It's been quite a while since I've been able to be an active part of this wonderful community, and was wondering if there have been any new ideas as to how to treat chronic nasal congestion while I've been away.
Buddy has a lot of damage to his upper respiratory tract from chronic infections before we took him in about 10 years ago, which makes it difficult for his sinuses to drain properly. Then on top of that, he also has chronic allergies, FIV, and FHV, and the inflammation from flare-ups further restricts his already restricted nasal passages. So the poor guy almost always has a nose full of snot that seems hopelessly trapped!
The vet just said to keep trying to thin the mucous down with saline nose drops, and Buddy will eventually be able sneeze it out. She also recommended a warm mist humidifier, which does seem to provide more relief than steam from the shower. A curcumin supplement was also suggested, as the CurcuVet-SA50 that Buddy used to take seemed to help, as well as adding krill oil to his food. DMG was also recommended to try to help Buddy get more benefit from his Zyrtec.
FWIW, Buddy is also currently on melatonin for the FIV, L-Lysine for the FHV, L-Theanine due to his history of urinary tract issues (which were all before we started following the dietary recommendations at catinfo.org), CoQ10 to keep gingivitis at bay (since apparently FIV+ kitties are prone to that sort of thing), and egg yolk lecithin for hairball control.
Does anyone have any other ideas to relieve chronic nasal congestion that have worked for your cats? Thanks much!
Buddy has a lot of damage to his upper respiratory tract from chronic infections before we took him in about 10 years ago, which makes it difficult for his sinuses to drain properly. Then on top of that, he also has chronic allergies, FIV, and FHV, and the inflammation from flare-ups further restricts his already restricted nasal passages. So the poor guy almost always has a nose full of snot that seems hopelessly trapped!
The vet just said to keep trying to thin the mucous down with saline nose drops, and Buddy will eventually be able sneeze it out. She also recommended a warm mist humidifier, which does seem to provide more relief than steam from the shower. A curcumin supplement was also suggested, as the CurcuVet-SA50 that Buddy used to take seemed to help, as well as adding krill oil to his food. DMG was also recommended to try to help Buddy get more benefit from his Zyrtec.
FWIW, Buddy is also currently on melatonin for the FIV, L-Lysine for the FHV, L-Theanine due to his history of urinary tract issues (which were all before we started following the dietary recommendations at catinfo.org), CoQ10 to keep gingivitis at bay (since apparently FIV+ kitties are prone to that sort of thing), and egg yolk lecithin for hairball control.
Does anyone have any other ideas to relieve chronic nasal congestion that have worked for your cats? Thanks much!
