Yes, hopefully
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Sonic Has A Uri (sinus Infection)
- Thread starter epona
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- #22
Thank you, I appreciate your help and ongoing support with this
Did the Vet ever take a culture to try to figure out what it was? I would do this the very first thing if it hasn't been done yet. I'm not sure, but don't think takng a culture is too invasive.
If it comes back negative, is it possible it could be allergies? Was that ever discussed?
As to next steps, have you also discussed them thoroughly with your Vet? Did you ask them what they would do if he was their cat? I do that sometimes and it helps me with my decision.
epona
You can get canned pureed pumpkin at amazon.co.uk. You can freeze portions of a large can for later use. Do any of the grocery stores have pumpkin baby food without additives? That would work, too.
Have you or the vet considered it might be a chronic herpes infection? I have a cat with chronic herpes that the only symptoms are sneezing/runny nose most of the time. The treatment for that is different from treatment for a bacterial infection. Also, it's palliative only. I don't think it can actually be cured.
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- #27
The vet said top level of treatment if all else failed would be to book him in for an MRI scan (under anaesthesia) and the endoscope up the nose (approximate cost £4k - and that is GBP, not USD!) - that all seems a little heavy handed right at this moment (and the vet was not suggesting it for right now, just as a potential if it seems there is some physical issue going on) - not because of cost, but because of it requiring a hospital visit and anaesthesia - when we have a cat who is eating and drinking, active, healthy, and a good weight and whos only symptom is that his nose is a bit runny and he does the occasional messy sneeze.
His nasal discharge has actually improved considerably over the last few days, and everything else is normal, so I think I am going to hold off until early next week until making any rash decisions about further treatment/scans, to see whether that improvement continues without the stress of yet another vet visit.
And yeah there is of course the likelihood that it could be a chronic viral thing, or even an allergy - since it is minor, I would rather treat any remaining symptoms at this point, rather than rush him in. He is absolutely fine in all other regards (his explosive bowel movements due to antibiotics have now cleared up ok).
There is always the option of changing our minds and taking him for further treatment/investigation at some future point if it gets worse.
His nasal discharge has actually improved considerably over the last few days, and everything else is normal, so I think I am going to hold off until early next week until making any rash decisions about further treatment/scans, to see whether that improvement continues without the stress of yet another vet visit.
And yeah there is of course the likelihood that it could be a chronic viral thing, or even an allergy - since it is minor, I would rather treat any remaining symptoms at this point, rather than rush him in. He is absolutely fine in all other regards (his explosive bowel movements due to antibiotics have now cleared up ok).
There is always the option of changing our minds and taking him for further treatment/investigation at some future point if it gets worse.
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- #29
OK so today's update - his congestion did get better, and last week it was all cleared up.
A few days ago it returned in full force.
We went back to the vet today, our regular vet wasn't in today so we saw a different vet (which we agreed to beforehand, although continuity is often best, I think when something is being diagnosed and being a little tricky then getting a fresh perspective on it can be helpful, and all the vets at our clinic are good - I also wanted him to be seen before the weekend).
We (us and vet) are strongly suspecting allergy at this point, it comes and goes in phases which do not seem to be linked to courses of antibiotics, and his best friend Jakey shows absolutely no sign of nasal congestion despite being sneezed on regularly and their mutual grooming, sharing of food and water bowls etc. Which is some indication that it may not be bacterial or viral in nature.
So as he is snotty again, today the vet took a nasal swab (that was not fun!), that will be grown over the weekend and will show what bacteria are present (up a cats nose some native bacteria are of course expected, but this should give a good picture of whether there is anything present that shouldn't be there, or in greater quantity than normal).
So we wait now until early next week to hear the results of that, and decide what to do based on the outcome.
A few days ago it returned in full force.
We went back to the vet today, our regular vet wasn't in today so we saw a different vet (which we agreed to beforehand, although continuity is often best, I think when something is being diagnosed and being a little tricky then getting a fresh perspective on it can be helpful, and all the vets at our clinic are good - I also wanted him to be seen before the weekend).
We (us and vet) are strongly suspecting allergy at this point, it comes and goes in phases which do not seem to be linked to courses of antibiotics, and his best friend Jakey shows absolutely no sign of nasal congestion despite being sneezed on regularly and their mutual grooming, sharing of food and water bowls etc. Which is some indication that it may not be bacterial or viral in nature.
So as he is snotty again, today the vet took a nasal swab (that was not fun!), that will be grown over the weekend and will show what bacteria are present (up a cats nose some native bacteria are of course expected, but this should give a good picture of whether there is anything present that shouldn't be there, or in greater quantity than normal).
So we wait now until early next week to hear the results of that, and decide what to do based on the outcome.
oh, poor baby!
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Will they be doing simply a culture or a PCR panel? The latter will not only tell you if there is bacteria and what strain you're dealing with, but also if it's viral or fungal and what virus or fungus is the culprit. You will know for sure at that point if you're dealing with a Herpes virus flair up. And if nothing comes back you can be confident that it's most likely allergy.
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- #32
They will be doing a culture from a nasal swab over the weekend, if that proves inconclusive then we will bring him in for a full viral/fungal panel next week, which will involve throat swabs (vet phoned the lab which is up at the main hospital to check) meaning he will have to have sedation so be booked in early in the day to be monitored (I don't know if such things usually require it, but he will have to be at the very least a bit woozy, he is a wriggler and muscular like a panther).
We had an appointment late on a Friday today and the people before us had suffered some awful emergency tragedy, they were in with the vet a very long time and came out without an animal and with tears running down their cheeks, they needed whatever time they needed, and I'd want the same myself in a similar situation - so we weren't seen until after the clinic was technically supposed to be closed for the day, so no time for sedation and sufficient swabs to do a full panel.
We had an appointment late on a Friday today and the people before us had suffered some awful emergency tragedy, they were in with the vet a very long time and came out without an animal and with tears running down their cheeks, they needed whatever time they needed, and I'd want the same myself in a similar situation - so we weren't seen until after the clinic was technically supposed to be closed for the day, so no time for sedation and sufficient swabs to do a full panel.
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So very true. Being someone who has had that happen to them
, I would like to thank you for being compassionate and understanding. I'm sure everyone appreciated it.I've got one of those too! The power they have when they don't want to do something is unbelievable.
Sending good thoughts. Please keep us updated on the results!
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- #35
It took 3 of us to hold him still long enough to get a nasal swab - he is the sweetest. most affectionate cat ever, but come at him with something medical and it's like trying to hold onto a snake. He doesn't bite or scratch or get in any way aggressive, he just wriggles and struggles and scrabbles and wails and cries and is really really strong and muscular!I've got one of those too! The power they have when they don't want to do something is unbelievable.
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- #36
Update: We had a call from the vet yesterday to let us know the results of the culture done from the nasal swab - the only bacteria present is one which is expected to be found up a cat's nose (ie it is part of the natural flora/fauna of a cats nasal passages).
Although there was a higher yield of that bacteria than would normally be seen, we are in agreement with the vet that it is likely as a result of some other issue rather than the underlying cause.
I and my husband discussed it last night, and I will let our vet know that we are happy to go ahead with a referral to the area's vet hospital for further diagnostics under sedation - they will take samples for viral and fungal analysis, check for foreign bodies or growths in the nose and throat- possibly a CT scan or MRI scan. We'll see what the ENT specialist at the hospital recommends. We are lucky to have such a facility within easy reach! It will be expensive, but he does have insurance which will pay around 80% of it (we will get a claim pre-approved first so we know what they will pay for, it shouldn't be an issue).
Although there was a higher yield of that bacteria than would normally be seen, we are in agreement with the vet that it is likely as a result of some other issue rather than the underlying cause.
I and my husband discussed it last night, and I will let our vet know that we are happy to go ahead with a referral to the area's vet hospital for further diagnostics under sedation - they will take samples for viral and fungal analysis, check for foreign bodies or growths in the nose and throat- possibly a CT scan or MRI scan. We'll see what the ENT specialist at the hospital recommends. We are lucky to have such a facility within easy reach! It will be expensive, but he does have insurance which will pay around 80% of it (we will get a claim pre-approved first so we know what they will pay for, it shouldn't be an issue).
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- #38
Thanks again for your support
Furballsmom
- this issue has been going on for a while now, and I will no doubt continue to bump this thread occasionally during the diagnostic process.
Yes it is taking a while, but it's a chronic issue that isn't putting his life at risk (of course if anything escalates we will get him straight to the hospital!) - I just hope we get some answers.
Sonic is in good spirits, he is eating and drinking normally, playing normally, and wanting lots of cuddles normally. He isn't "sick" if that makes sense. But we do want to get to the bottom of this issue - no-one enjoys having nasal/sinus congestion
Furballsmom
- this issue has been going on for a while now, and I will no doubt continue to bump this thread occasionally during the diagnostic process.Yes it is taking a while, but it's a chronic issue that isn't putting his life at risk (of course if anything escalates we will get him straight to the hospital!) - I just hope we get some answers.
Sonic is in good spirits, he is eating and drinking normally, playing normally, and wanting lots of cuddles normally. He isn't "sick" if that makes sense. But we do want to get to the bottom of this issue - no-one enjoys having nasal/sinus congestion
You are so welcome, I'll be thinking of you!
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- #40
Bumping with an update:
It took us a while to get referrals sorted and pre-approval for his insurance to cover the cost, but Sonic went to the veterinary hospital on Wednesday for further diagnostic tests.
He had a CT scan and a rhinoscopy, and various samples and biopsies were taken from his nasal passages, sinus cavity, and throat, to go to the lab for a range of tests.
Neither the scan nor the rhinoscopy detected any visible masses of any type which is good. It was noted that there was some inflammation of the nasal mucous membranes and a large quantity of mucus was present, which was to be expected, that is the issue he is having investigated.
He ended up staying overnight at the hospital because he wasn't out of the anaesthetic in early evening (the procedure was done late in the day), so they kept him in recovery through the evening and then monitored him overnight. We picked him up Thursday evening and he was overjoyed to see me, and is very happy to be back home!
Jakey also missed him (was ok at first but spent Thursday morning searching and wailing), and greeted him warmly before giving him a good wash to get rid of the strange hospital smells
Sonic is now having some blood in his nasal discharge, we were told to expect this for the next 48 hours but to let the vet know if it goes on longer. He has eaten a small amount of food which is a great relief.
So now we just have to look after him at home until we hear back about the lab results in 7-10 days. Fingers crossed they find a simple treatable cause for his issues.
It took us a while to get referrals sorted and pre-approval for his insurance to cover the cost, but Sonic went to the veterinary hospital on Wednesday for further diagnostic tests.
He had a CT scan and a rhinoscopy, and various samples and biopsies were taken from his nasal passages, sinus cavity, and throat, to go to the lab for a range of tests.
Neither the scan nor the rhinoscopy detected any visible masses of any type which is good. It was noted that there was some inflammation of the nasal mucous membranes and a large quantity of mucus was present, which was to be expected, that is the issue he is having investigated.
He ended up staying overnight at the hospital because he wasn't out of the anaesthetic in early evening (the procedure was done late in the day), so they kept him in recovery through the evening and then monitored him overnight. We picked him up Thursday evening and he was overjoyed to see me, and is very happy to be back home!
Jakey also missed him (was ok at first but spent Thursday morning searching and wailing), and greeted him warmly before giving him a good wash to get rid of the strange hospital smells
Sonic is now having some blood in his nasal discharge, we were told to expect this for the next 48 hours but to let the vet know if it goes on longer. He has eaten a small amount of food which is a great relief.
So now we just have to look after him at home until we hear back about the lab results in 7-10 days. Fingers crossed they find a simple treatable cause for his issues.
