Please help me decide what to do next

[gatolover77]

I'm not new here and have posted in the past about my cat's breathing issues. It's never ending at this point as we have been to many different vets and tried different treatments. I will say he has improved after we eliminated chicken from his diet. He doesn't have coughing fits anymore. He has chronic congestion and no amount of steaming helps. He's been given off label nose drops from one vet who was convinced it would do the trick. It did nothing. He was on an inhaler at one point which seemed to help for a while then didn't work anymore. I was paying hundreds of dollars for just one inhaler. He got a steroid shot from a vet that was convinced its allergies and had me get air purifiers and dust more often. The steroid shot did work for months but during that time he developed skin issues which turned into a sore, and after this is when his issues got worse. He had a mass growing in his nose after the steroid shot. We got the CT scan and biopsy and the oncologist said it's not cancer. The only thing they are finding with him is high wbc. They sent him home after that saying theres not much else they could do as the mass was removed and it wasn't cancer. They referred me to a regular vet. The option that vet gave me was oral steroids for the rest of his life. I did research and felt like we could do better than that. Thats when he was taken to another vet that said the nose drops are better since his issue is nasal inflammation. That didn't work. We tried a holistic vet after this that told me the steroids and vaccines probably caused his immune system to go crazy and with him already having herpes as a kitten it caused this chronic nasal congestion and inflammation. He's now on dmg which has helped a little bit. I noticed inside of his nostril the tissue is swollen, and when he breathes in he flares his nostril a bit so the opening is bigger to get more air. I'm thinking oral steroids are the only option at this point. Can my cat still live a good long life on steroids? I don't want to put him on that and suddenly he has worse problems as a result. Is there a such thing as nasal steroids? He's been through it all xrays, ct scan, blood work, different meds I can't keep putting him through this.

 

[FeralHearts]

Hi there. I'll go look at your original post better but I saw the one said it was a granuloma found in the nose nostil (eosinophilic granuloma) from what I understand eosinophilic granuloma encompasses a family of things. Have they looked at / tried doxycycline? I know it's the go to for pillow foot and some used to treat types of eosinophilic granuloma complexes.

Someone correct me if I am wrong about it eosinophilic granuloma encompassing a family of things as that is what I was told by the vets.

Did they check babies heart?

I see you tried steam etc. What about a nebulizer to help with the breathing?

I'm not a vet...

but have one cat with a heart condition and asthma / allergies / intolerances to some items and another with eosinophilic granuloma complex / pillow foot. That cleared with doxycycline and *KNOCK ON WOOD* has not returned, but she was on it for quite some time. So I thought I would throw this out there as something to think about and ask the vet about.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. When you ask about nasal steroids, they are likely what was in the inhaler you used for a while. You can check with your vet about this, and perhaps there are other steroids that are used with an inhaler - or, as mentioned above a nebulizer, vs. the one you had. You can also ask the vet if nasal steroids are 'safer' long term than oral ones.

Often treatment is based on the cause, but idiopathic forms of nasal issues do seem to be treated with steroids. Maybe you would find this article on different causes and treatments to be of interest, perhaps as conversation points with your vet.
Feline Rhinitis: Causes, Symptoms, And Treatments | Trudell Animal Health

 

[gatolover77]

Hi there. I'll go look at your original post better but I saw the one said it was a granuloma found in the nose nostil (eosinophilic granuloma) from what I understand eosinophilic granuloma encompasses a family of things. Have they looked at / tried doxycycline? I know it's the go to for pillow foot and some used to treat types of eosinophilic granuloma complexes.

Someone correct me if I am wrong about it eosinophilic granuloma encompassing a family of things as that is what I was told by the vets.

Did they check babies heart?

I see you tried steam etc. What about a nebulizer to help with the breathing?

I'm not a vet...

but have one cat with a heart condition and asthma / allergies / intolerances to some items and another with eosinophilic granuloma complex / pillow foot. That cleared with doxycycline and *KNOCK ON WOOD* has not returned, but she was on it for quite some time. So I thought I would throw this out there as something to think about.

9
Hi thanks for this response! They tried doxycycline but it was only 3 days I believe. He was also resisting it so much (kept coughing it up) that the vet said to let it go. This was earlier in the journey before the ct scan and diagnosis. Is this only in pill form? Did your cat have similar symptoms with the nasal inflammation?

 

[gatolover77]

Also I've tried the nebulizer with saline solution and he got a medicated one before in the vets office. It helped a little bit.

 

[gatolover77]

Hi. When you ask about nasal steroids, they are likely what was in the inhaler you used for a while. You can check with your vet about this, and perhaps there are other steroids that are used with an inhaler - or, as mentioned above a nebulizer, vs. the one you had. You can also ask the vet if nasal steroids are 'safer' long term than oral ones.

Often treatment is based on the cause, but idiopathic forms of nasal issues do seem to be treated with steroids. Maybe you would find this article on different causes and treatments to be of interest, perhaps as conversation points with your vet.
Feline Rhinitis: Causes, Symptoms, And Treatments | Trudell Animal Health

Thats right the inhaler was a steroid medication. At the time I was told it was safer than oral steroids, but the vets I've seen after don't really like the idea of the inhaler. They tell me the shot or oral are more effective. I will look at that article thank you.

 

[FeralHearts]

Hi thanks for this response! They tried doxycycline but it was only 3 days I believe. He was also resisting it so much (kept coughing it up) that the vet said to let it go. This was earlier in the journey before the ct scan and diagnosis. Is this only in pill form? Did your cat have similar symptoms with the nasal inflammation?

Sadly they will resist and when they spit it out - boy does it get messy! It took me weeks of patience with my one to get it down without her spitting it out and I was terrified I was going to give her aspiration pneumonia so I had to be so careful. So I get exactly what you are saying here. I hate liquid meds for this reason. I'm gathering now yours was a pill? I'd have loveddddddd that.

When my asthma / allergy kitty gets a bad flare up his nasal passages can get inflame too and I end up having to use his inhaler twice a day instead of once a day for about a month or so. It has done the trick so far - but - he didn't have a granuloma in his nasal passage like yours. With him it gets way worse during allergy season but then a couple months of the year I won't need it at all. That is slowly changing as he ages. :-( To be expected really.

About the inhaler: Exactly, the vet told me it metabolizes differently then the pill and far less risk. *knock on wood again* we've been successful with it for years so far but that can always change - though one hopes not. He also stopped chewing his legs near raw and the bumps went away once we stayed the course along with a food change as he's allergic to chicken for sure and turkey is a maybe.So we steer clear of both. I was told to dust more too - which I have - as where I live my drive is gravel and trust me the house gets dusty from that!

The nebulizer is a great little tool isn't it?

How are the lungs for congestion and inflammation - is it local just to the nose - or other spots?

Also is kitty indoor outdoor or indoor only?

Side note: I was so VERY glad to read not cancer.

I can't answer too much about oral steroid use as, like you, I understand it can have a negative impact longterm use so there has always been a caution sign up for me when that's mentioned by a doctor. From what I understand with long term use Kidney's should be monitored, the risk of UTI's are increased along with infection risks - and with some steroids, sugar levels can go up. I believe these are all easily monitored though and you are so on top of things that you should feel confident in your ability to monitor if you need oto go that root.

I'm sure someone here has had experiences with long term steroid use on their cat and can answer it and help you prepare if that is the root you need to take.

 

[gatolover77]

Sadly they will resist and when they spit it out - boy does it get messy! It took me weeks of patience with my one to get it down without her spitting it out and I was terrified I was going to give her aspiration pneumonia so I had to be so careful. So I get exactly what you are saying here. I hate liquid meds for this reason. I'm gathering now yours was a pill? I'd have loveddddddd that.

When my asthma / allergy kitty gets a bad flare up his nasal passages can get inflame too and I end up having to use his inhaler twice a day instead of once a day for about a month or so. It has done the trick so far - but - he didn't have a granuloma in his nasal passage like yours. With him it gets way worse during allergy season but then a couple months of the year I won't need it at all. That is slowly changing as he ages. :-( To be expected really.

About the inhaler: Exactly, the vet told me it metabolizes differently then the pill and far less risk. *knock on wood again* we've been successful with it for years so far but that can always change - though one hopes not. He also stopped chewing his legs near raw and the bumps went away once we stayed the course along with a food change as he's allergic to chicken for sure and turkey is a maybe.So we steer clear of both. I was told to dust more too - which I have - as where I live my drive is gravel and trust me the house gets dusty from that!

The nebulizer is a great little tool isn't it?

How are the lungs for congestion and inflammation - is it local just to the nose - or other spots?

Also is kitty indoor outdoor or indoor only?

Side note: I was so VERY glad to read not cancer.

I can't answer too much about oral steroid use as, like you, I understand it can have a negative impact longterm use so there has always been a caution sign up for me when that's mentioned by a doctor. From what I understand with long term use Kidney's should be monitored, the risk of UTI's are increased along with infection risks - and with some steroids, sugar levels can go up. I believe these are all easily monitored though and you are so on top of things that you should feel confident in your ability to monitor if you need oto go that root.

I'm sure someone here has had experiences with long term steroid use on their cat and can answer it and help you prepare if that is the root you need to take.

Our cats sound nearly identical with their allergy issues. They checked his lungs out in x-rays and saw a little bit of scarring but nothing too bad. They all seem to think the inflammation is mostly in his nasal passages now. Once his food was changed he stopped the coughing (which is what they said caused the scarring on his lungs).

Which medication got him to stop chewing his legs? My cat is definitely over grooming now which tells me his skin is irritated, though he doesn't have any bald spots yet. I may look into getting him back on the inhaler. It could be that it stopped working in the past because we hadn't changed his food yet. He's very allergic to chicken. Maybe now that his food was changed the inhaler will work?

 

[silent meowlook]

I’m sorry I didn’t read replies. What I have seen help tremendously is doing the nebulizer with saline, dexamethasone, and Acetylcysteine. It is not conventional but I did see it work well before. You would have to purchase the nebulizer and get a vet to Rx the dexamethasone and the acetycysteine. What I did was put the cat in a carrier and cover with a towel and nebulizer that way at the cats home. 15 minutes once or twice a day.

Longterm low dose Prednisolone is fine for a cat.

 

[FeralHearts]

Our cats sound nearly identical with their allergy issues. They checked his lungs out in x-rays and saw a little bit of scarring but nothing too bad. They all seem to think the inflammation is mostly in his nasal passages now. Once his food was changed he stopped the coughing (which is what they said caused the scarring on his lungs).

Which medication got him to stop chewing his legs? My cat is definitely over grooming now which tells me his skin is irritated, though he doesn't have any bald spots yet. I may look into getting him back on the inhaler. It could be that it stopped working in the past because we hadn't changed his food yet. He's very allergic to chicken. Maybe now that his food was changed the inhaler will work?

For Charlie, the food made a huge difference but it took a bit to be sure. I often think there was something is the Wellness brand that bothered him - so we avoided that brand all-together. Chicken for sure. Turkey was on the list so we avoid that too just-in-case. Legs cleared up after that.

The weird thing was that I was a difference in things like his constipation and other small areas when using the inhaler. Not just his lungs and nose. He gets the nebulizer too every now and again as needed.

The other one, BH, was the one with eosinophilic granuloma complex / pillow foot. That was 11 months of liquid doxycycline. From what the vet told me (as the vet that first started on her on it moved away and we got a new one from the same client) that it was a long time for a cat to be on it. She ended up having some throat and tummy issues that I had to combat with liquid sucralfate. I have to tell you - that was not a fun time period. Not at all. There were at least 3 times I nearly took her to the vet as I thought I gave her aspiration pneumonia and once I actually did bring her in for coughing - turns out that was the doxycycline bugging her since she had been on it for so long. Cats don't cough normally. A cat coughs - it's doctor time.

In both cases it was staying the course for months and watching.

Food changes are often 12 -16 weeks to really see. Doxycycline for BH was 3 months min and then there was improvement but it took staying the course of treatment in both case. It wasn't easy. It's hard not to see immediate improvement on the babies but sometimes it is staying the course for months, watching, and then changing if needed.

Maybe these experiences will help with talking points with your vet.

If he does need the steroids - then he needs them - and I'm sure you will be able to watch for any side effects as you are on top of things. If it doesn't help, then you can always ween him off and try something else - but again - whatever you and the Doctor decide stay the course for a good bit and really give it a chance to work and for sure have a conversation with the Vet about your concerns of the steroids, they'll be able to guide you. I think like me, someone put the fear of god into you for steroids so I get where you are coming from. Sometimes though - it's needed.

Whatever you and the Doctor decide, be sure to stay the course for a good period of time so you can see what is working and what isn't. In my experience, it wasn't a quick thing. (Accept changing the food - that seem to make an improvement within a month.)

Be sure to come back and let us know how you and kitty are doing with it all. XO