Possible Asthma diagnosis but completely unsure

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Lynee and Max

Lynee and Max

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I'm at my wits end and dont' know where else to turn. I had spoken with JoJo a few weeks ago about Diamond (one of the kittens from the litter Angel had a year ago) starting to "honk". JoJo referred me to a think showing a cat having an asthma attack. It appeared as though that was exactly what Diamond was doing.

So yesterday I took her to the vet. Couldn't see my wonderful vetty bean who helped me to save Max because she wasn't there. Saw a different vet whom I've never met. He listened to her lungs and said "slightly harsh respiratory sounds" but sent her back home with me and said to get a stool sample to check for "lungworms" to rule that out first. BTW - her temp was 101.8 so he said that there was no way she could have a URI with a normal temp. To my knowledge 101.8 is low??? Am I right about that??

I have no way of getting a stool sample from her because I have 7 cats in the house. I did the LB watch until I just couldn't keep my eyes open anymore and had to go to bed.

The strange thing is - she only coughs after she eats. Could it possibly be a situation of her having worms that are coming up into her throat when she eats to get the food she has just eaten? I just fed her breakfast and she had a coughing spell. Now she is completely fine yet again.

I really need some input on this as soon as possible. I am taking DH to work again today so that I have the van here and can rush her to the vet again immediately upon a coughing spell but I just am so confused about this whole lung worm bit and why they couldn't x-ray her lungs yesterday when she was there.

Any insight is greatly apreciated.
 
harry has asthma, which we found thru the xray. i'd recommend an xray. cats don't always perform at the vet's office in the same way they do at home so he may just not have heard it properly.

if you find asthma and the vet isn't ready to treat yet, i'd suggest you ask for an emergency inhaler just in case. that's what i was advised, and i think it's a good idea.

you might need to confine her to the bathroom with a litterbox until she poos. any idea when she normally does? is it at night before bed or after breakfast sometime?
 
I'm leaving right now to take DH to work so I have the van here with me. I have Diamond locked in my bedroom with a clean LB and a plate of food so hopefully by the time I return to the house she will have given me a prezzie that I can take to the vet and have tested. I will be back in a little over an hour and will check back in when I get back home.

Of course I am very freaked out over the whole asthma situation because she is only 14 months old and the long term use of the steroids from the asthma has diabetes written all over it. ugh!!!
 
just wondering how likely lungworms would be. i mean, she's not an outside kitty or anything, right? she wouldn't have eaten anything that could have lungworms, i'm guessing. the value of the xray is that it could show obstructions as well, which could be causing the honking sound. is heartworm prevalent in your area?

i wouldn't worry as much about inhalers as i would about a strong steroid. a number of cats here are on inhalers.

wondering whether the litter you use is especially dusty? you don't spray the room with lysol or anything, right? wondering about allergies from or a sensitivity to that.
 
Hi lynee

Sorry to read about this. But I wanted to allay your fears about inhaled steroid vs steroid shots. Inhaled steroids like flovent and flixotide (generic) do not cause fd. As ot stays in the lungs and does not spread throughout the body like injections. So from that aspect you do not need to worry about fd.

If it truly is asthma and not worms. Then gettiing her on inhaled meds is the best thing you can do. You will need:

Aerokat. It's about $60 and can be purchased directly from trudell.
Albuterol emergency inhaler. - get a script go to human pharmacy and get 90 day supply (3) inhalers for $10

The flovent or flixotide it $$ if you buy ot locally. The yahoo group FAR fline asthma relief is working a deal with 4 corners pharmacy to get it cheaper. I will attach the link when I get to work.

The question will be what dose level and how many puffs per day are needed for a wee one.

Once you know what the problem is we can talk further about asthma if needed
 
I just got back from taking DH to work and walked in the door to find Diamond in a full blown coughing attack. So I immediately threw her in the carrier, out the door we went and called the vet on the way to say we were coming. They took her from me as soon as I walked in the door and rushed her back for an X-ray. The vet's don't arrive until 8:30 so they asked me to leave her there. I am at this point just waiting for a phone call as to what is going on.

To answer previous questions asked - no she is strictly an indoor kitty and I was told that lungworms come from eating snails, slugs and the likes. She has no exposure to any critters to eat so I'm thinking that lungworms are not going to be an issue. However, am unsure as to whether it could be worms in her belly causing this because the coughing is much more prevalent after she eats.

I tried locking her in the bedroom with me last night with her own litter box and she held it all night. DH opened the door this morning and she shot out of the bedroom like the little flash that she is and went back to the 5 litterboxes in the cat room. By the time he got back there she was already out of the box so he had no clue which one she was in.

I am, however, concerned about the possibility of heartworm even though she doesn't go outside. Living in Alabama we are in a high risk heart worm area.

I was not pleased with having to spend $44.00 yesterday at the vet only to be told to bring her back home because they can't do an x-ray until she has just had a coughing spell. So back we go again to spend more money. Although Dr. Conely is there today so that makes me feel 100% better just in that.

I will keep you all posted as I hear things but right now I'm just waiting as my little munchkin girl sits at the vet.
 
Lynee and Max said:
I was not pleased with having to spend $44.00 yesterday at the vet only to be told to bring her back home because they can't do an x-ray until she has just had a coughing spell.
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You don't have to wait for them to have a coughing spell for an x-ray. If there's damage to the lungs, it can be seen at any time, not just while they're coughing.
 
lynee, she'll probably waive her fee for today. at least that's what my vets would do. just can't believe that some vets would just send people home. guessing especially with a young kitty you want to avoid unnecessary exposure to radiation (xrays) because of long-term risk but in this case it is such a simple diagnostic tool. i mean, what if she had an obstruction or something?

anyway, sending good wishes for a successful vet visit and easy fix.
 
What ever you do ask for a different Vet. That one who said she had to be coughing doesnt seem to want to be bothered. If she has asthma it will show up on an xray coughing or not.
 
Absolutely, an x-ray for asthma diagnosis does not need to be done while the cat is coughing. If she has been coughing in the last couple of days, that should be symptomatic enough to show up on the x-ray.

It is pretty much standard protocol to test for lungworms, to rule it out....but does not need to be done before x-ray, both should be done.

I want to share my experience with my asthmatic cat, Pita, maybe it will be helpful. Pita had been coughing on and off for a few months, I thought it was hairballs, and she had a URI along with asthma when I took her to the vet. They gave her a small dose steroid injection (for the asthma), and antibiotics (for the URI). Over the next few days, she got worse and worse, and ended up at a different vet hospital with pneumonia. To make a long story short, we very nearly lost her. Please, please...if you have ANY indications of a URI, even if she doesn't have a fever, DO NOT let them give her systemic steroids (injection or pill) because it compromises her ability to fight infection. Inhaled steroids take a while to build up to theraputic levels, but are much preferred because there is less risk of side effects. The other advice you have been given is good, I just wanted to warn about the danger of using systemic steroids when there is an infection present!
 
Everyone has given you great advice so far! I am curious as to why she coughs only after eating though. What kind of food is she eating? Could it possibly be an allergy to the food that is complicating/triggering her asthma symptoms?
 
ABsolutely losing my mind right now. I just called the vet and a tech got on the phone and said that the x-ray has been done but he can't discuss it with me. A vet sould be calling me soon to discuss. I am assuming that since she has been there they have not only done the x-ray but have attempted to gain a stool sample from her along with doing a CBC. So now I just sit here pacing the floors waiting for a call from the vet as to exactly what is wrong with my little Diamond.

No change in food could have started this. She eats the same thing that she has eaten every single day since she stopped nursing from Angel so I am so completely baffled as to what has brought this all on. And the fact that she coughs considerably more after eating also has me baffled. And we all know too well how the waiting game can be waiting for a vet to call you back. The worst part is my vet office is closed from 12:00 to 2:00 on Tuesdays for a staff meeting and it is now 11:15 here and no word from the vet. I have worn holes in my floors from pacing and have just about ripped all my hair out of my head.

Thank you all for your fantastic advice and I will definitely be going into the vet well prepared to ask any questions and demand what medications I want to treat with if it is asthma.
 
I hope you get news soon and that it is something easy to treat. Hang in there. Feel better soon Diamond! Your bean-mom is worried!

I am doing the waiting-game too, waiting for the internal medicine vet to call me back right now... so I can relate to the stress!
 
I wish there was something I could say to make the vet call now.

My sister's cat had been having episodes of coughing after eating. It's hard to dx. She did get xrays and an MRI, a scope was done. The blood test did show heartworm antibodies, but the ultrasound of her heart didn't show anything. It was a really crazy time, my sister was beside herself going from vet to vet.

At one point Spencer was put on asthma meds, Flovent, I believe, she had the mask and gave her a puff when she coughed, but nothing worked.

Oddly, one day it just stopped. No dx was ever attained, there was nothing in her sinus cavity causing this, nothing in her throat, nothing at all that would explain what happened. All that's left now are videos my sister took of Spencer's coughing fits, it's been over a year and Spencer hasn't coughed since.

I do not wish you never to have a dx, but I do hope your Diamond can heal quickly.
 
I hope the vet calls you soon! In the meantime, some more info, assuming it is asthma...

Flovent is an inhaled steroid. It is a maintenance medication, it is not a rescue medication. In order for it to be effective, it needs to be used on a regular basis...it is to prevent attacks, not treat them while they are occuring. It takes at least a few days of regular use to build up enough to start having some effect. It reduces inflamation. You will want to mail order this med, only buy one (human pharmacy, need script) for immediate use and follow the advice given in the Hillary's post about 4 corners pharmacy.

Albuterol is a rescue medication. It is also usually used in inhaler form, for use to treat acute attacks. This is what you want to help with symptoms until the flovent starts taking effect. You may need to continue using it with the flovent, depends on the kitty. It opens up the airways to make breathing easier. This is also a human med and you need a script, but it is cheap to buy locally.

It will take some time to get an Aerokat, it needs to be ordered from Canada. It is a spacer with a special face mask used with the inhalers to deliver the meds. If you get an asthma dx, I would order this right away. One trick I used before my Aerokat arrived was to use an old spacer from my DD...it had a cap on the end that came off and I put the kitty's face in the open end of the spacer. It wasn't ideal, but it was better than puffing the inhaler in her face and hoping she inhaled some of it! I have 2 human asthmatics in the house, along with my kitty asthmatic.

No idea on coughing only after eating. Come on vet, call back please!
 
DX of Diamond

Well, vetty bean finally called me. The X-rays showed a "spot" in one lobe of her lung. No Asthma - however, she does have bronchial pnemonia in one lung. I am on my way to pick her up right now so I will have a little more detailed info when I get back home. Thank you all for the well-wishes for my sweet little girl.
 
that's good it's not asthma - so now we don't have to play that game.

and at least you know it's pneumonia, treatable and curable and would explain the coughing and breathing problems.

let's see what they suggest to use for it - my guess a really good strong AB - BUT NOT COVENIA Whatever you do!
 
Well they showed me the x-rays and 1/4 of her left lung is bad with pnemonia. Poor little thing. No wonder she was having such a difficult time. The x-rays also showed a slight collapse in her bronchial tube because of the trouble she was having breathing. Nothing sent home to help her breathe and they sent me home with Clavamox to give her twice a day. I caught them before they could give her the shot of Covenia. But of course I must ask what is the problem with the Covenia because they told me that they have been using it for three years with no problems whatsoever with it. So of course curiosity has the best of me as to what problems arise from that shot.

But she goes back on July 5th to have another Radiograph done to see how her lung looks then. I must say that I am still very concerned because she is still coughing like crazy and just wants to lay and sleep. They did manage to get a stool sample and checked for lungworms which came back negative (which I suspected since she doesn't go outside at all).

She is being shunned by all the rest of the cats I'm sure because of the vetty smell on her so she has found herself a nice comfy spot to get some rest.
 
Lynee and Max said:
But of course I must ask what is the problem with the Covenia because they told me that they have been using it for three years with no problems whatsoever with it. So of course curiosity has the best of me as to what problems arise from that shot.
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It's been discussed here multiple times--just do a search for it. (proper spelling is Convenia)
 
I must have been raked over the coals then after hearing that you can get a 90 day supply for ten bucks, lol! My two inhalers when Elvis had really bad attacks a few weeks ago cost me almost two hundred dollars. I'm curious what the difference is.
 
Lynee -

Admittedly my experience with pneumonia is with a human (my father), not a cat, so I'm not sure how well my knowledge transfers, but... When my father once had pneumonia, he got much worse before he got better, which is exactly what his doctor told him would happen. I was probably a teenager at the time, so this is a looooonnnngggg time ago, but I do recall that he did absolutely nothing but sleep for weeks, even after the treatment was started.

He eventually was fine, but it took a long time (in his case one lung had collapsed and the other was in a bad way, so it sounds worse that what Diamond is facing).
 
fourcatsmama said:
I must have been raked over the coals then after hearing that you can get a 90 day supply for ten bucks, lol! My two inhalers when Elvis had really bad attacks a few weeks ago cost me almost two hundred dollars. I'm curious what the difference is.
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That was referring to albuterol, I suspect. I've paid $9 at Walmart for albuterol. It's the flovent (steroid) that's very expensive. I think it was around $150 at Walmart but it's been a while. Both meds can be bought from Canada; the flovent is available for a lot less money -- but there's the 2 week or so delivery delay.
 
lynee, did you read this discussion http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2107? it also links to another discussion on convenia.

the scary part is that it can stay in the system a really long time so if the cat has an adverse reaction it can be a nightmare for around 2 months.

that said, a number of cats on the board had convenia with no trouble, including cleo. her specialty vet (oncologist) said she's never seen problems with it, but if i had known about some cats' problems with it i would not have taken the chance, especially on an already very sick kitty.
 
Hi Lynee

I'm sorry to hear about Diamond. Is she still coughing so frequently? Did they test for HW, by any chance? If she is still coughing, I would ask about using a bronchodilator (this can be inhaled, like albuterol, or by mouth, like theophylline or terbutaline). I wonder about this pneumonia ... it is not common in cats, but there are some cats with asthma who have a chronic lung lobe collapse (one single lobe). Well you'll soon see.

Since you live in a HW endemic area, I would see about putting all the cats on Heartgard as well. Cats can get livelong lung disease from heartworm infection, even if they never actually develop heartworm itself.
 
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