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- Jul 10, 2017
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My cat is 14-years-old. He's had a cough for a year. It used to sound a bit like a hairball. Since the winter, it's been more wet sounding. His regular vet, a radiologist, and an internal specialist can't figure out why he keeps coughing.
Timeline:
The vet was concerned that he was working towards heart failure with his ProBNP numbers. A radiologist disagreed that his heart was of concern. Instead, they suggested the x-ray of his lung showed a solid spot. When I took my cat for an ultrasound, they looked at the x-ray (3rd review) and said the heart wasn't of concern. They declined to do the ultrasound. Instead, they suggested testing for asthma ($1400) and an echocardiogram ($$$$). They think he has asthma or just some inflammation of his lungs which won't go away.
I'm overwhelmed. These tests are adding up. I just want him to feel better. When he gets a cold, it hits him hard and he'll squeak when he breathes. I feel like at this point, the vet and specialists are just throwing darts at the wall. My latest guess is that he's developed an allergy, but I can't uncover anything that changed in his environment at the beginning of the cough. I'd put him in a hotel room for a week if that wasn't very expensive here.
Things to know:
Timeline:
- A year ago, I took him to the vet. The vet stressed that I give him very small amounts of the steroid pills due to his kidneys. The cough persisted.
- In January, I took him back with a video of his cough. The vet felt a little more confident that it might be asthma. But he didn't prescribe any changes other than adding a humidifier.
- In late June, his cough suddenly worsened. On the other hand, he's now extra hungry and much more active than he was before. He continues to slowly lose weight despite his ravenous appetite.
- His thyroid and kidneys are stable.
- Urine is a little concentrated.
- ProBNP test was 6x higher than normal.
The vet was concerned that he was working towards heart failure with his ProBNP numbers. A radiologist disagreed that his heart was of concern. Instead, they suggested the x-ray of his lung showed a solid spot. When I took my cat for an ultrasound, they looked at the x-ray (3rd review) and said the heart wasn't of concern. They declined to do the ultrasound. Instead, they suggested testing for asthma ($1400) and an echocardiogram ($$$$). They think he has asthma or just some inflammation of his lungs which won't go away.
I'm overwhelmed. These tests are adding up. I just want him to feel better. When he gets a cold, it hits him hard and he'll squeak when he breathes. I feel like at this point, the vet and specialists are just throwing darts at the wall. My latest guess is that he's developed an allergy, but I can't uncover anything that changed in his environment at the beginning of the cough. I'd put him in a hotel room for a week if that wasn't very expensive here.
Things to know:
- He has mild chronic kidney disease -- been stable for 3 years w/little change
- He was treated for hypothyroidism -- vet says he still looks good