cat asthma

[Jameswah]

My 13 year old cat Bess was just diagnosed with asthma. The vet gave me a bottle of liquid prednisolone to give her. I measured out the first dose and realized the contents of the bottle smell just terrible. Can prednisolone go bad? Is it supposed to smell putrid? I can't find any information online and the vet is closed right now. I'm reluctant to start her on this medicine if something's wrong with it. Is there an alternative med I could give her? I've heard such bad things about steroids in general. I've never had to give her meds before and I'm afraid she's not going to let me give her this stuff if it tastes as bad as it smells.
Her current asthma symptom is coughing that lasts for 10-20 seconds and happens almost every day, and sometimes twice a day, usually after she's had a long nap. She seems fine afterward. She was checked for heart problems and has none. Any advice?

 

[CyberTiger]

I don't know what it should smell like, but if it were me, without an answer I would wait until the vet opens to be sure the medicine is alright. Or find another vet to contact if any other places are open.

If there's anything you can do to help prevent the coughing or asthma attacks, that would be good in the meantime. Any patterns could point to potential triggers.

I'm asthmatic, and pretty much anything that can be breathed in can potentially be a trigger and I had to learn as a kid how to figure out mine. Smoke and dust are common triggers. Dry cold air (like in winter) can even be a trigger. Just something goes into the lungs and they freak out. I even ran into an exercise that puts pressure on my chest and neck in a way that seems to make them act up.

Like maybe vacuuming Bess's favorite nap spots and putting a clean blanket on them could help if it might be dust-related. I would try not to vacuum or sweep in the same room as Bess, so move her if you need to.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. Did they diagnose the asthma through a chest radiograph?
There is a cat inhaler called Aero Cat. You can attach a cat asthma medication that is a steroid. You use it in the inhaler just like a human would and it works much better targeting the lungs instead of the entire system. You usually use it once or twice a day to get the inflammation under control.
Then there is a cat albuterol medication that you can attach to the same Aero Cat inhaler and can use in the case of an asthma attack. If that doesn't work to stop an attack, there is also an injectable medication called Terbutaline that you can give. It is a very small amount. But can be lifesaving in case of a bad asthma attack.

Talk to your vet about the above medications.

You can have real problems if you try to give your cat something that smells that bad and I try to avoid liquid medications in general.

Sadly, many Veterinarians don't take into consideration the delicate constitution of cats and how much they can stress. This is not the vet's fault because they aren't really taught that much about cats, mostly dogs. Although that is changing with the feline friendly movement, and cat friendly practices becoming more the norm.

https://www.trudellanimalhealth.com/cats

https://catvets.com/cfp/veterinary-professionals

 

[stephanietx]

Prednisolone can be compounded into a treat. Ask your vet about that. You can also ask about oral inhaler or nebulizer solution. My husband is asthmatic, so we have a nebulizer and solution already. Our vet gave us instructions on how to use it effectively for our kitty. However, the prednisolone works best. We've been able to give her prednisolone tabs disguised in cheese (her favorite thing in the world) every couple of days and breathing treatments in between.

 

[AbbysMom]

The vet gave me a bottle of liquid prednisolone to give her. I measured out the first dose and realized the contents of the bottle smell just terrible.

My cat usually gets the unflavored liquid prednisolone but one time they gave us anchovy flavored. The smell was putrid and my cat was not a fan.

 

[lisahe]

Hi. Did they diagnose the asthma through a chest radiograph?
There is a cat inhaler called Aero Cat. You can attach a cat asthma medication that is a steroid. You use it in the inhaler just like a human would and it works much better targeting the lungs instead of the entire system. You usually use it once or twice a day to get the inflammation under control.
Then there is a cat albuterol medication that you can attach to the same Aero Cat inhaler and can use in the case of an asthma attack. If that doesn't work to stop an attack, there is also an injectable medication called Terbutaline that you can give. It is a very small amount. But can be lifesaving in case of a bad asthma attack.

Talk to your vet about the above medications.

You can have real problems if you try to give your cat something that smells that bad and I try to avoid liquid medications in general.

Sadly, many Veterinarians don't take into consideration the delicate constitution of cats and how much they can stress. This is not the vet's fault because they aren't really taught that much about cats, mostly dogs. Although that is changing with the feline friendly movement, and cat friendly practices becoming more the norm.

http://[URL]https://www.trudellanimalhealth.com/cats

[/URL]

http://[URL]https://catvets.com/cfp/veterinary-professionals

[/URL]

Very much agreeing about using an inhaler for asthmatic cats! We use inhalers for our asthmatic cat -- they're not difficult to use with the AeroKat and they work.

 

[Twylasmom]

Are you able to pill your cat? Prednisolone in pill form might be easier than nasty tasting liquid. If your cat needs to be treated for asthma long term the inhaled steroid is a much better option as it doesn’t have the side effects associated with long time steroid use. It may take some time to train your cat to accept the inhaler but after that it’s an easy routine. The inhaled steroid is expensive, but can be found cheaper at online pharmacies - they ship from overseas so it can take several weeks to get the medicine.

 

[BeccaCat]

I use an inhaler with my Tessa girl, and she is the sweetest, most STUBBORN kitty I’ve ever known. So I feel like if she can do it, anybody can It took me about 3 weeks to train her on it but now she uses it like a champ. She has a daily inhaler medicine called fluticasone, and albuterol for emergencies. The albuterol saved her life during all of that awful wildfire smoke that blew down here.
We also go to a cat only vet which I find incredibly helpful for Tessa. She’s afraid of dogs, plus my vet is obviously super focused on cat health, so that helps a ton.
I’m sending best wishes for your kitty. I’d ask about the inhaler, I have found it works wonders for Tessa.
Oh! But when she first started, they gave her a cortisone shot to get her through til she mastered the inhaler. The cortisone shot helped a lot, but it’s not good for kitties to have them long term. And I think it lasts about 4-6 weeks. But it’s something you could ask about

 

[Jameswah]

I don't know what it should smell like, but if it were me, without an answer I would wait until the vet opens to be sure the medicine is alright. Or find another vet to contact if any other places are open.

If there's anything you can do to help prevent the coughing or asthma attacks, that would be good in the meantime. Any patterns could point to potential triggers.

I'm asthmatic, and pretty much anything that can be breathed in can potentially be a trigger and I had to learn as a kid how to figure out mine. Smoke and dust are common triggers. Dry cold air (like in winter) can even be a trigger. Just something goes into the lungs and they freak out. I even ran into an exercise that puts pressure on my chest and neck in a way that seems to make them act up.

Like maybe vacuuming Bess's favorite nap spots and putting a clean blanket on them could help if it might be dust-related. I would try not to vacuum or sweep in the same room as Bess, so move her if you need to.

Thank you! I don't vacuum in the same room as Bess because she doesn't approve of the vacuum cleaner (she's the boss.) I'm holding off on the medicine and taking it in to the vet tomorrow to let them get a whiff of it. Thank you very much for all your advice.

 

[Jameswah]

Hi. Did they diagnose the asthma through a chest radiograph?
There is a cat inhaler called Aero Cat. You can attach a cat asthma medication that is a steroid. You use it in the inhaler just like a human would and it works much better targeting the lungs instead of the entire system. You usually use it once or twice a day to get the inflammation under control.
Then there is a cat albuterol medication that you can attach to the same Aero Cat inhaler and can use in the case of an asthma attack. If that doesn't work to stop an attack, there is also an injectable medication called Terbutaline that you can give. It is a very small amount. But can be lifesaving in case of a bad asthma attack.

Talk to your vet about the above medications.

You can have real problems if you try to give your cat something that smells that bad and I try to avoid liquid medications in general.

Sadly, many Veterinarians don't take into consideration the delicate constitution of cats and how much they can stress. This is not the vet's fault because they aren't really taught that much about cats, mostly dogs. Although that is changing with the feline friendly movement, and cat friendly practices becoming more the norm.

http://[URL]https://www.trudellanimalhealth.com/cats

[/URL]

http://[URL]https://catvets.com/cfp/veterinary-professionals

[/URL]

They diagnosed her with chest x-rays. The vet showed me on the x-ray the cloudy spots in her lungs. She did recommend the albuterol and I just ordered the aerokat inhaler which is coming today. I'm going to ask about the inhaler steroid (I didn't know there was such a thing.) My vet is part of a huge vet clinic with several vets there and sometimes I'm not too sure about them, but my particular vet seems smart and reasonable. I think she will listen.
Thank you so very much for all the tips.

 

[Jameswah]

Prednisolone can be compounded into a treat. Ask your vet about that. You can also ask about oral inhaler or nebulizer solution. My husband is asthmatic, so we have a nebulizer and solution already. Our vet gave us instructions on how to use it effectively for our kitty. However, the prednisolone works best. We've been able to give her prednisolone tabs disguised in cheese (her favorite thing in the world) every couple of days and breathing treatments in between.

That's the problem with my cat is that she doesn't really like any particular treats and prefers dry cat food most of the time. I like the idea of an inhaled steroid, though, and will ask for that tomorrow. Thank you so much.

 

[Jameswah]

My cat usually gets the unflavored liquid prednisolone but one time they gave us anchovy flavored. The smell was putrid and my cat was not a fan.

Gah, that sounds bad. My cat wouldn't like that, either.

 

[Jameswah]

Very much agreeing about using an inhaler for asthmatic cats! We use inhalers for our asthmatic cat -- they're not difficult to use with the AeroKat and they work.

I think my cat would tolerate it. She's pretty mild tempered and patient. Thank you.

 

[Jameswah]

Are you able to pill your cat? Prednisolone in pill form might be easier than nasty tasting liquid. If your cat needs to be treated for asthma long term the inhaled steroid is a much better option as it doesn’t have the side effects associated with long time steroid use. It may take some time to train your cat to accept the inhaler but after that it’s an easy routine. The inhaled steroid is expensive, but can be found cheaper at online pharmacies - they ship from overseas so it can take several weeks to get the medicine.

I've never had to medicate her before so I don't know how she's going to tolerate it in pill or liquid. Everyone seems to be in agreement that the inhaled steroid is the better idea and it sounds good to me. Thank you for your advice. I appreciate it.

 

[Jameswah]

I use an inhaler with my Tessa girl, and she is the sweetest, most STUBBORN kitty I’ve ever known. So I feel like if she can do it, anybody can It took me about 3 weeks to train her on it but now she uses it like a champ. She has a daily inhaler medicine called fluticasone, and albuterol for emergencies. The albuterol saved her life during all of that awful wildfire smoke that blew down here.
We also go to a cat only vet which I find incredibly helpful for Tessa. She’s afraid of dogs, plus my vet is obviously super focused on cat health, so that helps a ton.
I’m sending best wishes for your kitty. I’d ask about the inhaler, I have found it works wonders for Tessa.
Oh! But when she first started, they gave her a cortisone shot to get her through til she mastered the inhaler. The cortisone shot helped a lot, but it’s not good for kitties to have them long term. And I think it lasts about 4-6 weeks. But it’s something you could ask about

I will ask about that. Thank you! I agree that cats-only vets are the best. When our house burned down a few years ago, our temporary housing was near a cats-only vet and they were the best vets I'd ever been to. I really regret that I live too far away to go to them now. I've never seen a vet actually get down on the floor and wait patiently for the shy cat to come to her before starting any treatment. But that's how well they treated cats there. I wish there were more of them around.

 

[BeccaCat]

I will ask about that. Thank you! I agree that cats-only vets are the best. When our house burned down a few years ago, our temporary housing was near a cats-only vet and they were the best vets I'd ever been to. I really regret that I live too far away to go to them now. I've never seen a vet actually get down on the floor and wait patiently for the shy cat to come to her before starting any treatment. But that's how well they treated cats there. I wish there were more of them around.

When I started Tessa on the AeroKat, I would rub a temptation treat all over the mask part, so it made it smell interesting. The first day i just had her smell it and I told her “good girl!!” Then I would give her a temptation (backyard BBQ flavor was the only one she liked, although now she also loves Shrimpy shrimp). The next day I tried holding it over her nose and mouth and although she only let it stay there for a second I told her “good girl!” (She LOVES being praised and cuddled.) Then I’d offer her another treat. I did this over and over, adding another second or two every day. Once she tolerated it we started with the medicine. Now she’s so used to it and I think she realizes it makes her feel better.