- Joined
- Dec 23, 2021
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Hello Holistic Actions Forum & Pet Parent Experts : )
I'm having a bigger than normal challenge caring for my health challenged cat who is miserable right now. It's hard to not have fear, feel overwhelmed. I keep saying 'symptoms are your friend...' Hoping you may have some insightful and helpful solutions to share...my efforts with local vet have been discouraging.
Gratefully,
Lisa & Bhumi
Elder Cat Care Help Request - Sudden Onset Severe Weakness, Excessive Nasal Discharge, Breathing Distress with Chronic Asthma/Respiratory Issues
Name - Bhumi
Age - 11 (In my care 3 yrs)
Sex - Female
Breed - Unknown
Small- 4lbs
Beam - Poor
Appetite - Poor
Symptoms timeline - 4/12, Day 1
Vax history - Unknown before 3 years ago, found as an abandoned, neglected but incredibly loving stray living in the wild. No new known toxins, no meds, no toxic cat litter or air fresheners like fumigant Febreeze.
Primary problem - Acute (1) Severe breathing distress (2) Extreme nasal discharge and sinus congestion inability to breathe properly, snorting/gasping for air at times (3) Severe weakness, lack of energy, can barely walk. Vet visit yesterday resulted in no improvements.
Chronic related symptoms - Feline herpes, asthma, allergies and other possible unknowns. Her breathing is so rough at times she sounds like a chain smoker of 30 years.
Condition fluctuations - Indoor/Outdoor cat. Her symptoms have gotten worse today, lower energy, lack of appetite, intense nasal/eye drainage, difficulty breathing, I am unable to keep her nasal congestion/drainage sufficiently clear because of the amount of fluid being discharged and her crying with each wipe, probably with extra skin sensitivity. If the nasal discharge has any chance to dry, it makes matters worse with a breathing restricted nose crust, this then requires more distressing cleaning methods for her.
Diagnostic work - Chest x-rays last month confirmed asthma. Local vet visit yesterday for current symptoms. Blood work, full wellness panel, CBC, etc. was done. Results expected tomorrow, Friday.
Her BEAM is down on all counts, to like 80%, a degree I’ve never seen in her before. It’s like her battery is empty. This happened overnight.
Current & Previous treatment -
Home treatment: Lots of love, petting and positive intentions. Have been cleaning nasal & eye discharge frequently with warm cloth. This has made her nose more sensitive, probably contributing to lack of appetite. She seems to be suffocating at times in the draining fluid. I'm afraid she could be slowly dying. It's very concerning. Does she need oxygen, to be in an oxygen chamber? There are portable ones available. That wouldn't address her sinus congestion though. At times, the saline drops seem to make her gag and choke because she is so stopped up. Weight loss, 1.5lbs of a 5.5lb normal weight.
Coconut oil on nose to address drying doesn't seem to help because it gets constantly wiped off with the drainage or mixed in making a thick goopy mess. Gave her several doses of rescue remedy. She is drinking unusually high amounts of water. Few bites of food today (raw chicken, mashed squash/zucchini, seaweed, 1/2t manuka honey. Did treatment this morning with warm air steam inhaler/vaporizer. Seemed to help but only for a few minutes. In the past to help manage her congestion and awful asthma attacks, have tried dried thyme in pot of steaming herbal water at the front of her covered crate. Labor intensive and no improved results.
Last night pondered using baby aspirator, the tiny tip electric ones, there isn't anything like this for small animals. Was looking for a tiny soft bristle wand, not like a q-tip, that could aid in opening/cleaning/moisturizing her tiny little clogged nostrils. One concern was a facial abscess she had two weeks ago that developed from an overnight cat bite/fight, that I drained over several days, and was concerned that it had potentially become infected internally. Vet says no looks good.
Vet care: Yesterday, day 2 of extreme weakness, no appetite and difficulty breathing, I took her to a local vet. Have been to same ‘holistic’ vet 3 times in 2 years for similar but never this bad, compounded related symptoms. Don't feel we are finding help, improvement.
I asked for a blood oxygen test because I thought she was oxygen deprived, which would explain her sudden extreme loss of energy. They were reluctant but agreed, however were unable to do it with any success and then said lack of oxygen is not part of the problem and would not help as cat would become dependent on having high levels of oxygen that aren’t available in daily life. This didn’t make sense. If she can’t breathe wouldn’t putting her in an oxygen chamber help her, while we figure out how to best decongest her?
Vet advised blood test, which we did.
Also advised a short course of oral steroids for immediate relief, inflammation reduction, etc.. I’ve read a lot of warnings about steroids, how just one dose can have irreversible damage especially for an already health compromised animal. But she didn’t agree there was any risk, saying in nearly 20 years of practice has never seen adverse reaction in cat.
Will steroids actually help clear a cat's extreme congestion, sinus issue, and be worth the risk of side effects or long term other damage? Better options?
The cause of the sudden extreme fatigue and lack of appetite will be addressed when blood work comes back.
Vet said the chronic asthma/respiratory illness is incurable and the best to do is focus on management. Management isn’t going so well. How do I treat her not being able to breathe, decongesting her, excessive nasal discharge, extreme loss of energy?
No suggestion or treatment planning on how to manage her care while waiting for labs. For example, should I feed her with dropper while she has no appetite, or allow her to not eat? How do I help her breathe when she is gasping for air, etc..
She also advised trying Chinese herbs and experimenting with acupuncture, one weekly treatment over 3-4 weeks, explaining if it helped, it would be a longer route than fast acting steroids. At a cost of $110 per visit, with her best guess that it might help, but she hasn’t seen any clinical studies showing it did help a cat with these symptoms, it seems like that money could be better put somewhere else in managing her care. Like a medical grade air purifier for when she is indoors.
I asked about nasal polyps and she said a CT would need outside referral but didn't recommend or comment further. It is incredibly expensive. I watched some YouTube videos for nasal flush treatment of cats, it looked gruesome, and I wanted to know if the way its done on babies would be applicable here. Not a lot of education out there on this topic. Nasal polyps only treatment vet says is surgical, but steroids if they do reduce inflammation, can help this too? What would a CT result do if surgery is not an option anyway? (Too invasive, expensive and polyps have high frequency for returning) Help with a flush decision perhaps?
Vet visit results: Blood work done, recommended steroids, acupuncture, Chinese herbs. No other suggestions to relieve immediate critical breathing issue, nasal discharge, weakness, not eating.
Questions:
We are seeking help with managing/improving these alarming symptoms, practical, effective solutions.
Are these current acute symptoms solely the result of her worsening asthma or are they related and secondary? Is there a natural asthma treatment?
ACUTE
Breathing distress/heavy nasal drainage - Open and keep her airway open to allow proper breathing. Nose clogged. Difficult to keep up with amount of drainage and its distressing and painful for her. Sometimes saline drops help but other times it makes her gag/choke, worsens breathing.
Extreme weakness/lethargy/lack of energy and vitality - Stopped purring. No energy for daily walks.
Possible treatment with:
With babies, you can use natural decongestants like camphor, eucalyptus oil, etc...and antihistamine agents for relief of these types of symptoms. What natural option has equal effects with safety on cats?
Food - Should I be feeding her a liquid diet with a dropper while she isn't eating on her own?
Herbs - Which ones, in what form/dosage? I have given her mullein, marshmallow root tea and ground herb mixed with food in the past. She tolerated them maybe even enjoyed them.
What is best herb to use as external nose tea wash, healing skin irritation at same time without making other problems, interfering with her sense of smell, which ultimately can affect her appetite. Would these be good to give her to drink in dropper now? Nasal flushes with herbal tea sounds ideally good, but if she's unable to breathe and have her sinuses working normally, it seems putting more liquid in her nose is potentially harmful if she can't expel it properly.
Steroids - Will steroids help or harm her? Vet says will offer immediate relief. Is that true, at what cost for side effects of severely compromised immune system animal, other damage?
Oxygen - Does she need oxygen? At what point with an animal being unable to breathe do you administer oxygen?
Baby aspirator - Would this help keep her nose clear?
Nasal CT/Flush - When is nasal polyp investigation/CT warranted? When is nasal flush warranted? Ok diy at home?
EO's - Any decongestion oils recommended that won't make matters worse?
CHRONIC
ASTHMA/RESPIRATORY - Goal to reverse, reduce asthma symptoms, increase vitality.
Indoor air quality - Severe asthmatic/allergies. Looking to purchase medical grade Austin Air Health Mate air purifier for indoor therapy.
I'm having a bigger than normal challenge caring for my health challenged cat who is miserable right now. It's hard to not have fear, feel overwhelmed. I keep saying 'symptoms are your friend...' Hoping you may have some insightful and helpful solutions to share...my efforts with local vet have been discouraging.
Gratefully,
Lisa & Bhumi
Elder Cat Care Help Request - Sudden Onset Severe Weakness, Excessive Nasal Discharge, Breathing Distress with Chronic Asthma/Respiratory Issues
Name - Bhumi
Age - 11 (In my care 3 yrs)
Sex - Female
Breed - Unknown
Small- 4lbs
Beam - Poor
Appetite - Poor
Symptoms timeline - 4/12, Day 1
Vax history - Unknown before 3 years ago, found as an abandoned, neglected but incredibly loving stray living in the wild. No new known toxins, no meds, no toxic cat litter or air fresheners like fumigant Febreeze.
Primary problem - Acute (1) Severe breathing distress (2) Extreme nasal discharge and sinus congestion inability to breathe properly, snorting/gasping for air at times (3) Severe weakness, lack of energy, can barely walk. Vet visit yesterday resulted in no improvements.
Chronic related symptoms - Feline herpes, asthma, allergies and other possible unknowns. Her breathing is so rough at times she sounds like a chain smoker of 30 years.
Condition fluctuations - Indoor/Outdoor cat. Her symptoms have gotten worse today, lower energy, lack of appetite, intense nasal/eye drainage, difficulty breathing, I am unable to keep her nasal congestion/drainage sufficiently clear because of the amount of fluid being discharged and her crying with each wipe, probably with extra skin sensitivity. If the nasal discharge has any chance to dry, it makes matters worse with a breathing restricted nose crust, this then requires more distressing cleaning methods for her.
Diagnostic work - Chest x-rays last month confirmed asthma. Local vet visit yesterday for current symptoms. Blood work, full wellness panel, CBC, etc. was done. Results expected tomorrow, Friday.
Her BEAM is down on all counts, to like 80%, a degree I’ve never seen in her before. It’s like her battery is empty. This happened overnight.
Current & Previous treatment -
Home treatment: Lots of love, petting and positive intentions. Have been cleaning nasal & eye discharge frequently with warm cloth. This has made her nose more sensitive, probably contributing to lack of appetite. She seems to be suffocating at times in the draining fluid. I'm afraid she could be slowly dying. It's very concerning. Does she need oxygen, to be in an oxygen chamber? There are portable ones available. That wouldn't address her sinus congestion though. At times, the saline drops seem to make her gag and choke because she is so stopped up. Weight loss, 1.5lbs of a 5.5lb normal weight.
Coconut oil on nose to address drying doesn't seem to help because it gets constantly wiped off with the drainage or mixed in making a thick goopy mess. Gave her several doses of rescue remedy. She is drinking unusually high amounts of water. Few bites of food today (raw chicken, mashed squash/zucchini, seaweed, 1/2t manuka honey. Did treatment this morning with warm air steam inhaler/vaporizer. Seemed to help but only for a few minutes. In the past to help manage her congestion and awful asthma attacks, have tried dried thyme in pot of steaming herbal water at the front of her covered crate. Labor intensive and no improved results.
Last night pondered using baby aspirator, the tiny tip electric ones, there isn't anything like this for small animals. Was looking for a tiny soft bristle wand, not like a q-tip, that could aid in opening/cleaning/moisturizing her tiny little clogged nostrils. One concern was a facial abscess she had two weeks ago that developed from an overnight cat bite/fight, that I drained over several days, and was concerned that it had potentially become infected internally. Vet says no looks good.
Vet care: Yesterday, day 2 of extreme weakness, no appetite and difficulty breathing, I took her to a local vet. Have been to same ‘holistic’ vet 3 times in 2 years for similar but never this bad, compounded related symptoms. Don't feel we are finding help, improvement.
I asked for a blood oxygen test because I thought she was oxygen deprived, which would explain her sudden extreme loss of energy. They were reluctant but agreed, however were unable to do it with any success and then said lack of oxygen is not part of the problem and would not help as cat would become dependent on having high levels of oxygen that aren’t available in daily life. This didn’t make sense. If she can’t breathe wouldn’t putting her in an oxygen chamber help her, while we figure out how to best decongest her?
Vet advised blood test, which we did.
Also advised a short course of oral steroids for immediate relief, inflammation reduction, etc.. I’ve read a lot of warnings about steroids, how just one dose can have irreversible damage especially for an already health compromised animal. But she didn’t agree there was any risk, saying in nearly 20 years of practice has never seen adverse reaction in cat.
Will steroids actually help clear a cat's extreme congestion, sinus issue, and be worth the risk of side effects or long term other damage? Better options?
The cause of the sudden extreme fatigue and lack of appetite will be addressed when blood work comes back.
Vet said the chronic asthma/respiratory illness is incurable and the best to do is focus on management. Management isn’t going so well. How do I treat her not being able to breathe, decongesting her, excessive nasal discharge, extreme loss of energy?
No suggestion or treatment planning on how to manage her care while waiting for labs. For example, should I feed her with dropper while she has no appetite, or allow her to not eat? How do I help her breathe when she is gasping for air, etc..
She also advised trying Chinese herbs and experimenting with acupuncture, one weekly treatment over 3-4 weeks, explaining if it helped, it would be a longer route than fast acting steroids. At a cost of $110 per visit, with her best guess that it might help, but she hasn’t seen any clinical studies showing it did help a cat with these symptoms, it seems like that money could be better put somewhere else in managing her care. Like a medical grade air purifier for when she is indoors.
I asked about nasal polyps and she said a CT would need outside referral but didn't recommend or comment further. It is incredibly expensive. I watched some YouTube videos for nasal flush treatment of cats, it looked gruesome, and I wanted to know if the way its done on babies would be applicable here. Not a lot of education out there on this topic. Nasal polyps only treatment vet says is surgical, but steroids if they do reduce inflammation, can help this too? What would a CT result do if surgery is not an option anyway? (Too invasive, expensive and polyps have high frequency for returning) Help with a flush decision perhaps?
Vet visit results: Blood work done, recommended steroids, acupuncture, Chinese herbs. No other suggestions to relieve immediate critical breathing issue, nasal discharge, weakness, not eating.
Questions:
We are seeking help with managing/improving these alarming symptoms, practical, effective solutions.
Are these current acute symptoms solely the result of her worsening asthma or are they related and secondary? Is there a natural asthma treatment?
ACUTE
Breathing distress/heavy nasal drainage - Open and keep her airway open to allow proper breathing. Nose clogged. Difficult to keep up with amount of drainage and its distressing and painful for her. Sometimes saline drops help but other times it makes her gag/choke, worsens breathing.
Extreme weakness/lethargy/lack of energy and vitality - Stopped purring. No energy for daily walks.
Possible treatment with:
With babies, you can use natural decongestants like camphor, eucalyptus oil, etc...and antihistamine agents for relief of these types of symptoms. What natural option has equal effects with safety on cats?
Food - Should I be feeding her a liquid diet with a dropper while she isn't eating on her own?
Herbs - Which ones, in what form/dosage? I have given her mullein, marshmallow root tea and ground herb mixed with food in the past. She tolerated them maybe even enjoyed them.
What is best herb to use as external nose tea wash, healing skin irritation at same time without making other problems, interfering with her sense of smell, which ultimately can affect her appetite. Would these be good to give her to drink in dropper now? Nasal flushes with herbal tea sounds ideally good, but if she's unable to breathe and have her sinuses working normally, it seems putting more liquid in her nose is potentially harmful if she can't expel it properly.
Steroids - Will steroids help or harm her? Vet says will offer immediate relief. Is that true, at what cost for side effects of severely compromised immune system animal, other damage?
Oxygen - Does she need oxygen? At what point with an animal being unable to breathe do you administer oxygen?
Baby aspirator - Would this help keep her nose clear?
Nasal CT/Flush - When is nasal polyp investigation/CT warranted? When is nasal flush warranted? Ok diy at home?
EO's - Any decongestion oils recommended that won't make matters worse?
CHRONIC
ASTHMA/RESPIRATORY - Goal to reverse, reduce asthma symptoms, increase vitality.
Indoor air quality - Severe asthmatic/allergies. Looking to purchase medical grade Austin Air Health Mate air purifier for indoor therapy.
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