question about Lasix and Prednisone

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maryjoandsmokie

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Has anyone every had any problem giving a little Lasix and Prednisone to help with
croupy cough and rattling in cats chest?
Smokie is past 16 year old diet controlled Diabetic with CRI.

Thank you for any help
Maryjo
 
Re: question about Lasix and Predisone

Sending prayers for Smokie, bless his heart. I give Waldo Lasix but not with pred. so I'm not much help. The lasix is for his heart condition. Just wanted to send support. Good luck, I hope he's feeling better soon.
Jeanne
 
Thanks Jeanne for the prayers. I am so scared. Vet wants to wait and see if the clavamox i'm giving helps Smokie get better before i bring her in as she gets so upset and he says it will make her breathing worsen. I want to know what exactly is wrong.
I don't remember if Waldo is diabetic.

Maryjo
 
Lasix causes dehydration and can be hard on the kidneys, it should not be used unless there is a heart condition. Pred can worsen heart failure in cats with a heart condition, so it's really never a good idea to use both at once. If the cough is from an infection, the pred won't help there either (it suppresses the immune system).

FWIW, heart failure in cats rarely ever causes a cough, so the chances of a cat having a "cardio cough" are quite slim.
 
Hi Maryjo,

Last year when my Rudder was having breathing trouble before he died, the vet said he would never give Prednisone to a cat with diabetes, let alone a cat that had cardiomyopathy, which is what my Rudder had. He never suggested Lasix either.

I think that somewhere you should try to find a vet that knows more about asthma in cats, because it sounds like Smokie could be having breathing trouble due to asthma, as well as possibly heart trouble, but like Jess said, coughing is usually not a sign of heart failure, unless it is very rare.

You say that Smokie has CRI? Is that Chronic Renal Insufficiency? If so, then Jess also is right that Lasix is very hard on the kidneys and that could make matters worse.

I can't understand a vet giving instructions to give a cat he has not looked at, Lasix or Prednisone, without doing a thorough examination. If you are willing to take her in, and if she is as hard to handle as you have mentioned in the past, I imagine the vet does not want to sedate her, as that would only mask symptoms, or could cause her to get worse. So, I understand you are in a 'catch 22' situation with poor Smokie.

Is she eating okay? Does she have trouble swallowing her food? Why does the vet want her on Clavamox? It just doesn't seem right to throw drugs at a cat that he has not seen recently and really is only guessing at what might be wrong with her.

Do you have an ER vet place that you might take her to? I know that would cost more, but maybe they could handle her more easily, unless it is the drive in the car that gets her so upset. Have you looked to see if you have any vets that would be willing to come to your house to examine her?

I hope you can find some way to have her examined. Has she had any vomiting lately?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to figure out what could be wrong that she is coughing like she is. Without seeing a vet, it is just a 'guessing game'.

Best wishes and sending prayers that you can find someone that can help.
Hugs,
Jean and Charcoal (GA)
 
My apologies for changing Smokies gender :? I should have remembered better. Waldo is not diabetic. But does have heart condition and has asthma. I worry about dehydration in him but he readily drinks water, so I try not to worry too much.

Anyway I am sending prayers for Miss Smokie. I KNOW how worriesome it can be.

God bless,
Jeanne
 
Jess. Thank you so much for that information! I won't be giving either of those
drugs now.

Thanks Jean. I think that the vet may be afraid to sedate her. i just don't know.
What i do know is that i don't know what to do anymore.
I may ask him if i can give Baytrill shots at home since i can't get Smokie to take
the calvamox anymore. She is not vomiting and pooping and peeing is normal.
Her appetite is good.
When she coughs she swallows real hard several several times.
Thanks for prayers for Smokie.

Thats ok Jeanne. I do the gender mix-up thing all the time.
Thank you for prayers for Smokie.
maryjoansmokie
 
Hi Maryjo,

Maybe I have missed something here about poor Smokie, but WHY exactly does the vet, or do you feel that Smokie has to have an antibiotic? Is she coughing up anything that you can see that is yellow or green? Does she have anything coming out of her nose?

If she is eating okay, peeing and pooping okay and the coughing is the big issue, there seems like she should really have a thorough examination done, but I know it has been tough for you to get her to a vet that can handle her and is not afraid of her.

Is there any way that you can look in her mouth or throat, or won't she let you either? Have you been able to feel around her body for any lumps or bumps anywhere? Try to feel her neck to see if any lymph nodes are swollen? She may need an x-ray to determine if she has asthma or something else going on.

She is up in age, being 16, and even though some folks here always say that 16 is not that old, a lot of cats don't have the best genetic makeup as others do.

I hope you can find a way to hunt for a vet that might be able to give you some answers.

Who do your sons take their cats to? Maybe ask them to check out to see if there is another vet available?

Take care! I hope Smokie will be okay.

Hugs,
Jean and Charcoal (GA)
 
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