Holistic Remedies for Asthma

[TheHans]

Does anyone on here successfully use holistic remedies for their cat's asthma or is that unrealistic?

 

[IzzysfureverMom]

That is a risk not worth taking.I have an asthmatic cat that is stable now because of her medical treatment. Before her diagnosis she was struggling. Her lungs looked terrible on x rays and that happened quickly. Any holistic or OTC remedy would not work quickly enough. They need a maintenance medication and a rescue medication on hand for flare ups. I also have a oral steroid on hand for emergency. They may also need a course of oral steroids at the beginning of treatment or more. While they can be kept on oral steroids , inhalers with a spacer are currently preferred.Asthma in cats or humans should be taken very seriously.Not taken seriously they will be a antibiotics, in the hospital, or worse. Please do not try to treat this yourself, it is your cats life on the line.

 

[silent meowlook]

Does anyone on here successfully use holistic remedies for their cat's asthma or is that unrealistic?

Sorry, unrealistic.

if you are able to, discuss with your vet about using the cat inhaler with inhaled steroids and asthma medication. It works very well and the steroids go directly to the lungs instead of systematically to the entire body.

 

[IzzysfureverMom]

If your cat is currently on steroids for asthma you could probably transition to an inhaler, especially if their condition is stable.If your vet has not mentioned it ask about the AeroKat. This is a spacer that you put a inhaler in. Device has a mask that goes over their nose and mouth. A very nice feature is a window with a flapper so that you can see they are taking the required number of breaths ( sometimes they might try to hold their breath in the beginning)

My cat that does not like anything being done to her readily accepted the inhaler.
She will come over and look at me when it is time for treatment.
Mostly importantly to us: less long term side effects and works very well with medication going directly into the lungs.
We are beyond happy we went with this option and that it has worked so well for her.

 

[stephanietx]

I have an asthmatic kitty and while I wish holistic remedies helped or worked, it's unrealistic. I do give my girl a daily dose of an oral antihistamine which helps somewhat, but she still gets nebulizer treatments and steroids as needed.

 

[IzzysfureverMom]

Hi,
Do you use fluticasone propionate in a nebulizer or Albuterol? My girl gets fluticasone propionate 1 puff 2 x daily via a inhaler with AeroKat spacer.The fluticasone propionate is her maintenance medication while Albuterol is her rescue inhaler.
Currently with cats and people it is preferred to use maintenance medication like fluticasone propionate over medication like Albuterol as they now believe it can cause heart issues .Years ago we used Albuterol a lot, at that time that is all there was.
Have you looked into the inhaler method? It definitely takes less time then a nebulizer treatment and is still going directly to the lungs.
I have Albuterol inhaler but she rarely needs it. I have oral steroids in case of emergency but have not used those since she was tapered down to being fully on her maintenance inhaler.
What antihistamine do you used? The one they tried my cat on right before her asthma diagnosis smelled awful, and she wanted no part of it. She doesn't need one but if she ever did I would prefer to try something else.

 

[iPappy]

So, I've used holistic "remedies" before with good results. But with asthma (among other things), I wouldn't mess with it as a sole treatment option because a cat can't tell you if they're feeling tightness in their chest or if they're finding it slightly more difficult to get oxygen. If they have a crisis situation, you really need that emergency inhaler. I would do everything you can to keep their airways open and if that involves an inhaler, I'd do it.
That said, there are things you can do to help hopefully add in as supportive measures, such as fish oils (a natural anti-inflammatory) in their food, as well as keeping their living space clean and free of things like perfumes, air fresheners, etc. If you can find out what triggers your cat to have problems, such as those scents, stress, their litter, etc., eliminate those things as much as possible.

 

[IzzysfureverMom]

Yep! Best to used as many unscented products as possible..No harsh smells like bleach around them. It can be hard to tell what their triggers are. But I think being observate you will become fairly sure of some. Safe to say that keeping dust free as possible, washing and drying their blankets and beds frequently and even temperature and humidity control help control the condition.
While my girl has problems with fish cat food she does fine with fish oil; however, I use Nordic Naturals.It is made from smaller fish , has less smell, no fish burps and less chance of contamination.
They are best off with a maintenance inhaler to lessen to possibility of them having symptoms at all.
You still need a rescue inhaler on hand.