Help! Hoping somebodies had similar situation.

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by Jules, Sep 12, 2018.

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  1. Jules

    Jules New Member

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    Tuesday night @ around 3am my cat Peanut started coughing about 4 or 5 times a minute. By cough I don’t know how else to explain it. She was expelling air from her mouth like a cough. This continued until her morning feeding @ 5am. She is diabetic but in remission on canned diabetic food 3 times a day. She ate a very small 3 TBSP of food then vomited it up about 20 mins later. She stopped coughing while she was eating but continued right after. So at 9am our vet took us in. Doctor said no feaver tummy seamed normal.
    Fed peanut Tuesday night at 5pm and thankfully she kept it down. Cough continued but lessened. 5am Wednesday morning cough stopped but cat will not eat or drink will only lay around. Going back to the vet Wednesday @ 2:30Pm to see what else we can do. Anyone else have any similar experience? The coughing was strange I am scared.

    Thank you.
     
  2. JeanW

    JeanW Member

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    I don't know but know how scary it can be. Hopefully the vet will be able to tell you more.

    Did they do blood work?
     
  3. Bama Kitty Mom (GA)

    Bama Kitty Mom (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Asthma maybe? WebMd has this on feline asthma. If it happens again, maybe you could video the episode with your phone. Did the coughing continue in the vet's office?
     
  4. JeanW

    JeanW Member

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    Videoing the episode is a really good idea.
     
  5. Squeaky and KT (GA)

    Squeaky and KT (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Definitely video the episode if another one happens BUT I have 2 cats that do that when they have a hairball. Bebo has been 'coughing' for 2 days, very sniggly about eating - the huge furball finally came up this morning. Since then, he's not coughed and has eaten like he's starved.

    Fingers crossed that's what it is....HUGS too!
     
  6. Jules

    Jules New Member

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    No it didn’t continue in the vets office but I had taken video of the coughing and I showed the vet after he checked her over. When we came home it started up again.
     
  7. Jules

    Jules New Member

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    Was Bebo lethargic? Was he drinking? Was he using the litter? Work willing to the bathroom at all? I really hope that she passes her hairball if that’s what it is. Is there anything that you did to help it along? Thank you very much for your reply.
     
  8. FurBabiesMama

    FurBabiesMama Well-Known Member

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    Was it something like this?
    When it is an asthma attack, the whole body seems to spasm. It's coming from deep in their lungs.
     
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  9. Squeaky and KT (GA)

    Squeaky and KT (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Bebo is NOT diabetic, should have said that in my original post. He was drinking, using litter, etc, just not eating much or eating very small amounts over periods of time. Again - I don't know that yours is a hairball, I just wanted to share something else that it could be. Vet definitely needs to rule out other, more serious things.
     
  10. HereKittyKittyKitty

    HereKittyKittyKitty Member

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    Almost sounds like an obstruction/partial obstruction :(
     
  11. Veronica & Babu-chiri

    Veronica & Babu-chiri Well-Known Member

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    Could be something realated with his lungs or a flu, the vet needs to check him maybe an X ray of his lungs, is by any change any mucus coming out of his nose? what you describe is how they act when they can't breathe properly, their instinct tells them to clear the airway so they cough or try to throw up whatever is obstructing the airway ( that something could be a huge fur ball too)
     
  12. Squalliesmom

    Squalliesmom Well-Known Member

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    Coughing can be a sign of heart disease, too. Might want to have the vet check his heart out, maybe an echocardiogram.
     
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  13. Sylvie

    Sylvie Member

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    Sep 26, 2017
    also can be migrating roundworms! my oldest cat was coughing/hacking like on and off this past weekend, today i found a roundworm in his poop! same with our orange cat last week, found one in his poop yesterday.. apparently the poop check vet did a little over a month ago for parasites wasn't that accurate! grrr.
     
  14. Jules

    Jules New Member

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    80148C9B-9032-4B01-9CD6-916D2D702502.jpeg UPDATE!!

    Went to vet for 2:30 PM appointment. Peanut had high fever of 40.2c. Our vet did blood work and it turned out she had a bacterial infection. She was given ( I don’t know what it’s called officially) water under the skin and kitty Ibuprofen along with an antibiotic called Baytril 50mg plus 10 pills to take home. We came home and both crashed.
    8Pm she ate 5 treats. 940pm 3 treats then was offered her wet food Licked a little dollop of food.
    She looks so much better I am super relieved.
    So far so good!! Thanks
     
  15. HereKittyKittyKitty

    HereKittyKittyKitty Member

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    YAY! Something simple and inexpensive! :joyful:
     
  16. HereKittyKittyKitty

    HereKittyKittyKitty Member

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    Maybe kitties found the round worms after the vet visit. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
     
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  17. Loulou

    Loulou New Member

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    Glad to hear it's something treatable! She looks quite fluffy? My little Mimi (not in the picture) is a fluff ball & 2 days after we got her (as a kitten) started vomiting & was really lethargic & un-kitten-like. I panicked as she was a tiny little thing & was the runt of the litter. It turned out she'd had a bad case of fleas before she'd been rescued & had over-groomed herself, got a furball in her tummy with all sorts of bacteria which had then gotten infected & made her ill. Maybe a similar thing happened with your girl? Good to know she's getting better
     
  18. Veronica & Babu-chiri

    Veronica & Babu-chiri Well-Known Member

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    I'm glad it was just an infection easily treatable give him a lot of hughs :bighug::bighug::bighug: and I hope he starts feeling better soon

    Water under his skin is usually subcutaneous fluids and it is used to help when a cat is dehydrated ( and some other issues like CKD) because it allows the cat to have much more water than what he could possibly drink
     
  19. Critter Mom

    Critter Mom Well-Known Member

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    Very glad that Peanut is responding well to treatment. As a precaution it might be advisable to get your vet to check heart, thyroid and kidney function for peace of mind.


    Mogs
    .
     
  20. Jules

    Jules New Member

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    Feb 16, 2016
    UPDATE

    So peanut has been sick with an URI since last Monday night. She’s been to the vet 3 times this week for fluids and various medicines. Last night we took her and Peanut was given Fluids under the skin for dehydration. Convenia 80mg which is an injectable long-acting antibiotic also a metacam injection to bring her fever ( 39c) down.

    They gave her a prescription of mirtazapine which stimulates appetite to be given every 2-3 days if she continues not eating or drinking. She was given one dose at the vets but it hasn’t worked yet she still will not eat or drink just wants to sleep very congested.

    The first time they gave peanut mirtazapine as soon as we got home she was so hungry she devoured whatever we put in front of her this time she wouldn’t touch anything. I understand that she can’t breathe therefore she can’t taste but she’s been three days without food now. My husband has just gone out to buy some Saline nose drops for children so we can unblock peanuts nose. I’ve been searching on the Internet and I’ve seen that it has helped a lot of people with their cats. I’m wondering if anyone else has tried this? At this point I will try anything I’m at a loss I’m so stressed I don’t want my baby to die. What a week.
     
  21. Jules

    Jules New Member

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    How long does subcutaneous fluids last?
    I’m very new at this I have never had a cat with a URI before. The vet just keep saying she’ll get better but she’s not $620 later. I love her so much I would never deny her care because of money I’m just hoping my vet isn’t taking advantage.
     
  22. JeanW

    JeanW Member

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    Have you gone to this vet a long time? I would consider getting a second opinion or going to the animal ER, if it was me. Not eating for 3 days is a really big deal.
     
  23. Veronica & Babu-chiri

    Veronica & Babu-chiri Well-Known Member

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    Usually you will give subcutaneous fluids (subq's) once or even twice a day depending on the situation just for a few days (two or three days maybe a week it all depends on the situation) if is to help with some dehydration caused by an infection or some momentary health issue but when you are taking other kind of chronic illness like CKD they are part of the treatment and it could go for a long time even years.

    Are you giving the subq's at home or is the vet giving them?
     
  24. Jules

    Jules New Member

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    At the vets every other day so far since Tuesday. She has a URI that just won’t let up. I don’t know what else to do for her.
     
  25. Veronica & Babu-chiri

    Veronica & Babu-chiri Well-Known Member

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    Are they giving subq's or is it intravenous? , if it is subq's you could talk to the vet and ask to do it at home which is less stressful for him( probably more stressful for you ) and also cheaper.

    URI usually takes at least a week sometimes more depending on the bacteria or virus that is causing it, you could ask your vet for some drops to give him, also giving him a shoot of sterimar ( https://sterimar.com/en/ ) in each nostril can help since it will clear up the airway a little and help can help reduce inflammation
     
  26. Candy&Company

    Candy&Company Member

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    My Shelley had something similar - granted she was a sprayed female Irish Setter dog, I'm not too sure how this would translate to cats? But we ended up using an OTC salt water nasal spray (obviously NOT recommended for cats as they're too small) twice a day at morning and night for about a week, and it seemed to help! For cats, maybe you could look for something similar? I don't honestly know if there's anything out there like that. Or you could try a humidifier (doesn't have to be a big one) with sea salt (NOT table salt - if you crush up sea salt into a super fine powder some of it does go into the vapor that's put out - ever been by the beach and you can smell the salt in the air?) and a drop or two of peppermint oil? Maybe put her in the bathroom with it on for a 1/2 hour at a time and see? I don't know. We did that with Annie, our Aussie Shepard.

    Both helped to unclog the nose, and gave relief to the lungs. Not a cure, but they helped ease the symptoms. Since cats are smaller I wouldn't suggest the humidifier method for longer than a 1/2 hour at a time, since it'll add more moisture to the lungs. So long as she DOESN'T have any forms of pneumonia it should be ok. Also if you DO use oils to humidify be VERY careful as some can be really harmful, especially if they're ingested or if too much is used to put into the air. Depending on the size of your bathroom and the size humidifier, I'd suggest 2 drops peppermint oil, 1 drop eucalyptus and if you want to soothe or calm her, 1 drop lemongrass and/or 1 drop lavender. Sea salt should be about 1 tablespoon (crushed to powder) per liter or 1.5 liters.

    Mix well with a spoon before adding it to the humidifier - it helps to warm it a little in the microwave or stovetop first.

    I do know that prolonged coughing CAN make them throw up - the diaphram is so active and working so hard it can tighten the muscles in the core and abdominal region, making them throw up even though it's unconnected to an infection, etc. and since it sounds like your baby was coughing a lot for a good long time, that's what I'd suspect. Then again, if she WAS coughing things up but swallowing them, given enough volume that could make her throw up too potentially.

    Do you know if her coughing was dry, or wet? Especially the sound of it - if it's dry (sounds kinda of like a "gheeeeee" or a bit rattly then she probably has phlegm/mucus that's trying to bust up and come out (which is where the infection will be trapped so added moisture in the air helps) but if it sounds wet (noisier almost like a suction-y gurgley sound) then that's a bit more worrying to me. If she can't get that out it's a good breeding ground for whatever she has the longer it stays in, so added moisture might NOT help.

    As for drinking and feeding, you might need to assist feed - or maybe try some tricks? For my Shelley and Annie they didn't want to eat either because they couldn't smell it but they DID know what their food looked like so I always let them see me scooping out the kibble or decanning their wet food. Then I'd scoop a tiny bit on my finger and open their mouth, rubbing it on their tongue. They couldn't taste too well but they knew the texture. It didn't always work, but it did seem to help. Another trick, fat. If you cook up a chicken, turkey or any part there of, the fat that's rendered - smear some on your finger and rub that on their gums/tongue, they might know the feel and it might perk them up.

    What's the weather been like too in your area? Dry, humid, heavy pollen, pollution, etc? Those can have some effects too while she's sick. Windows open, closed? A/C or furnace on? Try to limit cleaning products with noticeable smells if you can, limit any chemicals period even if your place is well ventilated. What this will do, is limit the exposure to more inflammatory causes that might slow down or impede the meds she's on. You don't want any further irritation if you can help it. No perfumes, colognes, air fresheners, etc. This goes for laundry detergent too. For Shelley we bought a box of DREFT - it's a newborn/baby/kid type detergent that seemed to work ok.

    I agree on the worry of her not eating - that would be concern #1, and for quicker results I'd think the IV fluids would be best but also the more expensive choice as opposed to the subQ.

    Another question - if your vet gave her IV fluids, did they notice any change in her peeing? For my Shelley when she got IV fluids, her peeing slowed WAY down because her body soaked it all up so well to work with it as opposed to drinking from a bowl. She never got subQ so unsure how she would've reacted. After 2 days of straight IV fluids, she started peeing a little more often, and a little more volume each time as her body finally had it's fill and started cycling it as it should. Her vet at the time (now passed away) called it the "suck up" phase - he said, "there's dehydration and then there's DEHYDRATION" and sometimes you never know until IV fluids are given and they're monitored. IV fluids immediately get circulated, subQ takes awhile to absorb so it can be harder to tell.

    PS - I DON'T like Baytril, while it's a good antibiotic it can be harsh on the body at that kind of dose if you're giving it for the first time. If it nor the Covenia work, ask for something similar and see if you can maybe break up the needed dose into multiple doses a day, that might help her appetite too. For my Shelley, I just looked up her records, she was getting 250mg of it (she was 101 lbs) and it effected her plus it started to wreck some havoc with her bowels - depending on how long this goes on (the infection) maybe ask about a probiotic.

    Again this was with my dogs, but might be things to talk to your vet about. Love to you, your family and your baby!!

    PPS - if you DO use nasal drops or sprays: administer it from BEHIND them. Tuck them up against you, their back to your front. Using your non-dominate hand, cup them under their chin and tilt their head up - not a full "to the sky" but a good upward angle. Just as you're about to give the meds in 1 nostril, using a finger of your non-dominate hand, cover their free nostril when they breathe out just as you give the dose. This'll make them want to INHALE instead of EXHALE so they'll get more of the medicine. Keep their head up for a few seconds and they WILL squirm around, then let their head go but keep holding them, talk to them, pet them, etc. Then do the other side if that's what the meds say.

    Also with nasal sprays and drops they WILL get a runny nose for a bit afterwards, this is normal and should stop within about 10-15 min. The discharge SHOULD be clear - if it's yellow looking or darker, any odd shade of greenish-brown (up to reddish looking) it could indicate a sinus infection as well.

    They WILL hack/gag a bit - this is also normal, you're not suffocating them if giving the right dose, as directed, it's just their body reacting to something unfamiliar but if it gets worse, contact your vet.

    **EDIT - just found something else in my dogs records, for Annie when she was stuffed/plugged up (along with URI) it was inflammation plus mucus/discharge once the treatments started working so the vet gave us a "newborn infant" like bulb syringe so we could suction out her nostrils when needed. If that becomes the case, you can definitely internet search!
     
    Last edited: Sep 18, 2018
  27. Veronica & Babu-chiri

    Veronica & Babu-chiri Well-Known Member

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    What I've used is sterimar ( https://sterimar.com/en/ ) that is a sea water nasal spray, get the one for adults since the one for babies doesn't have enough strength to get in since you are not going to introduce the tip into his nose, you need to just put it in front of the nostril, just touching barely touching his nose when you press the bottle and do this in each nostril, even if not everything goes in when he inhales he will pull some of it in.

    During the crisis I would do it 3 times a day
     
  28. Zipdrive

    Zipdrive Member

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    Feb 18, 2017
    Prayers and hugs for you and Peanut. :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
     
  29. JeanW

    JeanW Member

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    Jul 24, 2017
    Oh my gosh! @FurBabiesMama, after watching this video I think one of my non-diabetic cats has asthma. :arghh: Thanks for sharing.
     
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