Sorry, it's a bit long, please bear with me.
One of my cats has cold that comes back from time to time whenever there's a weather change or stress, he gets snotty, nasal congestion and sometime eye discharge. My vet said that he probably picked up feline herpes virus from shelter where he was adopted about 2 years ago. He's been doing much better this year, he had some sneezing and clear nose discharge here and there that he would bounced back from before it's a full blown cold and we didn't have to take him back to vet or give him meds. However, around the end of October he started with the sneezing again and the green mucus nose discharge, and into 1st week of Nov. he started with occasional coughing and heavy congestion so we brought him to the vet to help clear things up. He was prescribed with Orbax, we gave it to him for about 8-9 days but didn't feel that the medication did him good because there was no apparent improvement. He is still heavily congested and the sneezing and the nose discharge continues. However, just about 2-3 days ago we noticed that he is taking short, shallow, quick breath, about 60/min, looking more tired (but at the same time his sneezing and nose discharge seem to be much better). We were extremely worried and took him back to the vet yesterday to have that examined. The vet took an x-ray and said that his airway is inflamed and what looks like the beginning of asthma, but his heart looks normal(He has level 2-3 heart murmur). They nebulized him and gave him a shot of Dexotone(not sure if this is how it's spelled). I took him home, after a bit of rest, his breathing slowed down a bit, he was much more like how he used to, playful, laid-back, asking for treats and canned food. The doctor prescribed him Orbax again and Theophylline which is suppose to help open his airway and calm the inflammation. This morning his breath was again short and shallow, I suppose Dexotone has worn off and he is feeling painful with the breathing again. He only ate a bit of canned food and did not drink any water. I struggled a bit feeding him pill/Theophylline but finally got it down his throat around 12pm. After an hour or so, his breathing actually gotten faster rather than slower, and he seems much more uncomfortable than before. I counted his breathing per minute, and it was 100/min. Now it's another hour later, his breathing slowed a bit and is around 80/min. I called up the hospital and the staff told me my vet is not in today and won't be until Sunday. Staff advice is if my cat shows adverse reaction to the meds than stopped giving it to him to see how he does and speak to the vet on Sunday.
Looking at him in pain is just very hard and I don't know if I should wait until Sunday to see my vet. He didn't eat much this morning and he has been good with intaking water up until yesterday. He licks his nose and appears to be thirsty but did not attempt to go to the water fountain. I'm feeding him some water with a syringe. He is much more inactive today, he walks around a bit and would just sit or lay down on his belly. There is no more sneezing or nose discharge. I still plan on giving him Orbax maybe around evening when Theophylline wears off. I have no experience with asthma/inflamed lung and don't know if this can wait until Sunday? Or if there is anything I can do to help him feel better... Any advice? Thanks :(
It is safe to use (excess is excreted). 500mg is a typical dose (1/4 teaspoon), given half in the morning and half at night. During a flare up, you can bump this to 1000mg for a few days (1/4 teaspoon in the morning and 1/4 at night).
I have asthma, and not being able to breathe is NOT fun. And yes, it would make him lethargic.
