Potential Asthma?

[Graceful-Lily]

I'll get right to the point. Felix was having what appeared to be asthma attacks so I took him to the vet. She said everything sounded good but I pushed for an x-ray. Still didn't show anything. Just a very small amount of grey area. I was given 10 days of antibiotics but he had a really violent attack last night. He couldn't breathe well for several seconds and I didn't know what to do. He's had a lot more energy since he's been taking the antibiotics but this attack would prove that he's not better, correct? I don't know what to do at this point.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! ....or, that there is something in his environment that's still causing trouble. You could maybe have an allergen test done, but in case you aren't familiar with all the things that can kick off respiratory issues; strongly scented soaps (laundry, bath, shampoos), dryer sheets, almost literally anything in his food, dusty litter, dusty air, polluted air combined with dry air, cleaning sprays (kitchen, bath, window, furniture), rinse aid and/or dish soap residue on his dishes, metal or plastic dishes, new carpet, new chairs with fire retardant chemicals, scented candles, molds, air fresheners. If you can eliminate any of those you might have, and also possibly obtain a humidifier (except be aware of any mold build up) and an air cleaner. Hang in there!! Sending loads of good thoughts your way!

 

[Furballsmom]

Oh, and I remember someone in a different thread mentioned she'd gotten a new comforter, and her cat was having breathing troubles until she washed the comforter.

 

[mosimom]

Is there any wheezing? What are you feeding? Was the attack right after giving the antibiotic (liquid?)?

 

[Graceful-Lily]

There isn't any wheezing. He's currently getting can food since money has been tight and I couldn't afford the regular raw. We were having an intense play session before he started having his attack. He stopped playing and layed down. I figured he was tired so I went into the kitchen to eat and I heard the disturbing noise. He's perfectly fine otherwise and the vet didn't see anything wrong with him. She said even if he did have asthma, it's very very small since she didn't see donuts in his x-ray.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi again, could you introduce him to a different wet food and see if that helps?

 

[mosimom]

Is there any fish?

 

[Graceful-Lily]

I have tried other brands of wetfood but still no change. Some do have fish flavour but I try to not feed those too often.

 

[mosimom]

My cat developes breathing problems when I serve fish. She’s will get the inflammation in the lungs. She also has a problem if I cook any smoked or preserved meats like hot dogs, bologna, bacon. Nitrates in the air. I have come to the conclusion she has histamine intolerence. All meats in canned food can become high in histamines if not cooked up fresh by the manufacturer. And then there is also cross contamination of high histamines to be weary of too.

 

[Graceful-Lily]

Thank you for letting me know. I had no idea. I'll see what I can do about his diet because they literally cannot find anything wrong with him.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi again- keeping my fingers crossed for you both! If food adjustments don't seem to help, take a look at some of the other allergen possibilities I posted above.

 

[Graceful-Lily]

I will! I'm going through the house tonight to see if I can find potential causes.

 

[Furballsmom]

Your furbaby is so fortunate to have you!

 

[Shar371]

Hey, gonna chime in, because my Hank had something similar. We had a big icestorm when he had what I thought was an asthma attack (ice storms are pretty rare down in my part of of the US, so we couldn't make it to our usual vet). I took him to another vet nearby, and she had me listen to a video. Try looking up "reverse sneeze". It sounds miserable, and for Hank, the sneezing can go on for quite a while. Apparently, it's caused by allergies.

She suggested chlorpheniramine (turns out, it's at Walgreens as "Wal-Finate") in a 4mg tablet. I...didn't think Hank would go for a pill that size. A few google searches showed that it's usually prescribed as 2mg, twice a day, or as needed. So, I ignored her advice (bad Shar...), cut the tab in half, and did her recommended course (3 days, 4mg twice a day) with half the dosage. It worked. I double checked with my best friend (who is a vet tech with my regular vet), and it turns out that the 4mg is a pretty standard dose, but since Hank responded to the lower dose (and is a little guy to boot), it was all good. Turns out, he's allergic to weather changes. The cold snap went away, and so did the reverse sneezing. Next cold front, we were at it again.

 

[Furballsmom]

holy schamoley. I swear, it's incredible what our furry buddies have to deal with, Shar371 good for you!!

 

[Graceful-Lily]

I looked up reverse sneezing in cats but it doesn't look similar to what's happening to Felix. My dog has reverse sneezing so I know a little about it but Felix's "asthma attacks" don't look the same. It is winter here and he does spend a lot of time at the door and windows.

 

[Graceful-Lily]

The only thing I can think of is the tremendous amount of mold all over the house. It's winter so all the windows are frozen shut. The air is dry and lacks adequate circulation. The problem is, I don't know how to get rid of the mold.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi-I'm not an expert but I would say that's your culprit. Can you talk to someone in your area with knowledge of how to mitigate it?

 

[Graceful-Lily]

I could but it's taken over the entire house and we rent. We're told the people in charge but no one has done anything for years. Easiest solution would be to move away.

 

[Furballsmom]

oh dear, I'm so sorry to hear this!! I have no great ideas but I did just look at a website called the familyhandyman, and there are other ones. I typed in how to remove mold and mildew
If you look at several sites and find consistent info, maybe go with that, since of course this is bad for you all as well.
Gee whiz - I wonder if they realize they may very well have rot happening? Honestly, people sometimes!!