Wendell has asthma-advice?

"CarliEntin" wrote in message
...
WEndell has been my cat for 2 years and he never has contact with other
cats.
That pretty much rules out heartworm, right?

Not necessarily. Single, indoor cats can also acquire heartworm disease.
Heartworms in cats can take years to grow before they become large enough to
cause symptoms - so don't be mislead by seasons or housing status.

You might want to have your cat tested. I would order both tests, Heartworm
Antigen (HWAg) and Heartworm Antibody (HWAb) tests. HWAg is more specific -
but low worm burdens and single-sex infections can result in false
negatives. The HWAb detects circulating HW antigen and is the most
sensitive test for heartworms in cats. Each test only costs about $15. I
think its a bargain for the peace of mind.

If the HW tests are negative, if I were you, I'd speak to your vet about
inhaled steroids and inhaled bronchodilators - especially a bronchodilator
for emergency situations.

Here's some information about the Aerokat chamber. http://www.aerokat.com

http://gallery.fritzthebrave.com/ind...sing%20AeroKat

As an added precaution, You might want to speak to your vet about teaching
you how to give your cat terbutaline SC. Terbutaline is a bronchodilator
that can be administered as easily as giving SC insulin injections to
diabetic cats.

The injections are a live-saving alternative to inhaled bronchdilators if
the inhalants can't be given. They will also minimize the number of very
stressful trips to the emergency clinic and possibly save your cat's life in
the event he has an attack and you can't get to an emergency clinic in time.

Here's some information on allergy tests:

...


At one time I felt the trans-tracheal wash or by its older name
"trans-tracheal aspiration biopsy" - was a fairly reliable test because we
"got lucky" a few times, but I'm not crazy about this test anymore. First
of all, a TTAB
requires anesthesia; second, some bacteria that are usually considered
pathogens, as well as eosinophils have been found in the "wash" of normal,
healthy cats. Since the lower airways of normal, healthy cats are aren't
exactly sterile, and the results aren't definitive or even reliable, I don't
think the test is worth the anesthetic risk.

Two other allergy tests for cats are the patch test and the RAST or ELISA
Even though the patch test is more accurate and reliable, I still prefer the
RAST or ELISA tests because with these tests suspected antigens are
tested in a test tube rather than on the cat.

Phil.

"CarliEntin" wrote in message
...
WEndell has been my cat for 2 years and he never has contact with other
cats.
That pretty much rules out heartworm, right?

Not necessarily. Single, indoor cats can also acquire heartworm disease.
Heartworms in cats can take years to grow before they become large enough to
cause symptoms - so don't be mislead by seasons or housing status.

You might want to have your cat tested. I would order both tests, Heartworm
Antigen (HWAg) and Heartworm Antibody (HWAb) tests. HWAg is more specific -
but low worm burdens and single-sex infections can result in false
negatives. The HWAb detects circulating HW antigen and is the most
sensitive test for heartworms in cats. Each test only costs about $15. I
think its a bargain for the peace of mind.

If the HW tests are negative, if I were you, I'd speak to your vet about
inhaled steroids and inhaled bronchodilators - especially a bronchodilator
for emergency situations.

Here's some information about the Aerokat chamber. http://www.aerokat.com

http://gallery.fritzthebrave.com/ind...sing%20AeroKat

As an added precaution, You might want to speak to your vet about teaching
you how to give your cat terbutaline SC. Terbutaline is a bronchodilator
that can be administered as easily as giving SC insulin injections to
diabetic cats.

The injections are a live-saving alternative to inhaled bronchdilators if
the inhalants can't be given. They will also minimize the number of very
stressful trips to the emergency clinic and possibly save your cat's life in
the event he has an attack and you can't get to an emergency clinic in time.

Here's some information on allergy tests:

...


At one time I felt the trans-tracheal wash or by its older name
"trans-tracheal aspiration biopsy" - was a fairly reliable test because we
"got lucky" a few times, but I'm not crazy about this test anymore. First
of all, a TTAB
requires anesthesia; second, some bacteria that are usually considered
pathogens, as well as eosinophils have been found in the "wash" of normal,
healthy cats. Since the lower airways of normal, healthy cats are aren't
exactly sterile, and the results aren't definitive or even reliable, I don't
think the test is worth the anesthetic risk.

Two other allergy tests for cats are the patch test and the RAST or ELISA
Even though the patch test is more accurate and reliable, I still prefer the
RAST or ELISA tests because with these tests suspected antigens are
tested in a test tube rather than on the cat.

Phil.

"CarliEntin" wrote in message
...
WEndell has been my cat for 2 years and he never has contact with other
cats.
That pretty much rules out heartworm, right?

Not necessarily. Single, indoor cats can also acquire heartworm disease.
Heartworms in cats can take years to grow before they become large enough to
cause symptoms - so don't be mislead by seasons or housing status.

You might want to have your cat tested. I would order both tests, Heartworm
Antigen (HWAg) and Heartworm Antibody (HWAb) tests. HWAg is more specific -
but low worm burdens and single-sex infections can result in false
negatives. The HWAb detects circulating HW antigen and is the most
sensitive test for heartworms in cats. Each test only costs about $15. I
think its a bargain for the peace of mind.

If the HW tests are negative, if I were you, I'd speak to your vet about
inhaled steroids and inhaled bronchodilators - especially a bronchodilator
for emergency situations.

Here's some information about the Aerokat chamber. http://www.aerokat.com

http://gallery.fritzthebrave.com/ind...sing%20AeroKat

As an added precaution, You might want to speak to your vet about teaching
you how to give your cat terbutaline SC. Terbutaline is a bronchodilator
that can be administered as easily as giving SC insulin injections to
diabetic cats.

The injections are a live-saving alternative to inhaled bronchdilators if
the inhalants can't be given. They will also minimize the number of very
stressful trips to the emergency clinic and possibly save your cat's life in
the event he has an attack and you can't get to an emergency clinic in time.

Here's some information on allergy tests:

...


At one time I felt the trans-tracheal wash or by its older name
"trans-tracheal aspiration biopsy" - was a fairly reliable test because we
"got lucky" a few times, but I'm not crazy about this test anymore. First
of all, a TTAB
requires anesthesia; second, some bacteria that are usually considered
pathogens, as well as eosinophils have been found in the "wash" of normal,
healthy cats. Since the lower airways of normal, healthy cats are aren't
exactly sterile, and the results aren't definitive or even reliable, I don't
think the test is worth the anesthetic risk.

Two other allergy tests for cats are the patch test and the RAST or ELISA
Even though the patch test is more accurate and reliable, I still prefer the
RAST or ELISA tests because with these tests suspected antigens are
tested in a test tube rather than on the cat.

Phil.

(CarliEntin) wrote:

WEndell has been my cat for 2 years and he never has contact with other cats.
That pretty much rules out heartworm, right?


Heartworm is spread by mosquitos. A cat can't heartworm from another cat.
Indoor cats are at risk as well as outdoor cats, since it isn't very hard for a
mosquito to get indoors, and indoor cats are less likely to be on a heartworm
preventative.

(CarliEntin) wrote:

WEndell has been my cat for 2 years and he never has contact with other cats.
That pretty much rules out heartworm, right?


Heartworm is spread by mosquitos. A cat can't heartworm from another cat.
Indoor cats are at risk as well as outdoor cats, since it isn't very hard for a
mosquito to get indoors, and indoor cats are less likely to be on a heartworm
preventative.

(CarliEntin) wrote:

WEndell has been my cat for 2 years and he never has contact with other cats.
That pretty much rules out heartworm, right?


Heartworm is spread by mosquitos. A cat can't heartworm from another cat.
Indoor cats are at risk as well as outdoor cats, since it isn't very hard for a
mosquito to get indoors, and indoor cats are less likely to be on a heartworm
preventative.