Help! My cat can't breath . . . vet says . . .

bbillymac

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My 13 yr. old dsh in 2 days developed a serious breathing problem. He will meow loudly, get on the floor and mouth breath with a Very high breath rate. My vet took a chest film, it was inconclusive. He drew a little blood from the right side near his lung. He was expecting a yellowish fluid and a diagnosis of FIP. He was very honest and said he had no clue what the problem was. He injected him with penicillin and cortizone and gave me liquid amoxicillin to give to him, on the chance it might be bacterial in nature. When he is not having these mouth breathing attacks, he lies straight and his breathing is labored. He won't last much longer like this! Any ideas I can give my vet. Any help will be appreciated. Thank you all so much. Bill
 

menagerie mama

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Please, get a second opinion soon if you can. Take all the records to the new vet so they don't have to repeat procedures or bloodwork. Please do this as soon as possible. I wouldn't accept "I don't know what's wrong" if the cat is so sick....Please let us know what you find out!
 

zak&rocky

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What about an obstruction? My cat had an asthma attack that didn't sound nearly as bad as this and they give him the cortisone shot and kept him overnight and gave him oxygen. Please take your cat to emergency clinic now!
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by menagerie mama

Please, get a second opinion soon if you can. Take all the records to the new vet so they don't have to repeat procedures or bloodwork. Please do this as soon as possible. I wouldn't accept "I don't know what's wrong" if the cat is so sick....Please let us know what you find out!
 

hissy

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Anyone in the house a smoker? Anything happen recently to the cat that might have provoked this attack? Did the cat fall from a long distance, or get stepped on? Did you get anything over the holidays that might be toxic to cats?

I would take your cat to a feline specialist, they aren't prone to "guessing" and "I don't knows" they do give solid answers 90% of the time-
 
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bbillymac

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Well, I got a little freaked out there and probably made it sound worse than it was. Breathing is still labored, and only one mouth breathing 'attack' recently. But otherwise this cat is much closer to normal. Vets latest theory is some kind of trauma. Is an indoor/outdoor cat, and had a mild limp of r f paw previous to this problem. Will keep you updated, but thank you all so much for your replies. I guess I kind of thought my vet was a minor god. I'm rethinking this position after spending some time on this site. He seems competent, but how in the world are you to know?? Anyway, thanks again.
Bill in Indy
 

hissy

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Bill, if you want to fully protect this cat to the best of your ability, you might consider keeping him inside all the time.
I am glad he seems to recovered. They can sure scare us.
 
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bbillymac

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Thank you all for your replies. Mr. Loafer is nearly fully recovered. He is resting comfortably, finally. Still no real idea what the problem was, but I think we're in the clear. One good thing that came out of this for sure was the discovery of this site and a whole big passel of cat lovers! What a cool resource. It's nice to know you all are out there. Good luck to all and thanks again!
Bill in Indy
 
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