Mild asthma treatment

Thanks everyone. You are helpful and sometimes, its just nice to get others 2 cents on things!

I think the biggest issue with most vets Ive seen is that they blow things off. I had an issue with a kitty having diarhea non-stop for eight months...the vet kept saying that I was overreacting and "cats get diarhea." Them she put on on metronidazole over and over. He loterally rarely had a day withput diarhea amd ended up in the ER from being so swollen. It turned out to IBS. It should never have lasted eight months like that and he was so ill I was actually contacting a mobile vet about euthanasia. He was suffering greatly. My point is, the issue was bloan off agaon and again and I nearly lost him because of it. Those experiences make me worry quite a bit...I cant say that taking my pets to the vet clears my worries. I kmow there are wonderful vets put there..I have had one...but they are hard to find! Give yours a big hug when you find one!

Litter...I thought about that as well. I tried wheat litter, which I loved, but my dog eats it so thats out. Newspaper (Yesterdays News) stunk....so thats out too. Any cheaper options you recommend than what you said? I remember trying corn litter once but cant remember my feelings on that..maybe I will try that.

I will be keeping an eye on the lumps...the one on my cat worries me more but I am going to hold off while deciding about the asthma. I hate it when she coughes though..its very scary!

By the way, I am sorry about the typos. I do not have internet at home so I am using WiFi from around town on my phone.

No worries about typos - they happen to everyone :nod:

Ugh - so sorry to hear about your ibd cat. That should NEVER have been allowed to happen I absolutely understand why you're so anxious these days. I never realised how lucky I've been with the vets I've had over the years.

I'm not in America, so I can't help with litter suggestions. I suspect that corn based litter will be as attractive to your dog as wheat based litter, so I'm not sure you'd find that any better.

You could try getting a cheaper low dust litter and doing this: get 2 containers big enough to hold the whole bag. Outside (or in the garage) empty the bag into one container, then tip it into the other container. Go back and forth between the containers a few times. Hopefully it will get rid of the worst of the dust. I know it's a faff, but time is free Be sure to use an open box too, so dust can escape easily.

lisahe is absolutely right that the Respiratory Relief litter is going to be cheaper that meds/vets bills though.

Columbine said:

No worries about typos - they happen to everyone

Ugh - so sorry to hear about your ibd cat. That should NEVER have been allowed to happen

I absolutely understand why you're so anxious these days. I never realised how lucky I've been with the vets I've had over the years.

I'm not in America, so I can't help with litter suggestions. I suspect that corn based litter will be as attractive to your dog as wheat based litter, so I'm not sure you'd find that any better.

You could try getting a cheaper low dust litter and doing this: get 2 containers big enough to hold the whole bag. Outside (or in the garage) empty the bag into one container, then tip it into the other container. Go back and forth between the containers a few times. Hopefully it will get rid of the worst of the dust. I know it's a faff, but time is free

Be sure to use an open box too, so dust can escape easily.

@LisaHE is absolutely right that the Respiratory Relief litter is going to be cheaper that meds/vets bills though.

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Yes, I've heard of the decanting method for getting rid of kitty litter dust, though I suspect even the scents could cause problems. It's definitely worth a try, though! I also seem to recall that Dr. Pierson (of catinfo.org) said Petco's kitty litter isn't bad, particularly for the price. I've never tried anything but Dr. Elsey's for Ireland: it works great for her and I don't want her coughing!

I sure do hear you about vets, @KittyCort! We had a somewhat similar situation with our previous cat and IBD. Multiple vets in the practice didn't think the cat's digestive problems were anything serious... but they missed lots of things over the years, and Brooksie's problems started before there were many good Internet resources. On the positive side, I learned a lot at the end of her life and now know better how to feed cats! And we take our new cats to a cat specialist -- it's like a whole new world.

Its hard for me to believe tjat I very nearly euthanized him.over such as treatable condition. I see him today and just cannot hardly beieve it. He is so healthy!

I refuse to buy any pet store products...because of the way they treat the animals they sell. I only buy from online stores who do not sell pets. I always encourage others to do the same!

Update: She has inflamed lungs. Coughing has increased and vomited a small amount of blood. Shes been put on prednisone.

So sorry to hear about the inflamed lungs. Do you know why? What did the vet say?

for a quick recovery back to health for your kitty

He says its one of four things....heart failure, pneumonia, asthma, tumor...but pretty much ruled that out.So shes on prednisone for asthma to see if thats what it is.

How are you feeling about things? I just re-read this thread, how's your other kitty and dog?

You sound like an excellent pet guardian and it's obvious how much you love them all

I hope everything keeps moving in a positive direction, does the Prednisone seem to be helping?

I really hope the prednisone does the trick, and that your girl is feeling better soon Seeimg her vomiting blood must be so scary

Thanks LotsofFur and Columbine. She just started the prednisone yesterday and the vet said it should kick in within a couple of days, so Im just waiting now. He said if the pred doesnt help, then its one of the other issues instead, which is probably worse news. On the xray, he did say her heart looks good and sounds good and she has no arthritis. If its pneumonia, I know that can be very serious. When I adopted my dog, she had sever pneumonia and the vet recommended I return her IF she was still alive in the morning. Fortunatly, she survived!

My dog is doing well...I think its just a bump, nothing more. My other cat is struggling a lot with megacolon right now...nothing at this point is helping him. His cystitis issues are under control, at least. Despite everything, both cats seem pretty happy.
Im pretty worried about them both and about my finances. Im afraid I wont be able to provide for them in the way they deserve. Losing my pets seems just seems like more than I can handle. Its been a very hard couple of years.

Well, she had,a major coughing episode this morning. It was one of the worst. I am hoping tge meds just havent kicked in yet but I dont have a good feeling aboyt this.

I'm so sorry, poor kitty. You mentioned the vet thought this was one of four things: asthma, heart, pneumonia or a remote chance tumor, correct?

What tests did they do?

I know this is hard and it hurts watching your pet go through this.

It is hard. I first brought her in for it in Auguest but it was brushed of. Who knows how long shes had inflammation.

He did another routin exan and xray with two views..close to $200 dollars. He saw no tumors and said her heart looked fine. His list of the four potential issues are the only things that he says would cause inflammation. If its not asthma...I am concerned that she may have had pneumonia this whole time (three months) and is not treated for it. Maybe I just need to give the pred another couple of days but the "attack" this morning was very concerning.

Each time it happens, I feel sort of paralyzed, you know? Im worried I could lose her suddenly from one of these attacks...plus the inflammation.

He did say that if its asthma...it is likely caused my outside sources like pollen and mokd spores, that can through the vents and such. (rather than chemicals)

How scary and frustrating! It seems like the vet could have seen if it was pneumonia from the X-ray ... And if he thought it was her heart why would he say it looked good??? I'm frustrated with you and for you that this vet hasn't been able to give you the help you need.

Did you call them and tell them about this episode? Ask how long you are supposed to wait to find out if the pred is working?

I'm so sorry

He said the pred would take a couple if days...its now been 52 hours. Not that Im counting....

I thought of something today. My cystitis cat had urinated on two air conditioning/heat vents. I put EVERYTHING I could find on the vents and into the ductwork. The urine smell is gone BUT it now smells like a mix of vinegar/chemicals. I didnt even think of it before and feel so stupid right about now. Those chemical smells must be so strong to Missy..and my others! And with all these coughing issues startes up pretry suddenly...Im thinking its my fault.
I called a heating and cooling tech and explained the situation...he said hes booked but ended up saying he will come tomirrow and replace the ductwork.

I can imagine how scary this must be for you. Don't beat yourself up about the vents. The chemical smells may well have been the trigger for the latest coughing fits - it was something we always had to be careful of with Cali - but mistakes happen. It's perfectly natural that you go into autopilot to clean up the cat urine, particularly when you're so stressed out. Try to look on this as a positive - at least you've good a good idea of the trigger for the latest episodes. The pred may well be working for her despite this setback. Hopefully you'll see a big improvement once the vents are sorted

Another update...She has a partially prolapsed lung. She is on a brochodialator pill, Baytril, and recomnend trying a liquid med in case of a lung parasite. Still on pred too. Said all this will take a while for improvement. I asked if she will be ok...it just depends. A big attack could be too much. She sounds "crackly" when listened to with the stethoscope and said her breath rate was high..50 per minute.

I switched cat litters to a mix of Yesterdays news and unscented clay, just in case, and trying to make my big boy cat leave her alone...he wants to play. Put in a new air filter also. Havent been able to get the parasite med in her..she hates it. Earlier today, she vomited twice..saliva...and appetite has been on the decline.

LisaHE said:

I'm coming in on this conversation a little late but wanted to add that with coughing it may be worth switching kitty litters, particularly if you're using something especially dusty and perfumed, as we were with Fresh Step.

One of our cats had several brief asthma-like coughing episodes shortly after we adopted her but they stopped after we switched to Dr. Elsey's Respiratory Relief. Respiratory Relief may be the most expensive litter on the planet but it's certainly a bargain compared to medications! It's great litter: beyond the cat not coughing for a year and a half, I love that it doesn't send perfumed dust everywhere.

I might also try avoiding all scented candles, if only for a short time, to see if that helps: cats' systems can be so sensitive!

Good luck, particularly given that it sounds like you're (rightfully!) not feeling much confidence in your vets. That always makes these situations especially difficult.

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Ive been looking that litter up but I am still unsure of what its made of...is it clay? Is it dusty...does it clump well?

Thanks!