Older cat keeps getting head congestion

[mrbb2002]

My older cat, guessing around 15 keeps getting severely congested sinuses. He is constantly sneezing out mucus,hacking, and has very loud nasal breathing. I have taken him to 2 different vets and they say he isnt FIV+ and that he doesnt have anything majorly wrong. They just send him home with antibiotics which work for a while but then he gets sick again as soon he stops taking them. I started him on lysine powder the last timwe he got sick but it didnt seem to help because now he is sick again. Does anyone have any suggestions on supplements or anything that might make him better? Thank you all in advance!!

 

[fodder]

I am currently going through something very similar. Many vet visits and lots of $ later there is still not much resolve. There are some things you may ask your vet to try.

An xray to be sure there are no foreign bodies in the nasal cavity or masses present of any kind.

A culture test on the nasal discharge.

A thorough tooth and mouth examination. My first vet missed a decaying tooth that is being extracted tomorrow.

A Rhinoscopy to further examine the nasal cavity.

An allergy test or trial of antihistamine to rule out allergy.

A blood test.

That's all i can think of off the top of my head. My cat has been through or is going through all of these things. So far he still has the same symptoms. He has been through 4 coarse's of antibiotics. The last one was a 45 day coarse. Each time the  symptoms resolve immediately after starting the antibiotic but return soon after stopping. 

Apparently this type of problem is notoriously hard to solve however one thing i can say is that if he is sneezing out mucus there is definitely an infection there which can not be ignored. 

EDIT: Does your guy do this at all? 

 

[babiesmom5]

I have been down this same frustrating nasal path with my own 15 year old cat.  Chronic nasal inflammation can morph into Nasal Lymphoma.  I lost my beloved cat to this in December.  About two years ago, she had a cold followed by sniffles which did not clear up.  Vet gave her a shot of Convenia (antibiotic) which lasted 9 months.  Sniffles and congestion/mucus returned.  Antibiotics were given subsequently which lasted shorter periods of time.  A culture of the mucus discharge was done and it identified two different bacteria.  Baytrill was given for 2 weeks.  Symptoms improved as long as she was on it, but came right back soon as it was done. We wondered whether cat had polyps.  Next step was X-rays, followed by nasal saline flush.  The Vet checked sinus, mouth, throat.  Everything was clear; no polyps, no tumors, no obstructions; everything clear up there.  Cat came home, felt good, ate well, no nasal discharge.  Three days later, cat wouldn't eat.  Local Vet could not restart eating with shots, fluids, so cat was taken to emergency hospital where nasal biopsy was done.  Biopsy came back as Nasal Small Cell Lymphoma.

What I learned about Nasal Lymphoma is that it is one of the more treatable, sometimes even curable Lymphomas if caught early.  It is "infiltratrative" meaning that it infiltrates the nasal/sinus cavities.  It does not show as a tumor or mass.

Lymphoma's can invade anywhere in the body.   It also "travels", so could be elsewhere in the body.  Lymphomas are more prevalent in older cats. 

I would suggest you get a nasal biopsy just to "rule out" Nasal Lymphoma.  Stay on top of this problem as chronic inflammation, unchecked can and often does turn to Lymphoma.

 

[missmimz]

Has he had a full senior work up including checking his kidneys and thyroid? In my opinion diet is the key factor in keeping the immune system up and preventing reoccurring URIs. My 14 year old hasn't had a URI flare in years since he was switched to a mostly raw food diet, and none of my younger cats that eat mostly raw or high quality canned have ever had a URI flare. Like humans, cats benefit from a bio appropriate healthy diet. 

 

[mrbb2002]

He does something similar to that but it sonds a lot more raspy. My vet also put him on a long treatment of antibiotics(6 weeks) and he did really well for 2 months after then got sick again.

 

[mrbb2002]

They have ran a ton of tests at both vets. Im gping to call the vet in the am so i will ask of they have checked that, but i am pretty sure that they have. He is on a limited ingredient grain free diet. I switch between venison and pea and salmon and pea.

 

[fodder]

I share your frustration. Just got off the phone with the vet and for the 6th time they have no idea. Removed his bad tooth but out of three vets that work there none of them think that is whats causing the sneezing. My options now are very long term antibiotics accompanied by a steroid or take him for a 3 hour car ride to see a specialist that not only will charge a fortune but probably wont be able to see much further in to his nasal passage anyway. Very very frustrating. And expensive!

 

[fodder]

 
I have been down this same frustrating nasal path with my own 15 year old cat.  Chronic nasal inflammation can morph into Nasal Lymphoma.  I lost my beloved cat to this in December.  About two years ago, she had a cold followed by sniffles which did not clear up.  Vet gave her a shot of Convenia (antibiotic) which lasted 9 months.  Sniffles and congestion/mucus returned.  Antibiotics were given subsequently which lasted shorter periods of time.  A culture of the mucus discharge was done and it identified two different bacteria.  Baytrill was given for 2 weeks.  Symptoms improved as long as she was on it, but came right back soon as it was done. We wondered whether cat had polyps.  Next step was X-rays, followed by nasal saline flush.  The Vet checked sinus, mouth, throat.  Everything was clear; no polyps, no tumors, no obstructions; everything clear up there.  Cat came home, felt good, ate well, no nasal discharge.  Three days later, cat wouldn't eat.  Local Vet could not restart eating with shots, fluids, so cat was taken to emergency hospital where nasal biopsy was done.  Biopsy came back as Nasal Small Cell Lymphoma.

What I learned about Nasal Lymphoma is that it is one of the more treatable, sometimes even curable Lymphomas if caught early.  It is "infiltratrative" meaning that it infiltrates the nasal/sinus cavities.  It does not show as a tumor or mass.

Lymphoma's can invade anywhere in the body.   It also "travels", so could be elsewhere in the body.  Lymphomas are more prevalent in older cats. 

I would suggest you get a nasal biopsy just to "rule out" Nasal Lymphoma.  Stay on top of this problem as chronic inflammation, unchecked can and often does turn to Lymphoma.

Thanks for sharing your experience.Was there any swelling that was noticeable on your cat? Any signs at all? I would have thought they could tell from blood tests if your cat had something like this but idk.

 

[babiesmom5]

Good questions.  No, there was no swelling of the nasal passages or sinuses.  The Vet said there was "no resistance" to the scope or probe used in the saline flush.  Nasal passage was clear.  Only thing she removed was "a big gob of mucus" from the left side.  Cat received a full ""Geriatric Senior Profile" bloodwork back in August.  All was normal.  I paid extra for a "Pre-op Panel" bloodwork prior to the anesthesia needed for the saline flush in December.  It was completely normal.  Like you, I thought too that bloodwork would show some abnormality.  It did not in this case.  The only clue was the biopsy a week later (by an Internal Medicine Specialist Vet) which showed " Nasal Small Cell Lymphoma". 

I think chronic nasal problems are as frustrating for Vets as they are for cats and their parents.  Vets often just prescribe round after round of antibiotics hoping they will work.  They are often at a loss when they don't. Unfortunately, to get answers takes a trip to a specialist, which I would have gladly done earlier had I any idea of the outcome.  We sadly learn these things too late, but in my dear cat's memory, I hope her experience may help other cats.  She would want that too.

 

[fodder]

 
Good questions.  No, there was no swelling of the nasal passages or sinuses.  The Vet said there was "no resistance" to the scope or probe used in the saline flush.  Nasal passage was clear.  Only thing she removed was "a big gob of mucus" from the left side.  Cat received a full ""Geriatric Senior Profile" bloodwork back in August.  All was normal.  I paid extra for a "Pre-op Panel" bloodwork prior to the anesthesia needed for the saline flush in December.  It was completely normal.  Like you, I thought too that bloodwork would show some abnormality.  It did not in this case.  The only clue was the biopsy a week later (by an Internal Medicine Specialist Vet) which showed " Nasal Small Cell Lymphoma". 

I think chronic nasal problems are as frustrating for Vets as they are for cats and their parents.  Vets often just prescribe round after round of antibiotics hoping they will work.  They are often at a loss when they don't. Unfortunately, to get answers takes a trip to a specialist, which I would have gladly done earlier had I any idea of the outcome.  We sadly learn these things too late, but in my dear cat's memory, I hope her experience may help other cats.  She would want that too.

Damn. That is a scary thought. My income is small and stretched thin already. Spent 2k on vet bills in the last couple of months and the specialist wants at least that much again to run more tests. Ultimately money means nothing to me, especially when it comes to the well being of my baby cat but i simply don't have the funds to see the specialist at the moment. I really really really hope it's not what my cat has.
How would they even treat such a thing? If it was down to chemo id probably not resort to that anyway. My dad went through chemo and it ruined him. I would hate to put my cat through that. I think it would be more humane to let him go if it came to that.

I might actually sell my car and get him seen by the specialist. Walking is good for you anyway right 

 
Thanks for sharing your experience.