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Asthma treatment questions
Hello all,
It looks like my cat Gypsy might have asthma. Her symptoms are a constant cough, labored breathing (crinkly sounds in her lungs). We had her on antibiotics and that helped a bit but not much. We've also had blood work done and ruled out worms. On Friday she's having and echo to rule out anything linked with the heart (she's 10 years old and the vet wants to make sure). Her x-rays show some kind of cloudiness in her chest and bronchial area. That said, how often does she need to have an inhaler treatment? It's torture for her (and us) to get her to swallow a pill so I'm not sure how she'll take to inhalers. Thanks for the info and insight. Paula |
#2
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Asthma treatment questions
Paula Sims wrote:
That said, how often does she need to have an inhaler treatment? It's torture for her (and us) to get her to swallow a pill so I'm not sure how she'll take to inhalers. Most people who do inhalant therapy administer a glucosteroid (typically Flovent) twice a day; a few do it once a day. Also, a quick-acting bronchodilator (usually albuterol) is kept handy for rescue and the treatment of flare-ups. Sometimes albuterol may be prescribed as an on-going therapy, although a longer-lasting bronchodilator is increasingly preferred for routine use. In either case, the bronchodilator may add one or two "puffs" per day. Most cats, if they are even marginally handle-able, can be taught to associate the inhaler with good things, so that they will come readily for their treatment and hold (relatively) still for it. Check out www.fritzthebrave.com and the Yahoo inhaled medications group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/felineasthma_inhaledmeds/ to read up on methods and see success stories. Lung infections can be stubborn and may not yield to the first or second antibiotic prescribed, so make sure your vet does whatever is necessary to rule out any lingering infection before deciding that your cat has developed *chronic* asthma. If your cat is showing symptoms of asthma and infection is ruled out, I would expect your vet to prescribe either injected or oral steroids to relieve him and stabilize his condition while you are getting him adjusted to inhaled therapy. The inhaled steroids take a little time to build up. -- Wayne M (indulged by Will and Heidi) |
#3
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Asthma treatment questions
I had a cat years ago who was a severe asthmatic. She came to realize the
the medications made her feel better and over time was very willing to take her medications. I routinely dosed her with a prescription medication that was in capsule form. She couldn't swallow the capsules but would let me open one up and dump it into her mouth twice a day then she would get a treat of special canned food that she liked. At the time she took 3 medications 6 times a day but never any inhalers. This was in late1980's and they just didn't do the inhalers with cats back then at least none of the vets I dealth with ever wanted to do so. My best advice is keep her in air conditioning in the summer. Humidity is very hard on a cat with asthma and the air helps keep the breathing less labored. Don't let her outside no matter how much she wants out the pollen and dust are killers. Also invest in a good hepa filter for the house or atleast for the room she spends the most time in. Don't use chemicals to clean with the chemicals can bring on an attack if you have to scrub use plain water and maybe some vinegar. Learn to watch your cat closely for signs of distress and behavior changes. It got so that I could pick up on Skippis body language and tell before she was in a full blown asthma attack and get her treatment stepped up enough to keep her comfortable. Celeste "Paula Sims" wrote in message .net... Hello all, It looks like my cat Gypsy might have asthma. Her symptoms are a constant cough, labored breathing (crinkly sounds in her lungs). We had her on antibiotics and that helped a bit but not much. We've also had blood work done and ruled out worms. On Friday she's having and echo to rule out anything linked with the heart (she's 10 years old and the vet wants to make sure). Her x-rays show some kind of cloudiness in her chest and bronchial area. That said, how often does she need to have an inhaler treatment? It's torture for her (and us) to get her to swallow a pill so I'm not sure how she'll take to inhalers. Thanks for the info and insight. Paula |
#4
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Asthma treatment questions
Thanks so much for the help and guidence. I'm sure I'll be referencing
the links often. We had her on Baytril for over 6 weeks and most recently another antibiotic (a version of Augmentin) and they did little good. An injection of a steroid was given and Gypsy seemed better. We're also going to be doing a cardiac work up to catch other stuff. Paula In article , gwmitchell104 @pobox.com says... Paula Sims wrote: That said, how often does she need to have an inhaler treatment? It's torture for her (and us) to get her to swallow a pill so I'm not sure how she'll take to inhalers. Most people who do inhalant therapy administer a glucosteroid (typically Flovent) twice a day; a few do it once a day. Also, a quick-acting bronchodilator (usually albuterol) is kept handy for rescue and the treatment of flare-ups. Sometimes albuterol may be prescribed as an on-going therapy, although a longer-lasting bronchodilator is increasingly preferred for routine use. In either case, the bronchodilator may add one or two "puffs" per day. Most cats, if they are even marginally handle-able, can be taught to associate the inhaler with good things, so that they will come readily for their treatment and hold (relatively) still for it. Check out www.fritzthebrave.com and the Yahoo inhaled medications group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/felineasthma_inhaledmeds/ to read up on methods and see success stories. Lung infections can be stubborn and may not yield to the first or second antibiotic prescribed, so make sure your vet does whatever is necessary to rule out any lingering infection before deciding that your cat has developed *chronic* asthma. If your cat is showing symptoms of asthma and infection is ruled out, I would expect your vet to prescribe either injected or oral steroids to relieve him and stabilize his condition while you are getting him adjusted to inhaled therapy. The inhaled steroids take a little time to build up. |
#5
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Asthma treatment questions
"Paula Sims" wrote in message .net... Hello all, It looks like my cat Gypsy might have asthma. Her symptoms are a constant cough, labored breathing (crinkly sounds in her lungs). We had her on antibiotics and that helped a bit but not much. We've also had blood work done and ruled out worms. On Friday she's having and echo to rule out anything linked with the heart (she's 10 years old and the vet wants to make sure). Excellent. Her x-rays show some kind of cloudiness in her chest and bronchial area. Did the cloudiness look a little like donuts and railroad tracks? That's usually what asthma looks like on an x-ray in a cat's lungs- its due to bronchial wall thickening caused by inflammation. That said, how often does she need to have an inhaler treatment? Usually, but not always, an inhaled steroid (most commonly Flovent 220) is given twice a day. Inhaled bronchial dilators (most commonly albuterol) is given during an attack. Inhaled albuterol is very rapid acting (within a few minutes). Most of the time, the Flovent will control the symptoms so the albuterol is only used occasionally. The vast majority of the inhaled steroid goes directly to the lungs where its needed most, and very, very little gets into the system. Thus, here are virtually none of the side effects that are usually associated with systemic steroid therapy. It's torture for her (and us) to get her to swallow a pill so I'm not sure how she'll take to inhalers. You'd be surprised how quickly cats adapt to inhalation therapy! But you absolutely *must* use an Aerochamber or Aerokat. For a more complete understanding of inhalation therapy and aerochambers a/k/a "spacers", please visit my site: http://www.maxshouse.com/inhalation_...ay_disease.htm http://www.maxshouse.com/feline_asth...bronchitis.htm Thanks for the info and insight. Good luck, Phil. |
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