Merlin's dx: Asthma! Any experience?

I saw a new vet tonight - the husband of the woman vet I saw last week. Merlin has mild asthma. Yup, that's pretty much what I looked like. He looked at his heart and it's fine and then he had some chest x-rays which confirmed his suspicion. He says it's not too bad. He showed me a few videos of how to treat with inhalers. It doesn't seem like it will be too hard to administer. I'm to give him both meds twice a day for 3 days to see how he does, then once a day and then as needed. He doesn't have much in the way of symptoms except the panting. The doctor says to watch to see if he coughs. He may have done this a couple times when I thought he had a hairball - it sounds the same. There's an inhaler for opening up clogged airways Albeterol (panting) and another one for coughing, Flovent. One is a steroid, one isn't. Once is cheap, one is expensive. I asked if the steroid could cause diabetes; he said no and that it only will go to his lungs. I hope he right. I'm so scared. I also need to get him a cat tube with a face mask thing. Until then he says I can use a toilet paper tube and squirt the stuff into the tube and put it around his nose and mouth.

About his poop: he told me to try a teaspoon of metamucil in his wet food that may help things get better faster. I'm going back to the food he got in the shelter with a tiny bit of "bad" food on it for enticement along with some freeze-dreid chicken dust. Hopefully his belly will get better soon. I feel so bad about all of this.

 

Ah, sorry about the DX, but the vet is right, flovent is best for treating asthma and because it's an inhaled steroid, it's not the same as injectable in causing diabetes.

Here's your asthma primer:

- join the yahoo group - feline asthma relief (FAR)

- purchase the aerokat inhaler tube - it's $55 and can be purchased here: https://store.trudellmed.com/b2c/ecom/e ... spx?store=

This is the company that makes it

- the best place to purchase flovent cheapest is from 4 corners pharmacy: http://www.4cnrs-asthma-allergy.com/flovent.html

they sell flixotide (the generic name for flovent) - they are in vanatu and you will be charged a conversion fee on your credit card - warning you up front. Last I heard the moderator Kat for the FAR group was trying to work out a special pricing deal with them. Not sure if it happened. Kat is also on this board, under the name Kat & Sonni.

- did the vet suggest a starting dose? As you can see there are three dose levels. Most cats use 125 or 250 - a secret, you can use the 125 level and 2 puffs of that = 1 - 250 dose -

- the albuterol can be purchased at any pharmacy for about $10 - it's on the generic or cheap meds list that the pharmacies are selling for cheap now -

- check out Fritz the brave video, it's a great one for learning how to use the inhaler and tube.

- And here is a list that Kat sent me last year, when Sydney needed to use an inhaler:




and you're not alone, there are many of us here with asthma issues.

 

Ah, Traci, I'm so glad it isn't heart disease. Whew... But now you learn about treating asthma and I see Hillary has given some good info for you. Best of luck for little Merlin. He sure is a cutie and OMG what pretty eyes!

Good for you getting the testing.

 

Metamucil ??

That's essentially fiber. I think it was Dr. Lisa who is against it.

Usually, for cats, Miralax works very well.

You mix 1/8tst to 1/4tsp into canned food 2x/day. Add about 1tsp water to the mixture.

Tasteless and orderless.

It works by drawing water into the bowel to make the stool softer. Rather than
just making it bulkier

 

traci, I'm sorry about the diagnosis, but I know you will have this under control in no time ..

 

I'm glad you were able to get him looked at so quickly, and that you have a diagnosis, and from the sounds of things Merlin doesn't mind. I know there are several FDMBers that deal with asthma, so I'm sure you'll get lots of support. (( Traci ))

 

Merlin has diahrrea-why would I want to make the stool softer? It's too soft. Am I missing something?

 

Thanks Hillary. I haven't bought anything yet. I knew that people here would have tips and help for us. Thank you!!!!

 

In the meantime, start removing as many scented products as possible from your house. No scented candles, perfumes, scented litter, laundry detergent, fabric softener, etc. Those can all be triggers for asthma. Of course, if anyone smokes in the house, that should stop ASAP.

When it comes to cleaning products, I've personally found that anything with a citrus scent is more tolerable. I use lemon scented bleach and tangerine scented Clean Works--in small amounts though.

 

Ya know what? I think the only thing that's "scented" or triggering to asthma would be hairspray. No candles (I've got the battery operated fake ones), clear laundry detergent, unscented litter, no fabric softener, no smoking, no room sprays. My vet has a cat with asthma and he gets the inhailer about three times a year-the firplace gets him going. He barely even has symptoms, thank goodness.

 

traci, if you get the aerokat from vetrxdirect.com i think it's a little cheaper. they offer free shipping plus a $10 rebate. the other one is cheaper but after shipping is more expensive. i just got one for my cat harry. it's pretty small and easy to operate, and shipping was quick.

 

Traci,

Sorry to hear about Merlin's dx. But at least you got the tests, know what you are dealing with, have a wonderful support group here with all the tips and tricks you will need to help your new buddy.

I know you were hoping for just a nice healthy happy "normal" cat, but perhaps this is why Merlin called to you from so many miles away on that website. He knew he needed a special angel that can make him completely well. The other thing I don't know if it will set off a cat's asthma but it does mine is...feathers. Its just a thought since you were saying that you noticed this when he was playing with the feather wand. I've never had a cat with asthma but I have had it since I was a child, and feathers are a definite no no for me. And at least in my case feather can trigger mine if I even hug someone wearing a down coat.

Mel & Muse (GA)

 

Glad you were so quick to get the diagnosis. Yeah, you are right, the cough sounds like a hairball cough w/o the hairball.

Curry was dx w/the asthma 12/08. It looks like you got some very good information from Hillary on where to get the Aerokat, meds and such. I get my Flovent from 4Corners as well. Much less expensive. The flovent is a very good medicine. Curry has only coughed 2x since Sept 09. She was on 220 bid until this summer and I had to up the dosage due to portable a/c pulling in the outside air. Still no coughing.

Its weird, Curry was just dx w/diabetes last week .....Now we do pre-shot test, feed, insulin shot and then flovent. Because she is so use to the flovent portion, we/both kinda relax when we get to do that part of our treatment regimen. Its something known and it doesn't hurt. She even purrs sometimes when doing the breathing treatments.

I'm on the Feline Asthma message board too. Its a great place to get support and feedback.

Let us know if you have any questions and let us know how Merlin is doing w/the new treatment.

 

Hi Guys-
Thanks so much for all your help. Of course-I have questions!
These are his scrips:

Flovent 110 mcg MDI (on 4 corners there is no Flovent 110 dose-is the Flixotide a geneiric? Why isn't it in the same dose?)
Sig: 1-2 puffs BID PRN
(this is $171 at Stop and Shop and he had the 110 dose-didn't buy)

Alburterol MDI
Sig: 1-2 puffs BID PRN
(this was $46 at Stop and Shop-didn't buy and pharmacist said there wasn't generics anymore that are cheap???)
On Vetrxdirect they have Flovent 110 and the aerocat for $205-$10=$195 and no shipping charge.

I'll call Target and WalMart for prices too.

He said to do this for 3 days, then he wouldn't need it this much most likely. He said he'd probably need it "as needed"
The weird thing is that he seems fine. The only time I've witnesses anything is when he's playing crazily. If we don't play hard he doesn't pant.

Thanks guys for bearing with me. At the moment I'm a bit overwhelmed at the difference in names of the prescriptions and the price differences. And the confusion that I'm doing this even though he seems fine!

 

Flovent is a medicine that needs to build up in the lungs before it can be effective. Usually it takes 2-4 weeks to build up properly, and you will usually see results around the 2 week mark. Few kitties are well maintained on only the 110 dose, but with his asthma being relatively mild and him being so young, you might luck out.

For some reason generic versions of flovent show slightly different dosage numbers. 110 flovent = 125 flixotide; 220 flovent = 250 flixotide. Don't know why :lol:

Once you find a maintenance dose that works for you and Merlin with the flovent, then I would recommend staying with it and not lowering it. However, the albuterol is something that can be given in the beginning to aid the flovent in getting deep into the lungs, and this can be decreased over time (a week or two maybe).

The 4 corners pharmacy states 2 weeks for usual shipment time. I have had it arrive anywhere between 7 days and 2 weeks. The albuterol is cheap enough to get locally though.

 

someone mentioned albuteral is really cheap at Target ($9 or so is what she quoted).

 

Thanks Mel. I appreciate it. You always know what to say. I'm feeling better about this whole thing because he really doesn't have symptoms. If I can get his poop/food issues under control that would be the best gift. Luckily he doesn't "seem" sick at all. He's also gained weight. He's gone from 8 pounds to 8.8 pounds, so something's working. :lol:

 

See you are a great kitty momma I would try him on a different kind of toy, say a catnip mouse or a crinkle ball and see if he still pants after playing hard. It maybe for a cat much like myself, as long as I'm not around feathers, I'm fine, and take no meds for asthma, however, I still have to take meds in spring but that is because I'm also allergic to Goldenrod, and well...Nebraska's state flower is the Goldenrod..so no escaping them.

Mel & Muse (GA)

 

That may be the case with the Albuterol but the Flovent has to be dosed daily in order for it to continue working. I wouldn't buy anything at Stop and Shop either! Those prices are ridiculous. I have a canister of Pro-Air (albuterol) that cost me $17 at CVS. My doctor just wrote a prescription for albuterol and let the pharmacy fill it for whichever brand my insurance would cover.

Check your PM's in a minute regarding Flovent.

 

Thank you! Just want to let you know that I used this site instead. I got free shipping and $10 off.

How does Harry do with the inhaler? How did you discover his asthma? After Merlin gets his first treatments I'm supposed to do it "as needed" - the thing is I've only seen him panting when playing extra hard, so I simply don't do that anymore. If I happen to hear him cough-would I give it to him then? When does Harry get a puff?

 

harry was making huffing sounds, especially right before sleeping, that got my attention. but we really discovered the asthma when he got an ultrasound and xray for his IBD and we saw donuts in the xray (those show asthma). after that i learned that sometimes when i thought he was having a hairball he was actually having an asthma attack. they get pretty low to the ground, and no hairball comes out. you can see videos of cats having asthma attacks on youtube.
we give the inhaler twice a day. it's still a struggle for him coz he's new to it, so i burrito him to do it. afterward i give him a treat or two and he's very sweet about it (no hard feelings). we also give him prednisolone to help with the asthma and will wean him off it as the inhaled steroid builds up more in his system. we just give the inhaler twice a day without regard to when he's coughing, but if he's having a bad coughing attack i'm guessing that's a good time to use the albuterol.

 

Sydney wasn't officially diagnosed with asthma, but she was breathing heavily, and the xrays and ultrasound showed enlarged lungs that were pushing on other organs. She never had a coughing fit or asthma attack, it was just the heavy breathing. Since I didn't want to put her through a bronchial wash only to get the same conclusion, I started her on the flovent and while she still on occasion breathes heavy, it has reduced it significantly.


She gets 2 puffs bid, as it needs to stay in the system to be effective and keep working. I haven't had to use albuterol since the start. We have it, just in case.

 

Oooohhh-so when they cough that's an asthma attack? Eeek. I've yet to see him do it. I've heard what I think may have been coughing while I was sleeping. It lasts about 15-20 seconds I'd say.

Update-A nice bean has offered to sell me her flovent, I've ordered the aerokat. I just need to get the Albuterol. And it does appear to be on the cheap generic list at Target. Thank goodness.

 

Yes, it is. Your airways get plugged up with mucus and the cough is the body's way of trying to expel it. It's quite uncomfortable.

Have you spoken to the rescue since you got this diagnosis? Their vet probably should have picked up on that.

 

They don't know why but the coughing can occur more frequently in the early morning. And it only last a few seconds. And you might hear it once a week or twice a week initially. But over time it can increase.

In June I heard her coughing around 5:00am..I didn't see it but heard it and Curry hadn't coughed since last Sept when we got on the Flovent with the right dose. I heard the cough and we upped her dose. One of the points to keep in mind and its very different from treating diabetes w/the insulin. You really can't give too much of the stuff per my Vet and the folks on the Feline Asthma message board. It takes 3-4 weeks of giving it daily to build up in the lung. Curry will always have the asthma but the goal is to keep the inflammation down in the lungs. Flovent does the trick. So I don't hear her coughing right now but the trigger is still there....bad outside air thru the AC. And her lungs still sound a like crackly per her Vet. Right now she is on 440- 2 puffs of the 220 (or 500 -2 puffs of the 250 in European measurements) bid. When I no longer have to use the extra AC unit this fall, I'll see how she does at at the reduced dose of 220 again bid.

You are doing great. Wonderful that you are getting the Flovent. Great questions too. Its alot to absorb at first. Take one step at a time just like you did w/learning about the diabetes. And definitely keep the questions coming for reassurance and for your own self knowledge.

 

Dissenting voice here.

I would get yet another opinion.

My Sky got the same sort of dx Merlin did and I ordered the Areokat the same day. Then I saw an older, more experienced vet who said WAIT AND SEE. Sky does not have asthma.

Have you been to fritzthe brave.com and listened to the tapes of allergy attack? Does Merlin sound like any of these? That's something you can do today, before you go on a spending spree for medications you may not need.

It has been my experience that those on this board rush to treatment, look at how many cats are given unnecessary antibiotics for urinary symptoms without substantiating the need fot them.. Look at the under 10 percent calories from carbs dictum, it's not necessary for most cats, under 15 percent is where we started, but overtreating makes everyone feel better except, possibly, the cat.

I like having the Aerokat on hand even though my Sky does not have asthma, nor do any of the others. I keep generic Albuterol on hand for people use on high pollution days, so if symptoms do develop I am as prepared as I think I need to be. Wait and see solves a host of problems, overtreating causes problems. Use your good judgment.

 

I have to say I'm with Gia on this. See your previous thread for my pic of Kami panting. She never did it for very long, and she was a VERY hard player! Once she got out of her 'kitten crazies' in the first year, it completely stopped. Unless of course, you really do think he's coughing. Take a look on Fritz the Brave's website to see what the coughing looks like. They usually get in the meatloaf position, and stretch their head/throat out, parallel to the floor, and then cough the mucus up. My Bandit does that, and DOES have mild asthma.. but Kami never did do any of that. Just random panting when she played too hard as a kitten.

You also mentioned that he starts panting at the SIGHT of a toy?? I honestly think he's just working himself up, getting ready to play really hard!

Here's the pic I posted in your other thread of Kami panting as a kitten. It never lasted long when she did it.. maybe only 5-10 seconds each time she did it. As long as it doesn't last very long, I was told that it's just the kitten playing very hard! (I don't believe I took her to the vet, but was talking closely with the shelter vet & tech who knows a lot, and where I got her from.) It did eventually stop, and she's never done it again.

 

There are actually many kitties on the asthma list that do not cough, but are in fact asthmatic. If the airways are inflamed overall, but the cat experiences no 'attacks' of sudden inflammation, then flovent can help this situation. There are kitties on the list that were diagnosed through x-rays that were taken for other conditions and not because they were coughing all the time.

What exactly did the vet see on the x-rays that told him/her asthma? Usually they see darkened bronchial tubes (whiter on the x-ray) and donuts of trapped air (look like faint circles on the x-ray).

My Oscar rarely coughed before starting on flovent (like once every 2 months maybe) and mouth breathed slightly - but nothing like the picture posted above this. (his mouth was only slightly agape). Asthma shows up differently in many cats. Humans don't have to have an asthma attack to know that they have a general difficulty breathing on a daily basis.

 

Traci
What can I say. I am no help on asthma advice and I can only imagine what
is going on in your head.
Merlin will be fine and remember, he chose you!!

 

I've not spoken to the rescue but I'm going to tell them tonight; I got a two week feedback form. I love him very much but I'm pretty floored by all that's happened with him in two weeks. I think I can deal with the asthma, his doesn't seem too severe and I think he'll let me give him the treatments. My vet (on the first visit) didn't hear anything wrong with his lungs either. I guess you can miss it if you're not looking for it?

 

The vet saw "donuts" and said his lungs were "louder" than a cat his age should be.

Luckily I am getting the flovent for $25, that's a HUGE savings. I think he does have a mild issue and I don't mind treating it. I honestly don't know what to make of so many opinions. It really makes my stress go up thinking that I need to doubt my vet.

 

Traci, the vet that made the dx said he saw donuts, vet #2, older and wiser, said they would probably go away and I should not treat without more watching. In the loong run the decision is up to you. I might add that vet #1 had me overtreat all my cats for ringworm before waiting for the labs to come back. None of them have ringworm. I will not be seeing that vet for anything any more, he has dollar signs in his eyes.

 

Ok, if the vet saw donuts in the x-rays, then that's something! I thought they were going off of him just panting. Bandit's x-rays never showed anything.. but because of her coughing, they deemed it mild asthma. But that's when she was older. Never had any issues with Kami.. which was a panter when she was a kitten. I'd definitely watch it as he gets older though. May have asthma the rest of his life, or it may even go away!

 

Hi Guys-

This vet is younger and seems kind. He isn't pushy and I liked his wife too. I don't get the dollar sign feeling with them. She sat on the floor to pull Merlin onto her lap. I've NEVER seen a vet sit on the floor in any place I've ever been. So they seem like good peeps. He says one of his cats has asthma too but he only needs the inhaler a few times a year -mostly when they put the fireplace on. He didn't push the lung wash on me or a blood test and I think both of these things are part of the "official" diagnosis. He thinks Merlin's asthma is mild, but he does have it because he did see the donuts.

He showed me the Fritz the Brave video in his office. He let me use his laptop while he did the tests in the back. I haven't looked at it again yet but I will. This is a much more modern vet than my last one. I'm liking them SO much better already.

 

Sounds like a great Vet. My Vet also gave me the website to Fritz the Brave, but he didn't sit on the floor w/Curry. I'm jealous.

You have to go w/your gut. Ultimately, you are the best judge of how you feel about your Vet and what you know about your cat's situation.

One thing that came to my mind was the issue of how the vet prescribed the Albuterol and how he prescribed Flovent. Typically, albuterol is PRN. It opens the airways and acts quickly. Flovent reduces the inflammation over a long period of time. Its usually given twice a day. Sometimes only 1x day. But daily.

When first dx Curry was just given the Albuterol for PRN. Then the coughing began to increase over time and he added the Flovent 110mg twice a day. I rarely used the Albuterol once I began the Flovent. I just have it on hand.

If you have any medical questions, give your Vet a call to clarify your concerns. You've received lots of information from this group...check it out w/the Vet so that you feel better about the direction you are taking w/the treatment.

We are here to support you in any way that we can and will do our best to answer your questions.

But do check it out w/the Vet.

 

Hi Tena-

Thanks for all your help. (PS-I've never seen Tena spelled like that! :lol: )

The prescriptions say to give both twice a day for 3 days, then he told me verbally to reduce to once a day, then as needed. I'll definitely call because it may be a week before I get all the stuff!

How is Curry doing on insulin?

 

Hi Traci,

Yeah, I don't know why they spelled it like that....silly parents......Now I have to live w/it.

You are more than welcome.

Missy Curry is getting use to me torturing her poor ear. Its a bit red, poor thing. Tonight, her BG dropped alot. From 297 PMPS to +4~86. Just now gave her some food. And will test again in an hour. I'm now beginning week #2 on insulin. She seems to be responding well and I will need to monitor her carefully as her numbers drop over time.

Thanks for asking.

Let us know how you do w/the Aerokat when you get it. And have a great day tomorrow.

 

Hi Tena-

Yeah, my mom spelled my name differently too. I'm used to people spelling my name wrong. :lol:

I went through the diabetes thing with my cat Boomer - the Siamese guy in my avitar photo. He was a steroid induced diabetic (he took steroids for IBD) who was on Lantus. I was able to get him OTJ because of the help of the wonderful people in the Lantus forum. I can't say enough for Lantus!

You and your girl are in the BEST hands here!

 

Kelly is absolutely right. Asthma can show up very differently from cat to cat and from person to person. You can't look at one video and say "well, my cat doesn't do that so he doesn't have asthma." I think we have more people here undertreating asthma than overtreating.

I know by the time I actually start coughing, I'm in a lot of distress and really struggling to breathe. That isn't a feeling I would want to put my cat through if it was avoidable. The whole idea behind treatment is to prevent the attacks from happening in the first place, so your cat never reaches that point of really struggling to breathe.