Cat asthma/bronchitis/lungworms not responding to steroids..any help please

[iLove4cats]

Hi everyone. Not sure if I'm doing this correctly or where I should go with this issue but I am at my wits end and feeling defeated. I apologize about how long this post will be and thank anyone who sticks around for it.
A little over a month ago (January 10, 2021 to be exact) my boy cat, Link, was rushed to the ER vet due to blood/mucous in his stool. We were charged an arm and a leg to only be told theres nothing wrong, he's fine here's a $600 bill and some IV fluids. After that Link did not have another bout of that stool but he did start to act funny -- lethargic and not wanting to eat at all (not even tuna or his favorite treats). We were back at the ER vet again (10 days after first visit), again..nothing wrong with him follow up with primary vet. We scheduled a visit with primary vet and find out that he had a bit of a fever -- making him feel icky and not wanting to eat. We started him on liquid Orbax once daily with a measured dose of 2.5mg. All was good until one day when the medicine was given it seemed as if he aspirated on it. Rushed back to the vet right away (primary vet) because his breathing was seriously scary. We were told that since the medicine was just given (within 30 minutes of getting him there) that they could not be sure if it was aspiration pneumonia yet, so to wait it out for 24 hours keep an eye on him and go from there. Well it did NOT get better, only worse so a third trip to the ER vet was due. We explained to the vet there how horrible Link's breathing was (open mouthed at home, coughing/gagging and clear foam coming up, showed a video of the coughing fit). We were told it would be HOURS for x-ray and result. We opted to just go to our regular vet, it was 4am at that time and the vet opened at 7am and it was way cheaper to do it there. We got him in ASAP and they did the x-ray and told us that Link has asthma/bronchitis and proceeded to prescribe us the expensive Flovent inhaler along with prednisolone daily and Albuterol for emergencies. Here we are, SEVERAL weeks later and Link is NOT doing much better. He continues to have labored breathing episodes and occasional coughing. He has made several trips to the vet due to his labored breathing episodes that I cannot seem to get him out of myself with albuterol. He has now started taking Terbutaline in effort to open his airways up more and help him breathe. But now one of the vets (we have seen 3 vets at our office, we prefer the main one but he is not often available -- popular guy) is suggesting that it could be lungworms and has NOW started Link on Panacur for 10 days on top of the predinsolone and terbutaline and flovent still. I have read crazy things all over the internet and am getting fed up with this vet telling me that i have no other option but to put my 7 year old cat to sleep if these things do not work. When he is good he is good but when he has these labored breathing episodes it is sometimes difficult to get him out of it and seems to be happening at night mostly (8pm-1am ish). I am strapped on money as I just lost my job a few days ago due to having to call out to stay home with him and rush him to these appointments or watch his breathing for several hours.

My question is, has ANYONE at all ever experienced this? Or anything like this? Am i doing something incorrectly? Is it possible that it is not asthma and maybe something else? Lungworm, heart worm? Any advice, help, ANYTHING is appreciated. Link and I are both very tired and stay up most of the night together just snuggling on the floor until he feels better but we need some kind of help.

 

[di and bob]

Did he receive a steroid injection? those help with inflammation. I would think an x-ray would show heart/lungworms, they are pretty evident if he is that bad. My cat with badly scarred lungs gets nebulizer txs. that seems to help. I put him in a carrier. Put the end of the nebulizer tube in the gate with him and cover the whole thing with a towel. It does help. all medicines I give mixed in a small amount of Hartz Delectable Lickables in the stew. It is gel-like with bits and I also keep it around for any cat that stops eating. They seem to ALWAYS eat this. it is instore and online at Walmart and Dollar General. Also at Target and Amazon. i'll pray for your sweet boy to get better.....

 

[iLove4cats]

Hi thanks for reading and replying, we appreciate it! No steroid injection yet.
I was able to make an appointment with the regular vet today at 3pm thank goodness, we haven't seen him in almost 3 weeks and he is always honest and helpful.
Right now we are taking: 1/2 prednisolone 1x, terbutaline 2x, flovent inhaler 1x and panacur 1x.
We recently just went down to the 1/2 prednisolone because I voiced my concerns about the steroids and the effects that it can cause. Before that, he was on a full pill for 14 days and still had no results.
Now with the terbutaline, he does seem to do a bit better through the day but like I said, night time is what seems to get him last night/this morning it was 2am, the night before 3am. No coughing, just happened to check on him at the right time and noticed the labored breathing.

I would have thought that the x-ray would have shown heart/lungworms as well, which I plan to ask about today. I forgot to mention, he also got bloodwork done on one trip to the ER vet, everything was great all of his levels were great.

As of now, Link's appetite is great, drinking, going potty all fine. Just seems to be plagued by these breathing episodes that I cannot figure out the cause of.

 

[di and bob]

Well, if he is receiving oral steroids, you would have thought that would help. You might look back through your posts and write down any questions you have for the vet. It helps. Also bring in all tests done, bloodwork, etc. It prevents doing it again. You might look into food/environmental allergies too, that can cause problems. Maybe try Claritan, etc. All the luck!

 

[Langiesmom]

Hi everyone. Not sure if I'm doing this correctly or where I should go with this issue but I am at my wits end and feeling defeated. I apologize about how long this post will be and thank anyone who sticks around for it.
A little over a month ago (January 10, 2021 to be exact) my boy cat, Link, was rushed to the ER vet due to blood/mucous in his stool. We were charged an arm and a leg to only be told theres nothing wrong, he's fine here's a $600 bill and some IV fluids. After that Link did not have another bout of that stool but he did start to act funny -- lethargic and not wanting to eat at all (not even tuna or his favorite treats). We were back at the ER vet again (10 days after first visit), again..nothing wrong with him follow up with primary vet. We scheduled a visit with primary vet and find out that he had a bit of a fever -- making him feel icky and not wanting to eat. We started him on liquid Orbax once daily with a measured dose of 2.5mg. All was good until one day when the medicine was given it seemed as if he aspirated on it. Rushed back to the vet right away (primary vet) because his breathing was seriously scary. We were told that since the medicine was just given (within 30 minutes of getting him there) that they could not be sure if it was aspiration pneumonia yet, so to wait it out for 24 hours keep an eye on him and go from there. Well it did NOT get better, only worse so a third trip to the ER vet was due. We explained to the vet there how horrible Link's breathing was (open mouthed at home, coughing/gagging and clear foam coming up, showed a video of the coughing fit). We were told it would be HOURS for x-ray and result. We opted to just go to our regular vet, it was 4am at that time and the vet opened at 7am and it was way cheaper to do it there. We got him in ASAP and they did the x-ray and told us that Link has asthma/bronchitis and proceeded to prescribe us the expensive Flovent inhaler along with prednisolone daily and Albuterol for emergencies. Here we are, SEVERAL weeks later and Link is NOT doing much better. He continues to have labored breathing episodes and occasional coughing. He has made several trips to the vet due to his labored breathing episodes that I cannot seem to get him out of myself with albuterol. He has now started taking Terbutaline in effort to open his airways up more and help him breathe. But now one of the vets (we have seen 3 vets at our office, we prefer the main one but he is not often available -- popular guy) is suggesting that it could be lungworms and has NOW started Link on Panacur for 10 days on top of the predinsolone and terbutaline and flovent still. I have read crazy things all over the internet and am getting fed up with this vet telling me that i have no other option but to put my 7 year old cat to sleep if these things do not work. When he is good he is good but when he has these labored breathing episodes it is sometimes difficult to get him out of it and seems to be happening at night mostly (8pm-1am ish). I am strapped on money as I just lost my job a few days ago due to having to call out to stay home with him and rush him to these appointments or watch his breathing for several hours.

My question is, has ANYONE at all ever experienced this? Or anything like this? Am i doing something incorrectly? Is it possible that it is not asthma and maybe something else? Lungworm, heart worm? Any advice, help, ANYTHING is appreciated. Link and I are both very tired and stay up most of the night together just snuggling on the floor until he feels better but we need some kind of help.

You and I are currently living the exact same life … if I wasn’t a freelance hairstylist I wouldn’t be able to care for him because I can’t leave my house for more than 4 hours at a time. He’s currently having an attack and I feel like he’s choking on phlegm… like he can’t get it out.. his albuterol is not working. He’s 7 years old… I’ve been going through this with him for about 4 years now . There are days that I think I should just put him down but just like you said .. when they are good they are good ! It’s so hard. I think I developed agoraphobia from it all honestly. I just keep telling myself that I’m doing everything in my power to help him and that’s literally all I can do …just take it day by day. I incorporated half of a benedryl every 12 hours … it seems to help him have less open mouth breathing attacks . I can leave my house most of the day when he takes it…I go to a new vet this next week …
I had a lot of success with apple cider vinegar. He was good for at least 6 months straight. You get the one with the mother … make a mixture with water and rub it in their legs and body And they lick it off .
good luck to you and your kitty