Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: tammy on March 23, 2007, 21:05:53 PM
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As some of you may be aware Fluffy was put on steroids about 5 months ago due to gleeding from her nose. Actual cause never established but thaught to be a form of autoimmune disorder.
She has been rather unwell for the past month or so, not eating all that well and losing 800g in weight. She has also in the last few days devloped shallow fast breething. She went back to the vets today and we have been told she has to have x rays and further looks doen her respiratory tract as it could be either an infection or further swelling/blockage of her nasal passage causing her dificulty breathing. Vet listened to her lungs and heart and could not hear any probs apart from the increased respiratory output.
We also have to have her urine analysed as she has been going loo loads in the past 1 weeks or so (her litter is water logged several times a day,in the past this would only happen if we left it for a week).
Any advice and support would be useful. Please send good vibes to her.....she really needs them right now.........
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Aww, the poor babe, I do hope the vet can find the reason for it soon. How old is she, and has the vet run any blood tests?
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Fluffy is almost 13 yrs old. She had bloods when she 1st got poorly a few months back, but as needles stress her out we decided to wait until she was sedated to have bloods at the same time as her xray this time round :scared:
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I do remember her now - the only prob with waiting till she is sedated is in case the bloods show anythign with her liver or kidneys, I dont know if the protocol for those is different in sedation than anaesthetics though. Did the last bloods show anything?
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last bloods showed absolutely nothing. I did voice my concerns about sedation but the vet seems pretty certain that she has no probs with kidneys/liver/heart and as she would only be under for 5 mins max and itd be reversed straight after shed be fine as she'd come round from it lots quicker than proper anasthesia
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That is good then - I wouldnt' count on it just being 5 mins max for an x-ray though, we thought that with Tiger, and half an hour later, they had to give her an anaesthetic after a sedation didn't work!!
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Can't really offer any advice, but am happy to offer virtual support :hug:
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Tammy sorry to hear Fluffy has taken a turn for the worse ... I can't offer any advice but I will be praying for herand sending lots of positive vibes that Mr Vet can get to the route of problem.
Take care hun and big hugs to you and Fluffy :grouphug:
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So sorry to hear about Fluffy, hope everything goes well :hug: :hug:
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This is one instance where testing for FLV may be appropriate. She may have a problem with her chest related to the virus. Ensure that it's a VIRUS and not an antibody test. Also, a full blood count may be useful to check her platelet levels.
Lots of good vibes.
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Any advice and support would be useful
I don't think we are in a position to offer much advice in Fluffys case, as it really is a vet 'thing'. Although if your vet cannot find out the true problem very soon perhaps a second opinion could be obtained. Obviously you vet would be able to pass on all blood and ex-ray results on to the other vet so that should cut down the expense. all we can do is be here for you.
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Good morning Tammy,
As everybody else has said there is nothing much that I can say, far too many symptoms for me to possibly hazard a guess with all my cat experience. If the blood tests have shown nothing up so far then maybe the x-rays will, when are the x-rays due to be carried out? My Spotty was diagnosed asthmatic after an x-ray.
I am sending positive vibes to you :hug:
Hope Fluffy is feeling better soon :blow kiss:
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Thanks you guys. She is being xrayed monday, fingers crossed. They booked her in as an urgent case so that the vet could do her monday but are saying that the hosp list is looking full so we may have to wait till wednesday but for now its monday. The vet did say that if nothing definitive is found in xrays they will do a full blood screen, does that cover FELV or do I need to check for that in a separate test,as if they end up doing bloods we mights as well check for that. Is there any treatment for FELV? I know its not curable but something to improve her life perhaps?
Thank you all for the kind words, Fluff appreciates it :)
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Tammy, i wouldn`t want to worry you even more than you are already and you need to be guided by your vet but personally i would ask them to give her a full general anaesthetic in this case. I know its not easy to say these sorts of things to your vet. I say this because the reversible anaesthetic isn`t the best option in older cats where a blood test hasn`t been done to show the workings of the major organs. Also, with sedation they do not put a tube down into the trachea to maintain the airway as they do with general anaesthesia. As she has respiratory problems it would probably be a good idea for this tube to be in to maintain an airway.
I wish you the best of luck for Monday.
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Thank You Amanda. I will certainly mention this when she gets dropped off on monday. Feel silly really now-not thinking of that myself as I used to work for a vet!!
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does that cover FELV or do I need to check for that in a separate test,as if they end up doing bloods we mights as well check for that. Is there any treatment for FELV? I know its not curable but something to improve her life perhaps?
The FIV & FeLV test is a separate test, you must have worked at a vets a very long time ago as the test have been available for many many years.
Whole as you know there is no cure for FIV cats recent research has shown that cats infected with FIV can live just as long as uninfected cats .A long-term FIV Monitoring Project was carried out at Glasgow Veterinary School over a number of years and the results indicated that a higher percentage of FIV negative cats died than FIV positive cats! A fourteen year study by Maureen Hutchison B.Sc, BVMS, MRCVS found that FIV-positive cats are more likely to die by being killed in road accidents or to be alive and well into their twilight years than they are to die from any FIV related condition. Also, a recent survey by Dr Diane D. Addie (Lecturer in Veterinary Virology, University of Glasgow) where 26 cats were monitored for ten years, found that FIV infection did not affect the cats’ life expectancy.
Of course to give FIV cats the best possible chance they really need to be kept as indoor cats.
Good luck for Monday.
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Thanks Ela-Yes I did work at a vets long time ago-well 14yrs or so.
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Ela - she actually asked about FeLV, not FIV!! The lifespan for FeLV isn't as long as FIV, but it really does vary from cat to cat, and she might not even have it. It is worth getting it done if your vet feels it is necessary though. There is no treatment as such, but it does really depend on what symptoms are present, as it can affect them in different ways, and in certain ones, things can be given to help alleviate them. I do hope that your vet doesnt push her back till Wed, this needs dealing with asap
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Ela - she actually asked about FeLV, not FIV!!
I appreciate that I was just giving good value for money but I should have added that if a cat is tested for FeLV and is poss it is possible that they can then go on to shred it so it is not necessary to PTS unless very ill and suffering.
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Thank You Amanda. I will certainly mention this when she gets dropped off on monday. Feel silly really now-not thinking of that myself as I used to work for a vet!!
Thats ok. I didn`t know whether to mention it all in case it worried you more but i thought it might be important. Also, i know there are lots of possibilities for what could be going on but i was wondering whether it could be some sort of anaemia or clotting problem.
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amanda-she has been checked for internal bleeds and anaemia and all sign point to that not being the case. As one of her original symptoms was bleeds from the nasal passage into her foodbowl, it has always been a worry that if not extarnal sign were visible of bleeds that she may bleed into her osophegous and swollow the blood-so the vet checks for that whenever we are there with her no metter what the reason. Also she is nice and pink in her gums and mouth and other places and heart is working perfect so thats another good sign.
As for FELV if that is the cause of her worries, it may not be good news as we have been trating her symptoms for a long time now without knowing the cause and there are possible signs that the meds are not working as well as they were 6 months ago.
We never did get a call to say she has to be moved to wednesday so we are taking her in tomorow am - and we have to attempt to take a urine sample before we leave the house..............That'll be fun!!!
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and we have to attempt to take a urine sample before we leave the house..............That'll be fun!!!
Oh yes. Mind you I have often found that if I wash a tray , put it down and while I have gone to get the fresh litter a cat has got in the empty tray and weeed. Mind you knowing my luck if I needed a sample the wrong cat would get in and weeee.
My thoughts and I am sure the thoughts of many posters will be with you tomorrow.
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Thanks Ela. From the perspective of needing a wee sample luckily we only have one cat at the mo so it will only be her pee in there. It just all that bother with making sure its fresh wee and not too old etc. Luckily because she is being put under they said if we cant get anything theyll try and squeeze it out of her bladder whilst she's there
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Hi Tammy,
How is Fluffy today?
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Hi Yvonne,
She had breakfast when I got up about 10 and has been asleep in her hideyhole in the downstairs loo (its dark and quiet,she loves it there) ever since. Vet did say its normal for her to sleep a little more at the mo as her breathing probably wakes her up at night so she's more tired. Glad shes going in 2moro so she wont have to struggle for much longer. She refuses to eat anything but shrimp flavour meet in jelly-she's not fussed what brand as long as its that. We bough a whiskas multipack with all fish flavours and shell only eat shrimp-she did that with sheba too. She has been on dried pellets since she was about3 - 4 and shes 13 now-we tried the wet equivalent ut she went without food all day so we had to give in. She licks all the jelly off 1st goes for a nap and tahn comes back for the meat........ :(
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Poor Fluffy, keeping everything crossed for you both tomorrow :hug:
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Thanks Helen :shy:
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Good luck tomorrow, hope everything goes well :hug: :hug:
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Thanks Gill
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Yes Tammy good luck for tomorow.
Will Fluffy eat any other fish? for example tuna or pilchards or does it have to be shrimp? :cook:
Cleo used to like tuna in sunflower oil
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I have somehow managed not to see this before - fingers tightly crossed for Fluffy's vet visit tomorrow.
If she's keen on fishy shrimpy things, she might like the Gourmet Pearl Ocean Delicacies range, which are exactly that. Blip loves them.
:hug: to Fluffy
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Thanks Blip I will go shop now and look. Strangest thing is though she is not naturally picky. At her heaviest in January this year she weighed 7.1kg.She is down to 6.3kg now and I think this is all due to her illness. She loves actual tuna from a tin but her tummy has never taken it well and she will bring it back up, hence petfood in tuna flavor has alway been high ranking with her. Due to her size she was on prescription food for a longtime and this is quite bland tasting. Thats why I am surprised that now we are offering more flavored foods she will only go for shrimpy stuff.
Yvonne Never have tried pilchards with her but I hate the smell so we never have any at home-Ill try Blips suggestion.
Thanks for the support guys.
Had a look at my supermarket and they dont do the ocean range :(
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Fingers crossed for tomorrow, and good luck for the urine sample, at least she is there anyway, so they can get one from her at some point during the day, or get it while she is under.
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thanks Desley
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Send me your address by PM Tammy and I'll send you a sample pouch from our cupboard. If Fluffy likes them, you can check for local stockists...
xC
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Blip
Have PMd you. Thank You sooo muuch ;D
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Do you have a Tesco near by Tammy? They sell them there.
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cc-i used to have one near work but I changed job 2 months ago-do not fancy 20miles each way for that but will try a net search and see. Thanks for the info :)
My local supermarket does the gourmet stuff just not the ocean range and thats what Im after.
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Got your PM, Tammy and have replied. Judging from your postcode, Waitrose is your best bet but I'm sending a sample pouch for Fluffy.
xC
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thanks, we have 2 waitroses quite close to us so that shouldnt be a problem :) Fluffy sends her very hungry puuurrrs from the vets this morning!!
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I've posted a pouch of cod with shrimps, so it should be with you tomorrow. Let us know how Fluffy gets on today.
:Luv:
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How angry am I today!! >:( >:( >:( >:(
Ive been back and forth with the vets over the last 3 weeks complaining that the cat is constipated only to be told that she isnt. Now Ive had her booked in with a locum for chest xrays Ive had a call from the locum whilst Fluffy is still under saying that a corner of one xray showed the top part of her abdomen and it looks very compacted with fecal matter and would it be ok to xray her abdomen separately to check the extent of the problem. Then Im guessing she will get an enema whilst she is still under and cost me huge amounts of money as chest xrays werer unnessery. She says she could feel stuff in her belly when she was under but not knowing her history she didnt know it would be this, as she thought the usual vet had already checked for this!!! This Im guessing is why she is eating only very pallatable food as nothing else would fit in her poor little tummy!! :(
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PS Thank You so much for your little parcel Christine
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Fluffy is coming home tonight! YIPEE-still dont know if there is anything else wrong with Fluff as vet took xrays to another collegue for 2nd opinion. Will find out at 6.30 when I pick her up. This isnt the 1st time Fluffy had been compacted this badly, it had to be cleared once before about a year ago. Anybody got any dietary change advice we can implement to help ease this problem??
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I'm glad Fluffy is coming home this evening and hope that this can be managed with diet etc.
If Fluffy was a human being, I'd know what dietary advice to give, but I don't know for a cat. I'd guess plenty of liquids in her diet, though? I hope the vet has advised her opinion.
:hug: anyway. PS The GP Ocean stuff is well sloppy.
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Hope Fluffy is home with you and feeling better ;D
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You could try adding lactulose to her food. But i would check this with the vet first.
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Dinah has Peridale capsules which bulk out the poo and help her to deliver a "proper" poo as opposed to a horrible hard twig, again the vet suggested these. I think oily fish helps too.
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Maybe you could try giving her furball remedy. Is Fluffy a very fluffy cat? If so, she may have furball and this could be causing many of her symptoms (picky eating, breathing problems etc) though not the bleeding.
In many ways this could be good news. It could mean that she doesn't have anything major wrong with her chest. I had a cat who developed thymic lymphosarcoma (a chest tumour) as the result of FLV and feared this could be the case with Fluffy. Constipation is much less serious.
Is she still bleeding from her nose? Could this have been a one off due to a foreign body?
Good Luck and Good Vibes :Flowers:
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What did the vet say when you picked her up? Molly has constipation issues, the vet said to cut out her dry (impossible for Molly!!), add more water in her diet, try high fibre food and Lactulose if none of those work. She does fine on that. Good luck with Fluffy, did they run bloods as well?
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Is she still bleeding from her nose? Could this have been a one off due to a foreign body?
We had all sorts of tests done on her nose in the past and its definitely not due to a foregin object but an inoperable growth.
Fluffy is at home now-With somewhat greasy fur from the extra strenght enemer she had. Begging for food all the time and fishing for constant cuddles. Vet say we can carry on with dry but dumpen it down a little. We have been given lactulose for her last night and the vet reckons she should have 1ml twice daily (isnt that excessive?)
Fluffy isnt the the fluffiest cat in the traditional sense but she does have a very thick,coarse,dense coat and she has had problems with furballs in the past so she does get the stuff from the vets for furballs regularly. I think I will not feed her dry as much any more as I dont want to be asking for trouble!!
Poor sausage has a shaved neck again due to blood tests under sedation.....Its only just fully grown back from the last lot!!!
Big Purrs to you all from Fluffy ;D
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Glad to hear that Fluffy has her appetite back. She must have been majorly bunged up!
All the posh cats have colonic irrigation!
Good luck
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All the posh cats have colonic irrigation!
Dont I know it!! It sure cost a posh amount............ I think Im gonna be paying mum and dad off for the restr of my life. Her tests in september cost £1300 and yesterday cost juts short of £500, so in total I owe my parents £1800. Ive paid most of last lot of but whenevr I seem to get anywhere near clearing it she needs something again!!
She lost about 300-400 g yesterday from all the poo that came out!! She looked a lot skinnier when she got home so it sure was bad!!
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[She lost about 300-400 g yesterday from all the poo that came out!! She looked a lot skinnier when she got home so it sure was bad!!
Oh poor Fluffy! I bet she feels SO much better now. Hugs to her.
:hug:
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Good to hear that Fluffy has been releived of one problem, colon hyydrotherapy is all the rage nowadays you know!
With regards Lactulose dosage see http://www.felinecrf.org/treatments.htm#constipation an exert from that article...
"A possible starting dose is 0.5ml once a day, but this may need to be adjusted with your vet's approval; Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook says that cats may be given up to 1ml per kg (0.5ml per lb) of bodyweight per day. It does take a couple of days for lactulose to work, so do not give too much too soon"
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Human dosage for errrr... :shify: Becca-sized humans is 25-30mls a day or more as needed so 0.5 or 1ml sounds about right. There's no possible harm from having too much except bowels being a bit loose which from the sound of it is the absolute least of Fluffy's worries - you could always gradually reduce the dose down if 1ml twice a day is working a bit too well.
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I guess you guys are right-she gets soo compact that I guess diarrhea is not the highest priority so I gues we start her on 2*1ml daily and see what happens :)
Thanks Christine :hug:
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Have just had a thought - maybe the reason she gets so compact is cos the r/d is too high in fibre for her? So, if you can find an alternative she will eat (the more wet food the better), she might not struggle so much. I can't remember what dosage the vet said to use on Molly, but I find that just a small drizzle over her food helps.
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desley-Ive come to the conclusion that she will have to go on wet food anyways and as she isnt too keen on the r/d wet it will have to be jelly stuff, probably shrimp/salmon as at the mo its the only way she will take ker lactulose!! :sigh:
Thanks :)
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How is Fluffy today? Did you get the GP sample?
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gp sample?? Ohh yes she wolf it down last night lactulose and all!! She sends her puuurrss and tells me I must go shopping this w/e for more ;D
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Excellent news ;D I thought she'd like it and I'm glad she does.
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:thanks: Christine and cats!!
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Ok it seems that her compact fecal matter was not the cause of her breathing problems as her breathing got worse again last night. She looked like she had just run a marathon the way her poor chest was going up and down. Yet she was very calm and not panting but breathing normally through her nose! I just dont know what to do anymore.....We spent £465 on Monday running tests and nothing has showed at all!!
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Oh dear, Tammy...
I wonder if it's possible for cats to actually get asthma?
Had Fluffy been dashing around at all or did it come on when she was already really calm?
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O am so sorry Tammy, so very worrying. Something must be causing the breathing prob. Was she alright while at vets and has only come back since she came home?
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How worrying. Is it possible that there's something in your home that she's allergic to?
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well after she was treated at the vets she was so0ooo lively that we could not get her still for long enough to check what her breathing was doing. We though that on tuesday her vrathing wasnt quite right but because it was soo slighlty out and she was playing we thought at the time it was ok. But last night she was soo out of breath she couldnt jump up onto her usual snooze spot-it took her 3 goes and 15 mintues later she was still breathless but her mouth was closed an she had been attempting to sleep for 10mins o so. I dont think she is alergic to anything as nothing in the house has changed for a few years and the problem is quite recent.
I am begining to think it could be something asthma like as nothing else has shown up. But isnt true asthma dormant most of the time and you only breathe like that when an attack is coming on?? Can you get Salbutamol for cats? :cccooorrr:
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Something usually causes asthma to give an attack.
Stress, allergic reation, could be exercise and just wonder if there is something in the house that is starting off the problem.
I know that spray and vac stuff used to make Kocka sneeze, it could be almost anything and very basic so that you would not think of.
Has she always been like it or has it started recently?
If the latter try thinking if you have started using anything new in that time, new washing up powder even, flowers in the house, cleaning stuff etc
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Gill
I have something known as allergic asthma so we are very careful at home. I get rashes on my skin from changes in washing powder or manmade fibers. Shake and vac type things set of my asthma as does dust, hence why I am pretty sure nothing at home could start her off. It is a pretty recent problem (last month or so) and its constant. It does not come and go, its always there, and she isnt wheezy and her breathing isnt laboured in any way-its just her chest compressions, they are very shallow and close together. :(
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Hmmmmmmmmmm, sorry I out of ideas now, strange that the vets couldnt find anything. Sure I have read somewhere that there can be another cause for this type of breathing but cant remember any details. :'(
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Poop!! :'(
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The saga just continues with Fluffy. She has started going to toilet every day without too much of a problem and her breathing jas settled a little and she is eating better-although is still very picky about type of food. We've decided to keep her on wet. She picks between 2 fave's Sheba salmon in jelly and Gourmet ocean range :grin:
She even attepmted her trick of chasing birds through a closed window this morning and woke everybody at 6am with loud meowing and runing round the house requesting cuddles and food and then proceeded to sit in the bathroom watching me shower!! This is soo typical of her when she is in high spirit. I just hope it lasts and isnt a one off.
We decided to cut down her steroids to see what happens and if she remains well we'd like to keep her on the slightly lower dose. Could 2 days of lower level meds be enough to make her feel different???
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Tammy i dont know all the treatments for feline asthma, i'd have to look it up but i know preds are sometimes/often used and she is on them anyway.
Im sorry i havent contributed lately..i just cant think of any constuctive ideas or advice.
without having to spend hours going back threads can you tell me what causes her constipation ?? and has she had xrays ??
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hey lynn, she has had chest and full gut xrays. BAsically we have pics of her insides from her mouth to her bottom. We are not 100% sure what causes her cionstipation but she has always suffereed. In the past adding liquid paraffin to her food helped ease troubles. About a year ago she had the same prob where she was so packed tightly from below her lungs to her bottom that even anal enemas didnt help. This was her 2nd go with colonic irrigation style stuff. Both times she has lsot alomst 0.5kg afterwards from all the fecal matter coming out. She is on praeds for her nasal bleeds (due to autoimmune probs which also cause nasal inflamation) as she is not breathing through her mouth but nose we know that her breathing prob is not due to that or internal bleeds as she was checked for that. She was originally on 1mg/kg rate of the tabs with the vet wanting to drop it if poss. We only tried once before when she was on them for a month (it was dropped to 0.5mg/kg) but she didnt take to it too well and her nasal bleeding returned and dosage was increased. We were worried what effect the tabs building up in her body were having so weve for the last two days drope it to 0.5mg.kg again. I was just wondering if taht could possibly be making her better??
She has now been given lactulose and we feed her it twice daily (1ml each time) and so far so good-she did a good sized pooh both yesterday and this morning........
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Tammy, I would discuss dropping the preds down with your vet, it isn't a good idea to mess with medication unless you have approval from the vet.
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desley,
Its ok, we have his full backing. He'd prefer her to be on a lower dose if she deals with it well. Fingers crossed
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I agree with Desley, reducing medication should only be on vets advice to alleviate any possible problems.
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oops I was typing and thinking (very difficult for me) while you were posting.
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yes i remember well her nose probs and what happened when you dropped the preds. Obviously preds do cause immunosuppresion (which is precisely what you want for her nose) and that can have effects on blood counts etc. (can sometimes make them anaemic) however i would imagine fluffy has had a fair share of blood tests amonst everything else lately and you'd know if anything was abnormal.
I was asking about the xrays etc as diaphragmatic hernia cropped into my head since she has also got bad constipation problems (ie had she ever been hit by a car she could have suffered # pelvis and ruptured her diaphragm) but since she has been xrayed that rules that out .
you dropped the dose of preds to 0.5/kg daily didnt you ... have you tried carrying on the normal dose but trying every 2nd day ? pred dosage can be fickle and slight alterations like that can sometimes work.
I wouldnt worry about the preds building up in her body..the drug doesnt keep building up to be a higher and higher level stored in her body as it is metabolised, of course long term usage has implications but as long as you have regular blood testing to check internally things are ticking over nicely in cases where needs must it can be a very useful drug and many cats are on it long term, its just monitoring the effects is what you have to do.
funny breathing can mean a number of things from reduced lung capacity/anaemia/pain/circulatory stress but i fail to think of further suggestions since i know you have been heavily involved with vets anyway who know a great deal more than me.
If i think of anything i'll let you know (shall try to be like hubby and "think outside of the box" LOL)
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ps what does the vet say about her diet. i believe you have tryed prescrip diets and i know she's a fussy eater..does the vet reccomend adding more fibre ?? if so you could see if she would eat normal food with "nutrafyba" mixed in it (that is bran)
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you dropped the dose of preds to 0.5/kg daily didnt you ... have you tried carrying on the normal dose but trying every 2nd day ? pred dosage can be fickle and slight alterations like that can sometimes work.
Originally we were aiming for that dose rate but the vet said that would be too much of a shock and thats why we tried half a day first and then full dose every other day-but in the past we never got that far.
The fiber thing sounds good,where can I get it from??
As for diet the vet thinks its just the way she is and to feed her whatever she asks for-Spoilt little madam!!
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well since its trial and error i would try the whole tablet every 2nd day, you obvously monitor her very carefully..BUT 1mg/kg isnt a high dose, im sure they can go up to 4mg/kg or higher such doses.
as for the fibre i only mentioned it incase the vet advised a higher fibre diet..nutrifyba can be bought from your vet or i'll have a look online for it, its literally finely ground bran if i remember correctly.
Heres a seller of the stuff, you might get it cheaper else where ? but this is what the tub looks like..you'll have to look out for it on the page, its a white tub with the name and a silloette of dog and cats head on it.
http://www.surreypetsupplies.co.uk/acatalog/Dog_Digestive_Aids.html
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Tammy, you do have to be a bit careful when it comes to altering the dose of Prednisolone as it has to be done gradually to allow the body to accommodate it. As i`m sure your vet will have said they cannot just suddenly be stopped at any time as this can cause problems. One of my cats is an asthmatic and he has got it pretty bad. At one point he was on a really high dose of Preds which in total was about 10mgs a day. He did start to have some problems being on this level and so he has gone over to the cat inhaler and it is working wonders. I never thought he would take to it but i got him used to it gradually and he is fine with it now. Maybe an inhaler would be an option as this means you can slowly stop the preds.
Also, it might be worth talking to your vet about bronchdilators which are drugs that help to open the airways. My cat used to be on these and they also made a vast improvement to his condition. I guess its hard to know what to do when you don`t know why her breathing is like that. I know she had x-rays before but has she had any since her breathing has been bad? As far as i understand it a feline asthma diagnosis is usually made by process of elimination.
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Just a thought:
From reading through this thread I gather that Fluffy was fairly inactive when she was at her worst; could she be extremely unfit, aerobically, so that the recent burst of activity is making her breathless?
Has she has her thyroid checked? Thyroid problems are fairly common in cats, and may cause symptoms like these.
The VN's on this site would be better to advise you concerning the side effects of her meds.
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Thanks for the advice guys. It seems we wont need the fibre afterall as Fluffy is going toilet wonderfully with the lactulose and she is slowly getting used to having it i her food. I thought Id never be so pleased to see cat pooh as I was this morning. She has always done very small round dollops and she has done this several times a day for the last 2-3 days but this morning there was 2 huge long damp poops-we almost threw a party!!!
Amanda-Fluffy was originally put on preds for a nasal growth that bleeds so what you describe would not help take her of them for good. She's at the moment on 5mgs a day although we're testing her on 2.5mgs a day. When she was first diagnosed she took 10mgs a day for a week and then it was ddropped to 5mgs a day as the vet said doses higher than that long term arent advisable. What side effects did your cat have from the high doeses??
We did didscuss stoping them but as you say we agreed on a very slow long term dosage reduction to allow the body to accustomise to it.
hippykitty-yes we tested her thyroid due to her weight and lethargy but it is well within the normal range and yes she i extremely unfit but her breathing is constant which makes me think that perhaps its not just her playing...
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she even came upto my room this morning whilst | was watching sky (we only have it in my room at the mo) and insisted on u both lying on the bed and having cuddles for about 20 mins after which she proceeded to walk me to the kitchen and request lunch!!! ;D
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forgot to ask how normal it is for cats to pass wind. She never did whilst on dry food but now she is on the wet stuff its unbearable!! She does it all the time!
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Tammy, you could be finding it is the wet food that is contributing too, she might not need as much Lactulose soon - Molly has Perfect Fit to help hers too, she has one pouch of that, and then one pouch of lower fibre food, and LActulose only if she hasn't gone every other day.
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desley wher do you get perfect fit from and what flavours does it come in?
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Hi, have found it in ASda, Tesco, Morrisons, Co-op and RAnge so far - they do 'groups' rather than flavours - i.e Molly has the 'in home, they also do sensitive, active, senior etc - but wet food wise, I t hink the in home had the highest fibre content, comes in jelly, 2 flavours in the box, poultry and beef. Pricey, but seems to be helping her.
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thanks desley. Ill try tonight
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Good luck with her - Pro Plan does a light food that has less fat and high fibre too.
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Waitrose does Perfect Fit too.
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Tammy, sorry for the delayed reply but my cat was getting a pot belly and some muscle wastage. He was also very hungry which is a normal symptom but it wasn`t nice for him as he was always crying for food. He also started to have glucose in his urine but after blood tests it was confirmed that he wasn`t diabetic so the vet said the steroids might also be doing this to him. They definately have their uses though.
Has the vet mentioned the possibility of the nasal growth growing and interfering with the breathing or is it just a small growth?
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Amanda
Eventualy that is the possibility but as she is still only breathing through her nose and never through her mouth we decided it cant be that as if her nasal passage was blocked she would instinctively start using her mouth to aid her breathing. I know about the hunger pangs with steroids. Fluffy put on a whole 1kg over 4 months thanks to them and she definitely pees huge amounts..Luckily no glucose as yet!!
Thanks for the advice on perfect Fit guys. I bought some of the in house version of it, and was worried as it came as only chicken and beef and Fluff isnt usually to keen on those flavors but she is loving the chicken flavor. I am a little worried as she hasnt poohed since the early hours of sunday morning, and she has had 2mls of lactulose daily and wet food and last couple of days the perfect fit food and still nothing. She seems a little uncomfy today and Id guess its coz she not been going loo. :(