13 Year Old Voice Has Changed

[mcqueen]

Hello. I have a 13 year old DSH name Mortimer. He has been relatively healthy all of his life and has always been taken to the vet as I have him enrolled in Banfield pet hospitals wellness plan. He recently lost his brother last October to Saddle Thrombus. =[. Since then we got two new kittens and all the cats get along generally well.

In January of this year before my wifes birthday dinner I had given him a couple Greenie treats and when we came home that night I noticed his voice had disappeared and he was vomitting clear fluid.

We took him to the ER and they thought maybe the treat irritated his throat so they prescribed him some medicine which ended up not helping. We took him back and had an endoscopy done which showed a little swelling which they got a sample of that came back negative for any form of cancer. They put him on steroids which brought his voice back but not the same, it is now very raspy. I have noticed he tends to lick his mouth right after he meows and occasionally I've caught him drooling. His mouth and teeth are in perfect health, we had a another deep cleaning done to coincide with a second endoscopy for a follow up and everything was fine.

I feel like the doctors are at a loss and after spending 4K dollars so far I feel like I'm stuck. He had such a beautiful voice and he loves to talk, I just don't understand what happened.

Anybody have any ideas?

Thank you/

 

[catwoman707]

There are causes for voice change in cats, has blood work been done or the edoscopes mainly?
Hyperthyroidism will cause this and can be checked via bloodwork.
Polyps will also cause this and of course cancer, but should have been found via endoscope.

 

[mcqueen]

Hello. Thank you for the reply. Yes I do believe lab work was done but I can call back to verify if they checked his Thyroid. I do remember the last time he had his comprehensive exam prior to his voice changing they spotted an anomaly on his thyroid test and I had them conduct a more in depth test and they said it was fine.

Yes when they did the endoscopy they took a sample for testing which came back negative for cancer. I'm at a loss and feel so helpless. I just want him to get better, outside of that his appetite is fine and he is not losing weight or anything. Its just his voice.

 

[catwoman707]

To be completely honest and upfront, this to me is not something that a vet should ever take lightly, and needs an explanation of why it has happened.
A cat's voice won't change for no reason, it means that the delicate membranes of the throat, trachea, glands have acquired pressure from something for the change to happen.
Mechanical interference can be a growth, swelling perhaps from an object getting lodged for instance, tumors or cancer growths, polyps, and enlarged/non cancerous tumor on or around thyroid glands.

If the thyroid has not been tested, I would guess this is exactly what has caused this change. It is very common in older cats, and a gland will be enlarged due to a growth that is controlled with methimazole, that is nearly always non cancerous.

He is at a prime age for hyperthyroidism.

 

[mcqueen]

Thank you for your feedback. I'm going to be calling the vet today to follow up. I will keep you posted.

 

[mcqueen]

Hello. So following up on this. So can you let me know what test to look for on his original blood work? I have access to all of Mortimers medical records online. In September of 2016 they wanted to do a T4 test on him to verify if he had thyroid issues. In November of 2016 here are the results of his T4 test. They said this is normal based off the T4 results. His voice started changing around January 6th and since he's had a blood test with all the testing we have done and the other vet said his blood work looked fine. I looked at all the symptoms of this and the only thing he does on occasion is the night yowling. On occasion he will vomit the clear liquid but that is maybe once or twice a month if that. I really don't know what else to do.

 

[mingsmongols]

You should think about getting a URI panel done. There's a range of bacteria and viruses that can cause laryngitis.

 

[mcqueen]

Also just to follow up some more. he had a recent CBC done and his platelet count is low 75.000 10^9/l as well as his PCT. Everything else on those labs was listed as normal. =[

 

[mcqueen]

You should think about getting a URI panel done. There's a range of bacteria and viruses that can cause laryngitis.

What is a URI Panel?

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

They put him on steroids which brought his voice back but not the same, it is now very raspy. I have noticed he tends to lick his mouth right after he meows and occasionally I've caught him drooling.


Anybody have any ideas?

The raspy meow and drooling together sound like they might be symptoms of either feline viral rhinopneumonitis or the feline rhinotracheitis virus (both feline herpes infections), since endoscopy would have either confirmed or refuted laryngeal paralysis, as well as ruling out tracheobronchial neoplasm and / or a tracheobronchial tumour.

Caveat: this is wild surmise, and should not be construed as veterinary medical advice in any fashion.

.

 

[mcqueen]

The raspy meow and drooling together sound like they might be symptoms of either feline viral rhinopneumonitis or the feline rhinotracheitis virus (both feline herpes infections), since endoscopy would have either confirmed or refuted laryngeal paralysis, as well as ruling out tracheobronchial neoplasm and / or a tracheobronchial tumour.

Caveat: this is wild surmise, and should not be construed as veterinary medical advice in any fashion.

.

what tests would need to be conducted to verify or rule this out? Yes I do not believe it is anything in his throat as he's had two endoscopies as well as the first endoscopy sample came back negative for cancer.

 

[mcqueen]

Just to provide some clarity as well, he's been seen by two different Vets, and outside of this raspy voice issue and the occasional drool/wet nose he is acting just fine, eating, and drinking. Thats why we are at a loss to what is going on. =/. I just want his beautiful voice to be normal. he is such a talker.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

.
Wet nose adds to the possibility of feline rhinotracheitis virus; as one poster noted above, a full Upper Respiratory Infection Panel really should be run - or should already have been done. Is there a cats only veterinarian nearby who might be a little more familiar with virology in cats? If so, it might be worth chatting with her or him.

.

 

[mcqueen]

Hello. My vet doesn't seem to think he has any of these viruses as he's been vaccinated agains them all his life. My vet says of course there is always that small remote possibility. Anybody else have any other ideas?

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

Hello. My vet doesn't seem to think he has any of these viruses as he's been vaccinated agains them all his life. My vet says of course there is always that small remote possibility. Anybody else have any other ideas?

"The FVR vaccine will not completely prevent an infection from occurring if your cat is exposed to the virus" - Google Search

.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Hello. I have a 13 year old DSH name Mortimer. ... I have noticed he tends to lick his mouth right after he meows and occasionally I've caught him drooling. ...

Anybody have any ideas?

Thank you/

Hello. So following up on this. ... His voice started changing around January 6th and since he's had a blood test with all the testing we have done and the other vet said his blood work looked fine. I looked at all the symptoms of this and the only thing he does on occasion is the night yowling. On occasion he will vomit the clear liquid but that is maybe once or twice a month if that. I really don't know what else to do.

Actually, some signs of NAUSEA in cats can be hoarseness, vomiting clear liquid or bile, and yowling more than usual. Also, lip-licking and drooling.

See here;
That’s Sickening (Signs Of Nausea in Cats and Dogs) « Kari Kells Pawfessional Pet Sitting

I would look more to troubles with the stomach or GI tract, or diet (e.g. find out what is causing the nausea), as it's my opinion he is simply showing a ton of signs of nausea.

Good luck! Poor Mortimer!