Opinions, please? Is Flowerbelle having a mild asthma attack or a weird purr?

At this point, our vet wants us to leave her off the pred to monitor the coughing without it. The pred is technically contra-indicated because of her high blood pressure, so if it's just a few episodes that aren't too bad here and there, the vet would rather not treat it. (I have asthma, and don't reach for an inhaler every time I have a breathing issue... that kind of thing). We're also in a rather unique position, because of Gary. We have large tanks of oxygen that are always full, so if there's ever an issue, the vet told us how to set up a homemade oxygen "tent" for her. (And they're just 7 minutes away).

We'll stop by tomorrow. If they can guarantee vet A will do the procedure, we'll keep the appointment for Friday. But the breathing episodes aren't getting worse, so waiting until the week of the 18th wouldn't (shouldn't) be a problem, if necessary. :cross:

Sending Flowerbelle good vibes and best wishes.

Thanks.

OK. The vet we like will do the procedure. .... if we take her in tomorrow. We'll have to see what's up with this storm headed our way. We're not overly worried about getting here there in the morning, it's getting her home in the afternoon that concerns us. Our thinking right now is that there will be a lot of cancellations, so they should be able to get to her early, and because of the storm, they'll probably release her back to us earlier than they normally might otherwise, so it may be best to just go ahead. We'll see.

We dropped off Flowerbelle this morning. for her! We're trying not to worry.... :heart2:

Laurie... :heart3: Thinking of you and Gary this morning. I DO know it is impossible NOT to worry. Just know I am worrying right along side of you. :lol3: I am hoping for the GOOD NEWS from the endoscopy. Very glad you got her in today. Mega vibes too that you can get her home safely before that storm. We had very heavy sleeting rain all night and everything is covered with ice. Temps are going to warm so it won't be an issue. Just hope you all stay safe. :sun: :heart3: :sun: FLOWERBELLE :rub:

I am just now seeing/reading this thread.  LOTS of for sweet little  Flowerbelle     And that you guys don't get hit to hard by the storm!!

Well, of course it started snowing earlier than they said, and it's coming down heavier than they said. :lol3: There's already almost an inch out there.

So far, my nails are still intact, but... not sure how much longer that's going to be the case. :lol3:

ALL CLEAR! My finger nails survived. We can pick her up in about an hour. They found nothing abnormal at all. In fact, because they didn't find anything in her throat, they looked in her lungs AND took more x-rays. The current theory is that like in dogs, perhaps her palate is slipping back into her throat slightly? :dk:

RELIEVED!

...and we'll be able to get out and get home before it's too messy out there! There's only a little more than an inch on the ground right now.

Great news!    Hopefully you'll all be home and snuggled up under warm blankies before it gets too terribly bad out there. 

Fantastic news LDG!!

 Yey!!! Great news!  At least now, with all they looked at you can have peace of mind.  That's interesting, I have never heard of that before. .....Always learning on this site!

Now it's time to snuggle in with all the fur babies!!  You & Gary will be under the "cat blanket."    Hope it doesn't get as bad as they say. I will be thinking of you guys!

Yep, we got home before there was much accumulation on the roads. Flowerbelle had a little bit of baby food, and she's now curled up in a new paper bag. :lol3:

OH GOODIE!!!! You are all home safe, sound and with that GREAT REPORT!!!! AND she is all snuggled up in her paper bag!!! :lol3: :rub: :heart3: Very, very happy to hear the good news, hun.

So what does it all mean, then? I'm sorry to be so dense. Can you spell it out in words someone who has been in the throes of an FM attack all day can understand?

otto said:

So what does it all mean, then? I'm sorry to be so dense. Can you spell it out in words someone who has been in the throes of an FM attack all day can understand?

Click to expand...

She's fine. There's no physical damage - no cysts, no collapsed trachea, nothing wrong with the structure or muscles, no lesions, no inflammation... so all we're left with is guessing. And the only theory right at the moment is that her soft palate slips into her throat (which is what happens when people snore). But it's not due to structural problems like an elongated soft palate, laryngeal paralysis, or "everted laryngeal saccules" that stretch the ligaments that support the laryngeal cartilages, and it's not a type of laryngitis - no inflammation, no redness, etc.

Just caught up... What excellent news!

One thing I don't get.. if the prednisone stopped the coughing, how does it help the soft palate issue?

It doesn't. They're unrelated. If the episodes were related to asthma, the pred would have stopped them. But it didn't. It only stopped her coughing. So she additionally has mild asthma, which we're now monitoring to determine if we should treat with pred. She has high blood pressure, so pred is contra-indicated. If she only has mild, infrequent asthma "attacks," we won't treat it. So far, she seems to only have a little coughing episode (3 to 4 little coughs in a row, where she's hunkered on her paws with her neck stretched out) every few days. :cross:

Thank you for explaining. So it's a good news bad news issue with her? She does have asthma, but hopefully not so severe it needs the pred. The slipping soft palate thing...guess there is nothing to be done about that. I suspect I have that, and wearing a dental guard keeps it in place. When I don't wear the guard (like if I fall asleep on the couch while reading) I constantly wake myself up snoring, snorting or choking. When I wear it (when I go to bed), no problems.

Too bad a cat can't be fitted for a dental guard.

Exactly, good news, bad news. :nod: Hopefully the asthma remains mild. :cross:

As to the soft palate problem, the breathing episodes don't happen when she's asleep. In fact, they only seem to happen when she's purring really hard, excited, and mostly at meal time. :lol3: So I don't think a mouth guard would help anyway!

This is of absolutely no use to you, but it does conjure up an interesting picture..

I have a student with exactly that palate problem which causes sleep apnea.  I looked into it, yoga therapy-wise, and one of the things to do is the 'roaring lion'... sit cat-like with head raised, stick out tongue as far as it will go and ROAR...

The mouth guard would be easier

I'm glad it isn't all bad news... lots of to her.  These things can sometimes just settle of their own accord.