the dose now. You already know from when he was panting while playing that he doesn't have to cough to experience inflammation. If he does have another coughing episode, give 1 puff of the albuterol immediately. Listen to his lungs 15min later and see if they sound better. If not, then you can give one more puff of the albuterol. Merlin is a lucky guy to have you on top of everything!
 
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