Chronic rhinitis with facial asymmetry/Nasal mass

[karen1121]

Hello everyone. I have a 10 year old female cat and am currently waiting for an appointment with an internal medicine specialist. She has had chronic upper respiratory symptoms for 3 months, mainly unilateral. Multiple antibiotics, steroids, Cerenia nasal drops, nasal flush, dental cleaning with X-rays, as well as skull X-rays under anesthesia during the nasal flush. She most recently has clear eye drainage and her lacrimal glad is swollen. The swelling of the lacrimal gland is causing her face to appear asymmetrical. I am waiting for the appointment with the internal medicine doctor. Nothing has been seen on X-ray so I am waiting for the CT scan. Has anyone had a kitty with chronic rhinitis with facial asymmetry? The differential diagnosis is a nasal mass, although I am praying it is not cancer, I am aware at her age a mass is a possibility. She is eating and drinking well. She is currently on Azithromycin for 10 days. This has been a stressful couple months worrying about her. Anyone that has any experience with chronic rhinitis or a nasal mass could you please share your experiences. Thank you!!!

 

[maggie101]

If you do a search on here you will find many threads. Hope she feelsbetter!

 

[heatherwillard0614]

Here are the results of a search done for chronic rhinitis. Hopefully there are things that would be able to help

Search Results for Query: Chronic rhinitis

When is the appointment with the internal medicine vet? Is a date already been set for the ct?

 

[karen1121]

Here are the results of a search done for chronic rhinitis. Hopefully there are things that would be able to help

http://[URL]https://thecatsite.com/search/2912683/?q=Chronic+rhinitis&o=relevance

[/URL]

When is the appointment with the internal medicine vet? Is a date already been set for the ct?

Here are the results of a search done for chronic rhinitis. Hopefully there are things that would be able to help

http://[URL]https://thecatsite.com/search/2912683/?q=Chronic+rhinitis&o=relevance

[/URL]

When is the appointment with the internal medicine vet? Is a date already been set for the ct?

October 27th. I keep checking for cancellations, but nothing so far.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

October 27th. I keep checking for cancellations, but nothing so far.

Hopefully you can keep calling every day and get in sooner. That would be good.

Im sorry i sont know any information to really help you.. i really hope that you find some information on those other threads.

 

[meowmixing]

I am just ending a 7 month long chronic rhinitis saga with my 12 year old male cat. Was the vet not able to check for masses / x ray etc while she was getting the flush?

Mine had biopsies, xrays, blood tests, antibiotics, steroids, etc nothing really helped or cleared it. In the end he has miraculously cleared up from a diet change when no vets said diet could be playing a part - since he was already on a prescription royal canin novel protein diet. This won’t be the case for all cats but if you see more symptoms (coughing or breathing worse) after eating or stronger symptoms after a particular food may be worth exploring diet as you work with your vet on other things.

 

[karen1121]

Thank you so much! I’m sorry you were dealing with this as well. Was your cat’s congestion bilateral or unilateral? I asked her vet about allergies and she did not feel that was likely. She definitely is more fussy after eating. They did X-rays during the nasal flush, nothing was visible on X-ray. She went for a dental exam and cleaning and did more X-rays. Again, noting was seen. I gave her Zyrtec yesterday and today and she is actually a bit less congested. Her vet did not do a biopsy due to bleeding risk. The vet is pretty convinced it’s a mass as the congestion is unilateral. I wish I had actual proof she had cancer so I could better accept her diagnosis, rather than just being told she has cancer. I asked if it could possibly be a polyp and her vet said no given her age. I was told Polyps are typically only seen in kittens and younger cats, not a 10 year old. I would gladly change her diet. I would do anything to help her. Your cat’s symptoms have completely resolved since the diet change? Thank you again for responding to my post.

 

[meowmixing]

Thank you so much! I’m sorry you were dealing with this as well. Was your cat’s congestion bilateral or unilateral? I asked her vet about allergies and she did not feel that was likely. She definitely is more fussy after eating. They did X-rays during the nasal flush, nothing was visible on X-ray. She went for a dental exam and cleaning and did more X-rays. Again, noting was seen. I gave her Zyrtec yesterday and today and she is actually a bit less congested. Her vet did not do a biopsy due to bleeding risk. The vet is pretty convinced it’s a mass as the congestion is unilateral. I wish I had actual proof she had cancer so I could better accept her diagnosis, rather than just being told she has cancer. I asked if it could possibly be a polyp and her vet said no given her age. I was told Polyps are typically only seen in kittens and younger cats, not a 10 year old. I would gladly change her diet. I would do anything to help her. Your cat’s symptoms have completely resolved since the diet change? Thank you again for responding to my post.

Was your cat’s congestion bilateral or unilateral?
> One vet said the discharge seemed unilateral and suspected teeth. A few months later the same vet did not think so anymore. That vet also said basically some cats have chronic rhinitis for life, nothing can really do but antibiotics sometimes. So I tried a new vet. I did notice one nostril would consistently get more crusted / have more mucous come out but I don’t think it was truly ‘unilateral’. I guess one side may be more damaged from the inflammation.

I asked her vet about allergies and she did not feel that was likely
> I asked 3 vets about possible food allergies since he started on a new food about a year before and they all brushed food off. Does your kitty have any other seemingly unrelated symptoms like sores on paws, itching, watery eyes?

She definitely is more fussy after eating.
> When you say more fussy, in what way? More mucous? Mine coughed / had more discharge, especially when he had a certain food. What kind of food is your kitty eating?

I wish I had actual proof she had cancer so I could better accept her diagnosis, rather than just being told she has cancer.
> My cat had some xrays, a scope thing to look in his nose during flush, several
biopsies, and after this vet saw nothing and ruled out cancer. I think polyps can still happen to older cats, I was hoping mine had one and they could just remove it during the flush but sadly the results came back just as chronic rhinitis / mysterious inflammation. I wonder why in your case they are suggesting a CT. I would have done it but nobody suggested after the flush. Have you considered getting a second opinion from another vet ?

Your cat’s symptoms have completely resolved since the diet change?
> Shockingly, yes. But I don’t doubt they can come back from the wrong food or a trigger of sorts. His breathing no longer sounds congested, he isn't doing weird barking coughs he sometimes did, and ropes
of opaque snot are not coming out of his nose. He has not been normal a day since he got sick in February.

Not all cats will be able to solve with diet but because it was not explored by any of my vets I just want to share the experience since if I didn't try changing food my cat would still be sick.

 

[karen1121]

Yes, my cat has itching and watering in the one eye. She had herpes as a kitten and has always had draining from that eye. She is eating Royal Canin Adult Instinctive wet food and more recently she has been eating Fresh Pet chicken. Her vet is saying she has cancer, despite normal X-rays. I asked if it could be chronic rhinitis and the vet said no. I asked if it could be a polyp, again told no. My cat, like yours, has long ropey snot. Did his symptoms seem to appear suddenly in February. Her congestion came on quite suddenly in May. Did you cat lose any weight? She initially lost weight because she was having difficulty eating while being so congested. She has gained the weight back. How long was your cat on steroids?

 

[meowmixing]

Yes, my cat has itching and watering in the one eye. She had herpes as a kitten and has always had draining from that eye. She is eating Royal Canin Adult Instinctive wet food and more recently she has been eating Fresh Pet chicken. Her vet is saying she has cancer, despite normal X-rays. I asked if it could be chronic rhinitis and the vet said no. I asked if it could be a polyp, again told no. My cat, like yours, has long ropey snot. Did his symptoms seem to appear suddenly in February. Her congestion came on quite suddenly in May. Did you cat lose any weight? She initially lost weight because she was having difficulty eating while being so congested. She has gained the weight back. How long was your cat on steroids?

If she had herpes as a kitten I believe she would still have herpes now. That is a big difference between our cats - mine has consistently tested negative for herpes and never had any symptoms like this his entire life (adopted as a kitten). I think cats with herpes can end up with flare ups later in life...

He suddenly got what I thought was a cold, which he never had before. After a few days the symptoms got worse. Through everything he never really lost weight and was eating ok but sounded funny when eating! Here’s a post I made earlier on. Congested cat - symptoms back right after antibiotics

Steroids were for about 2 weeks. They were not helpful for his paw skin problems (he developed paw sores slowly over about 7 months before the respiratory) or respiratory symptoms at all.

Natural balance venison and pea limited ingredient dry food cleared most of his paw problem after 8 weeks, but not the respiratory. Changing exclusively to just juicy venison stew after that quickly cleared up his nose and breathing (I think because it does not contain peas or pea protein like all his other food had). I think he's allergic to poultry and pea but not 100 percent sure yet.

Since your cat has herpes, and the same eye was affected, pretty confused why your vet says cancer with no tests positive for cancer. If seeing another vet (especially feline specialist) is an option, maybe you will get some helpful insights.

 

[karen1121]

I just spoke with her vet. She is prescribing Prednisolone. I will pick that up this afternoon.

 

[karen1121]

My vet believes Almond has a nasal mass. I have been hoping and praying this could be chronic rhinitis or feline herpes virus and that her symptoms could be managed, but her vet is insistent she has a nasal mass. If anyone has any experience with a cat with a nasal mass I would appreciate your knowledge and advice.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I am not a vet, but at this point I think you need to take your research one step further to try to determine if the mass is cancerous or a polyp, or perhaps something else altogether. Have you considered consulting with an internal med vet? Many of them are part of an overall specialty group whereby they can confer with others in their practice who further specialize in pet ears, nose, and throats, as well as pet oncology. It is not impossible to identify if there is a nasal mass, and based on their expertise what the mass may be made of. It would probably entail a CT scan or perhaps even an MRI - just from my layperson's opinion.

Tbh, if your vet is insisting that Almond has a nasal mass, I would think she would be the first one in line to support you seeing a specialist for additional guidance.

While you wait to hear directly from some members who have dealt with nasal masses, maybe you would like to peruse through these potentially related posts (see link below)? But I really think consulting with a specialist is the direction you should be heading.
Search Results for Query: nasal mass | TheCatSite

 

[meowmixing]

I just spoke with her vet. She is prescribing Prednisolone. I will pick that up this afternoon.

Hope it gives her some relief!

 

[karen1121]

Thank you so much for responding. She has an appointment with an internal medicine specialist next month. I agree with you, there has not been any definitive test result showing cancer, this is just her best guess. She said a polyp is not possible at her age.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I think just saying a polyp is not possible at her age is the very reason to be consulting with a specialist. While that might be more common for them to be found in younger cats, that doesn't mean they can't be found in older cats as well. Maybe there is some level of semantics going on here, because polyps can be cancerous too - but they are not 'exclusive' to younger cats one way or the other.
Nasal Polyps In Cats: Causes Symptoms And Treatment – CelestialPets
Nasal Polyps In Cats: Symptoms And Treatment Options | Kingsdale Animal Hospital

 

[karen1121]

“Nasal polyps often develop as a result of chronic inflammation of the upper respiratory tract”. Interesting.. Almond has always had inflammation in her left eye since she was a kitten. She had a severe herpes infection when I adopted her. Her chronic inflammation she is currently dealing with has been on the same side with the unilateral congestion.

 

[SteveT]

Cryptococcus infection is also a fairly common cause of nasal polyps as well as granulomas in the nasal passage or sinus of cats--at any age. About 40% of cats with crypto will develop polyps. I am new here and dealing with a 10 month case of crypto with a cat that has all symptoms incl those nasal polyps. Vet says that polyps resulting from cryptococcus infection are almost always benign, i.e. not malignant. In the big picture, however, nasal polyps seem like one of the minor things we have to deal with at this point!

 

[karen1121]

Thank you for sharing this. I asked her vet about a possible fungal infection as Almond has a bad habit of drinking from the bathtub. She told me that was also unlikely and not seen in our geographical area. I asked if we could at least test for it, she again said there was no reason to test for it. You have been dealing with these symptoms for 10 months?

 

[SteveT]

Yes I've been told that in certain parts of the country even a vet with 25 years experience may have never treated (or even ever seen) a single cat with crypto. We lucked out and got a very experienced vet who had actually diagnosed and treated cryptococcus in numerous cats. She prescribed fluconazole, generally now considered the best Rx for crypto. Our luck ran out because this vet very soon retired. We've had trouble getting a new vet with cryptococcus experience. Because we strongly believe our now-retired vet was correct when she diagnosed crypto, we arranged to continue giving the cat fluconazole non-stop as we look for another vet. Meanwhile, two vets have already declined to take on the case, I assume because they don't know much about crypto. The cost of all this ... I don't even want to talk about!