Feline asthma

[Kyrabee]

My dear 16yo kitty Emmy

was diagnosed with asthma this week. Never mind that I called her regular vet on 11/11 to get an appointment and they couldn’t see her until 12/13 . Oh, if she needs to be seen go to one of the 2 veterinarian ERs. Well, that was where she ended up last weekend…in ICU.

She was on oxygen for about 24hrs and then weaned off. She is home on prednisolone, azithromycin and albuterol. Man…getting that gross liquid stuff (steroid and antibiotic) into her is a challenge. This morning the wrestling/stress of getting the prednisolone into her ended up in a full blown but short lived asthmatic attack. Poor girl. She is indoor only and the only changes have been food. She is a picky eater so I am always trying something different to get her to eat. All this started with infrequent mild ‘attacks’ in October. My sister mentioned litter. I use grass litter but have been using that for several years.

My question is how in the world do you figure out the trigger(s)? The vet that discharged her was not very forthcoming with info. They still aren’t allowing owners in with the pet so this is all taking place over the phone . I have a follow up with this vet in 2 weeks but I might also take her to her regular vet on above mentioned appt to see if I can get more information.

TIA Susan

[OzarksRider]

It seems odd that asthma would appear this late in life. Are you sure of the diagnosis?

If this really is asthma, ask your vet about Flovent (fluticasone) inhaler instead of oral steroids. The advantage of an inhaler is that the steroid goes straight to the lungs where it’s needed, so it doesn’t have as much potential for systemic side effects as oral steroids. You could also administer Albuterol with the Aero-Kat if you needed a rescue inhaler.

I have an asthmatic cat, and he’s on an inhaler. I administer the Flovent with an Aero-Kat Feline Aerosol Chamber. One puff once or twice a day (depending on the season) keeps him under control. It took some time and training to get my cat to accept having a mask over his face, but now it’s just part of his daily routine. It takes less than 30 seconds to administer his dose.

[Simkie]

I had an asthmatic cat that did MUCH better on novel protein food. Chicken and beef seemed to exacerbate her asthma. We were able to get her off the steroids by removing those proteins from her diet.

That you mention changing the food does at least suggest something she’s eating is triggering. IMO, we accept pickiness in cats when perhaps we shouldn’t. If she’s inappetent, consider trying treating her for ulcers with pepcid, and or for nausea with zofran or cerenia. How is her bloodwork, any signs of kidney disease?

[Kyrabee]

Aerokat on order and coming Friday. I have a loaner one right now and she tolerates it OK (doing albuterol 2x/day this week).
I think the vet wants systemic steroids to knock down the inflammation. Her lungs look pretty bad on x-ray.

She has always been a sneezer…at times. I have never noticed the breathing issues before but something has bothered her occasionally and I suspect it is something she has had all along but it was very mild. Her kidney function is OK. Labs at high normal. Oh and she is hyperthyroid on methimazole. Her T4 was just over high normal but vet didn’t want to mess with that right now.

Of course, the vet wanted to do a bronchial wash and also refer her to the cardiologist for an echo. Her heart was not enlarged on x-ray. They do suspect some heart disease secondary to her hyperthyroidism. Holy cow, just for the weekend the bill was $3600. I know it would give them more answers but I don’t think it would change treatment much. She will be 17 in March. I told them I was more interested in palliative care. Giving some of this stuff really stresses her out so I may have to make THAT decision. Not to mention I am really bummed out that you can’t get an animal into their regular vet in a timely manner