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Hi, a 6-y/o female feline cat with a persistent cough diagnosed with moderate asthma has been prescribed to use an inhaler twice a day, until symptoms improve, then recommended at least once a day, everyday. I have not heard of a cat needing or prescribed an inhaler. The cat has been on prednisone for a few weeks to help the cough, which did help improve the cough. Would you recommend seeking a second opinion? Thank you!
Seeking Diagnosis/Treatment for Possible Nasopharyngeal Polyp in Cat
Our 5#, 18 mo old cat has been having breathing difficulty for about 6 months. We’ve been to two “regular” vets and one specialty vet. The “regular” vets have done chest x-rays and bloodwork trying to diagnose. We’ve been on multiple rounds of antibiotics, several steroid shots, and a few breathing treatments. The first vet suspected asthma, but none of the meds worked. The second vet suspected lung infection, but again, none of the meds caused any improvement. The cat is acting fine, eating and eliminating normally. No nasal discharge. Sounds like she’s snoring all the time.
We saw a specialist today. She determined that the cat isn’t able to breathe thru her nose much, if at all. We are waiting on lab results for a fungal infection. The next step she suggested would be for CT scan and rhinoscopy to check for foreign body, polyp, or other physical abnormality. I’m ok with sedated imaging, but their estimated cost for that is $4,000. I called MS State University Vet Clinic, and their estimate was also in that range. We’ve already spent hundreds trying to diagnose and treat this. I’m ok with spending more but not $4,000.
Can anyone suggest a vet in the Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi region that we can try?
What if the breathing issues is not a polyp? And it’s not asthma or a respiratory infection. What else could it be in your experience?
We do a very poor job in diagnostics to provide a firm diagnosis for pets.
To help decide what is going on with your pet we should be doing things like X-ray, ct or mri, BAL (bronchiole lavage), culture airways, full blood work and a fecal. Anything within any of those is a possibility.
I would not rule out asthma or infection without having done all of those. Which no one can ever afford to do.
Hello Dr. Magnifico!
I found you on YouTube! I wanted to tell you how wonderful I think it is that you are going above and beyond to help pet owners worldwide!
I have a 4 year old female cat named boots. For over a year now, she has been having pretty severe coughing attacks daily. I have taken her to multiple vets that can’t tell me what’s going on. I have heard both upper and lower respiratory conditions could be involved. We got a chest X ray 2 weeks ago and it came back negative. Tried asthma medicine with no help. Tried an antibacterial in case it was an infection, and only very mild relief. Using 5mg Zyrtec daily has some relief. My vet suggests it may be nasopharyngeal polyps. I visited your page and saw your video removing these polyps in a cat, and the symptoms I have found for polyps don’t seem to quite match Boots. She doesn’t have a snorting sound while breathing, but her breathing is sometimes audible at rest. I am very fearful to proceed with further testing or procedures because I don’t want to spend so much money without knowing the problem will be fixed. Any suggestions?! THANK YOU!!
Hello,
I’m sorry for the delay. Covid has had me working like crazy.
I think that a polyp should always be considered and your vet, or some credible accessible vet, should be willing to sedate to look behind the soft palate. It is a quick and easy thing to do, but, they also have to be willing to try to remove it. There are a fair number of vets around who love this procedure. Call everyone you can and ask for help. We are out there. You just have to dig. The other helpful tips are to call the local shelters and rescues and ask them if they have someone they can recommend. You can also try to find a feline exclusive practice. If you do find someone locally please (please!!) add it to our storylines section so we can pass along the info to the next person who asks.
Hi, Please if there’s someone who knows a vet like this near York, PA who won’t charge an arm and a leg to remove a polyp from our cat’s throat! we have to pay $2,000 and wait forever just for an appointment! Please! She almost died a few times because she can’t breathe. Her name is Destiny and she’s a sweet and loving cat. Our vet misdiagnosed this as asthma. Tonight she’s having another hard time breathing. We can’t afford to keep taking her to the Emergency vet they charge a fortune and don’t help. Please let me know ASAP. My email is tshelleman@juno.com. Thanks in advance!
Good morning
I am so sorry you are going through this. What does your regular vet say? Are they willing to do the surgery? If so, I would start there- and work out a payment option ahead of time. If they are not able to do the surgery, I would ask my vet for help and begin calling around to other vet practices. Hopefully your vet can work with the one you find and share their diagnosis so that the vet performing surgery will be fully aware of your cat’s situation and can schedule right away. Very best of luck ????????
Our regular vet said that she has asthma. I had said that I believe that it’s an obstruction, but the vet at the time insisted that it was asthma and showed me X-rays and was to the point of being rude and arrogant about it. This was when she was about a year old. She had the snoring sound that is talked about in the video and got to the point where she could barely breathe. So we gave her the asthma treatment for a while and she seemed fine, but she still always made a noise when she breathed. Almost a year ago, she had another episode. She stopped eating and started to have trouble breathing again. We took her to the Emergency vet and they said she didn’t respond to any asthma treatments and they thought it was an obstruction. I did some research and figured that it was a polyp. Our vet (different doctor than original diagnosis) referred us to specialists and said they couldn’t do it themselves, but the specialists would charge about $2000 and we would have to wait at least a month, get an appointment and pay for her to be examined, then wait again for the surgery. The vet also tested her for feline leukemia and said she had it and that her white blood cells were very low, so we thought she wouldn’t even live for long. But we gave her fluids and electrolytes extravenously and she survived and started to eat again and gain weight. We were waiting to see how she would do if it was worth the money to have the surgery. She had been fine for about 8 months, but yesterday, she started to have trouble breathing again. I found the video and saw that maybe Krista can do it for under $200 that would be much better for me.
Hello,
The veterinarian in this post works at jarrettsville vet in harford county maryland. You can call the clinic and make an appointment to be seen. Iot you can call lititz vet in lititz pa and ask to be seen there. Both are excellent vet practices who will help and work and are not expensive or unwilling to work based on a budget.
So, is this the “Dr. Krista Magnifico” from the YouTube channel? I called the Lititz vet and they want $165 for an exam and ~$2500 for the surgery. I wouldn’t call that reasonable after watching the above video since it only takes about 10 – 15 minutes to do. I called your clinic and they said to send you an email, but you haven’t responded yet. I’m not going to pay almost $3000 for this surgery, so I need to know if you can and will do it or not. Destiny has had trouble breathing for the last 2 days and might die by the time I get an appointment with Lititz or any other clinic.
Yes, I found out where her clinic is at after I initially posted. I called the Lititz clinic and they want $165 for the consult and ~$2500 for the surgery, which is on par with every other specialist in the area. I saw on the video that “Krista Magnifico” (looks a lot like a poster’s name) did it for $130. Even if it’s $500, that would still be a steal. I would be very hesitant to spend ~$2665 on a pet, but I would be willing to spend under $500.
I have the same problems and questions! Is there a veterinarian school that does this for less? I’d attempt surgery myself before paying $2500+ ???? In all seriousness that is absolute robbery after watching the video and how simple/fast it is. Like you said, even $500 would be reasonable.
William, if I find out anything, I’ll post here. The vet in the YouTube video is in Jarrettsville, MD which is less than an hour from York, PA where I live. I called them, but they can’t give me any information on the availability of this mysterious “Krista Magnifico” so what’s the point in posting videos like that if you can’t even find out if she can do the surgery?!? Meanwhile, my cat is having an episode of hard breathing that she could die from while this miracle vet can’t be reached!! Hello, are you out there Dr. Krista?
Wow, that’s crazy! So this lady on here isn’t her? I’m so confused by the whole video and how she replied to your comment. I wish your furbaby the best! Good luck! I can’t even get quotes around my area, I get phone replies like “We would have to see her first and we are 3 weeks out on appointments” and “We aren’t taking new patients because of Covid-19”. Then I saw this video and it gave me hope! ????
William, I found out that it is her. She has had a family emergency and I feel horrible for pestering on this site, but my cat is having a lot of problems breathing and hasn’t been eating for a few days and I don’t want her to die. BTW, where do you live?
Tony, that’s awesome! I’m from Pittsburgh so it’s a lengthy drive for me but luckily my kitten isn’t in dire need of surgery (at least not yet) But I’m So glad you were able to talk to her and I really hope everything works out for you.
Hello,
I expect to be in the clinic on Monday 5/18. I can call you to arrange an examination. If you would like to do that please call the clinic and ask to leave me a message. As soon as I return to work I will call. Tell them you spoke to me via Pawbly. Krista
Thank you so much! I’m so sorry, I didn’t know that you were in the middle of a family emergency. I hope and pray that everything is well. I appreciate you doing this for me.
The appointment is set for 10AM on 5/18. Do you have any ballpark figure on the cost?
How did your appointment go?
Thanks for asking, William. Destiny passed away on Saturday morning at 1:06AM, so she never made it to the appointment. She had been having trouble breathing for a few days. She almost died on Friday morning from not being able to breathe. She was starting to go limp and out of desparation, I slid my pinky down her throat to try to clear her airway. I also have an oxygen concentrator for her and I used the hose for a breathing tube and she was able to breathe again. I took off work that day to keep monitoring her. Her breathing would be better almost to the point of being normal (still with the snoring sound), then she would have trouble again after a while. Occasionally, she would not be able to breathe for about 20 seconds and she would be able to clear her airway and breathe again. This continued until Saturday morning when she couldn’t breathe for almost a minute. She had been in our closet all day and she ran under the bed to try to catch her breath. I pulled her out from under the bed and tried the same thing, but she was not able to breathe on her own. She was coughing up mucous. I don’t know if her lungs had filled up from the polyp. It was so horrible to see her struggle for breath. She was the sweetest cat anybody could ever have. She was so full of life and personality and love and it’s so hard not hearing and seeing her around the house now. She was 6 years old and she had the polyp since she was 1. Our vet at the time told us that it was asthma. That vet is gone from the clinic now and fortunately because I would give her a piece of my mind if I saw her. Maybe she had asthma as well, but from a little bit of research, it should’ve been easy to see she had a polyp. If I would have known that earlier, maybe I could’ve taken her to a specialist while her breathing was better. I’m sorry that I couldn’t give you better news. I hope you find someone in your area like Dr. Krista.
I’m sorry about your kitty. My mother passed away last week. I was not at work for the last few weeks so I could be with her. My deepest sympathies for your loss. For everyone’s knowledge I need to clarify a few things. One any vet at jvc could have seen this patient. Even with an exam these patients often need advanced diagnostics and we are not an ER faculty therefore scheduling and providing immediate emergency care can be difficult. We t dry to help everyone and every case. And we always try to be affordable. The emergency cases are not always feasible for this. Sending hugs to all. Krista. .
Thanks for the response, Krista. I’m so sorry to hear about your mother. That has to be very tough with all you do. I’ve been busy so I haven’t had a chance to reply, but I wanted to thank you for at least trying to help out. We buried Destiny a few days after she died, but it’s still so hard to believe that she’s gone. She was only about 6 years old, but she had been through so much. We thought she was a goner on several occasions, but she always pulled through and cam back strong. She was such a sweet. loving cat and I still sometimes think I hear her. She made that breathing sound and you could even hear her if she was outside close to a window sometimes. The last time we took her to the Emergency Clinic on S. Queen St. in York, they gave us the information for specialists in Lancaster and Towson (maybe your clinic could get added to their list). Both of those were cost-prohibitive and we wanted to make sure she was going to live long enough for the month plus that it took to get an appointment and also save the money. This was in August and she hadn’t eaten for over a week. Our vet had also said her white blood cell count was almost non-existent from feline leukemia. We fed her subcutaneously and also gave her solid food with a syringe. She eventually started eating again and gained weight back. We were so happy that she was healthy. She was back to her regular lovable playful self. Whenever she wanted something, she would always come up to one of us and meow. Then we would pet her and say “show me”, then she’d walk to the food dishes or her play area or to the cat door. She could go in and out or eat herself, but sometimes she just wanted some love beforehand. She had been through so much in her short life, but she was an inspiration.
Hi Dr Mag
I noticed alittle over a month ago my cat (Zedicus aka Boo Boo) was sneezing alot and sound like he was snoring when he was up. I took him to his VET where he was diagnosed with polyps. My vet referred me to a specialist for a rhinoscopy. In the process of searching for a reasonable priced specialist. I discovered your youtube page while doing research so I could be better prepared and I had to rush Zed to the ER b/c one night he woke up vomiting up foam. Once we got to the ER he was fine. I had the ER vet take xrays and told them what my Vet said. The Dr vet didnt think it was polyps but perhaps allergies or asthma. She prescribe Clavamox for 2 wks and to revisit the Vet and take another x-ray. The medicine helped the runny nose but nothing else. I’m getting frustrated because I don’t want my cat to suffocate and seems no one really knows what’s wrong with him.
Hello,
I’m so sorry that this has been so frustrating. I think the best advice I can give is to call all of your local rescues and shelters and ask them who they use for cases like this. They know the local affordable and reputable places where you might get better direction. Also ask about a feline specialist. They too are more direct and often helpful. You need a vet willing to work within your budget and concerns who is able to give you meaningful assistance. It is the best place to start I think. Best of luck. Let us know what happens.
Thank you so much for your quick response. I will followup with an update. Stay safe, healthy, and blessed.
Hello! I just discovered this app via a YouTube video, as I now spend my days googling things like “Cat breathing loudly” and “normal cat breathing”…!
Since perhaps June I’ve noticed with increasing regularity my cat, Clover, breathing very loudly, sometimes to the point of waking me up with the sound. In September this progressed and my husband noticed her breathing freakishly fast and we rushed to a vet.
However 5 vets, including a specialist, many xrays, and treatment for gum disease later, no one seems to know what it is, and I can’t take the wait and see method they are prescribing. She is playing and eating and otherwise normal, but her breathing does seem to bother and annoy her and at times she looks very despondent.
The history is that almost two years ago I made the most terrible judgement call of my life and she got out the window of a new apartment and fell 4 floors. She was unable to use her back legs for a few days during which they kept her under observation and she needed stitches in her soft palate. She has made an almost complete recovery.
The accident happened exactly a week after our other cat contracted an unknown disease and died suddenly and shockingly at aged 5. I still haven’t recovered from our other cat’s passing and both my husband and I comfortably acknowledge that Clover is the number one love in my life, and I will do everything to keep her alive and happy. However we have reached our pet insurance limit and I am so concerned about what will be next.
I have done all of the internet researching there is to be done, and I just know looking at her and hearing her stressful breathing that something is very wrong. I don’t know if it’s connected to the fall, but it isn’t bronchitis or asthma both of which treatments did less than nothing.
If anyone has any advice or had a cat with similar symptoms please let me know what you think?!
Good morning-
I am very sorry that even after all of your vet visits and research, you are still at a loss. Other than finding another specialist, my only thought is if there is a teaching veterinary hospital/school that would want to take on your case. Hoping that some other Pawbly friends may be able to share mor advice with you. Very best of luck to you…????????
Thank you so much!
Hello,
In many of these cases I have found that these cats have chronic rhinitis. A friend scan if about the best way to identify this, but, it isn’t usually able to be cured, only somewhat managed with long term use of anti inflammatories and adjunct treatment options like minimizing allergens and managing weight. I have also tried cerenia drips and steroids to some help. Or even an inhaler to see if it helps. Ideally I keep these cats in a clean ventilated moist environment and minimize allergens to include all household cleaners, litter and even their own pet dander. Finding a diagnosis is a challenge as it isn’t infection and if it isn’t it is harder to cure. Some cats just snore no matter what we do.
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. It it usual for it to come on relatively unprovoked? Or could it be connected to the fall? Also, as it is deteriorating so quickly now, what is the likely time she can live with it?
The whistling is relatively constant now, with every day becoming more extreme.
We have an air purifier running constantly, I have never used harsh cleaning chemicals ever and we are in a small apartment, so her exposure to irritants is as low as I can make them.
She was on cerenia but it did nothing and nor did the steroids.
Thank you so much again.
Also anti inflammatories did nothing I should add!
I have the sweetest Siamese mix, Goldie, adopted from our local humane society. Unfortunately, she has been a sick kitty and she’s had 4 URIs in her two years of life. She did take the full course of antibiotics for all of them and healed successfully.
Recently, she’s been making low snoring noises periodically when awake and sleeping and it seems to be only when inhaling. She’s a talkative girl and sometimes her voice changes when meowing. She has no other symptoms and is eating, drinking and playing normally and there has been no mouth breathing while making the noises. Her breathing rate has been normal. Sometimes it seems like she is making the noises and then stretches out real long in the first picture to get comfortable.
Below is a link to her video around 24 seconds you can hear it, you might have to put it at full volume:
If this is difficult to hear it sounds very similar to this:
I have a vet appointment next week and am concerned she has stertor from an oropharyngeal polyp from my online research and her symptoms. Is this something that a vet would be able to see without putting them under sedation? Are there any other suggestions you have as to what I could have them test for if it’s not a polyp? I wasn’t sure if she could have asthma or another breathing related issue.
Finally, do you by chance have any recommendations for vets in Phoenix, Arizona? I am just getting myself prepared if needed for a second opinion or if surgery is necessary.
Appreciate it and all your tips and videos online! You are doing incredible work!
hello Amanda!
If you think your kitty has stertor, or what I call upper nasal snoring sounds, I think it is best to start at your vets office. A couple of things are important to discuss early on. One, lots of stertor sounds alike. For the many cases of polyps that I have seen it is important to look at the whole cat, take a very detailed history and do the basics, like ruling out URI (upper respiratory infection) first. Lots of cats get this, as mist have come through rescue/shelter scenarios. So, I always talk to clients about covering the basics first.
URI should look like infection. Lethargy, fever, ocular and nasal discharge are usually present. Antibiotics are our first stop for these cats. I usually use clavamox, doxycycline, or azithromycin (I’ll even try all three before I move out of the infection suspicion scenario).
BUT, some cats are instead chronic rhinitis. These are usually a little older, and a little distanced from the rescuing phase of their lives. They are usually the somewhat older cats (like 2-6 years old) and they were probably exposed to a herpes virus early on. They sort of never get over the snoring and sniffles. These guys are life long snifflers. Usually with some degree of nasal and ocular discharge.
There are also the polyp cats, These are the ones I see often, because, their primary vet doesnt want to go take a look because if they find a polyp they are afraid to remove it. So most of the cats I see are the suspected polyps who cannot afford the $2500 plus estimate the specialists are giving for retroflex endoscopy, and removal with a surgeon.
I know lots of general practitioners who will sedate (yes this is required to get an adequate look) who will look and will remove but the risks are important to discuss before hand. The risks are; regrowth. I have seen it happen in two cases. Both resolved permanently after the second removal. I have also seen significant bleeding after removal. The cat ultimately did fine, but, I was worried for a few days.
If you find yourself with a vet who is reluctant to look ask for a referral. If the referral is to a specialisit and this is not affordable call the local cat specialty clinics, rescues and shelters for a referral you can afford.
I hope this helps. Please let me know what happens.. If you cannot find help let me know and I can reach out to some of the rescue people I know in AZ.
good luck!
krista
If it is in fact a polyp and it goes without removal, does this lead to any suffering for the cat throughout their life? Do these polyps continue to grow to the point of full obstruction?
I really appreciate all your advice and time! Thank you so much and I’ll report out after the appointment either way.
Hello, I just wanted to follow-up on my vet visit. The vet gave Goldie a Kenalog shot and to be honest, the noises she was making went away, but it’s strange as it seems now I’m not hearing her purr as often. Is a steroid shot ok to use on a limited basis? I know that it’s short term use and would not want to continue giving her shots every few months as I know it can suppress her immunity and for a cat that has had several URI’s I’m now second guessing the vet giving it to her.
Thanks!
New vet today. Practice is for cats only. Vet spent a LOT of time checking Lucas. Going to try an antibiotic for possible middle ear infection.
My cat was taken in to the vet in May to treat allergies, difficulty breathing (snoring sounds) and a head tilt. Was given an anti inflammatory, antibiotic (convenia), vitamin b-12, ear drops, and an X-ray. Diagnosed with asthma brought on by allergies. Lungs ok. Three weeks later breathing and itching had improved, but third eyelid started showing.
Vet would not see him and said to go to a specialist.
Took the cat for a second opinion. That vet said we should check for nasal polyps. Was sedated and had an exam of ears and throat. No polyps were visible. Vet felt a small enlarged area under the soft palate, but could not confirm this was a polyp. Head tilting stopped after first visit. Recurred a few days ago. Not present now. Second vet recommended going to a specialist for ct scan. It is cost prohibitive and I’m not sure it is necessary. Third opinion from an online site recommended we try antibiotics for the respiratory issues. Started on one antibiotic today for ten days. And started on purina fortiflora.
Looking for any other advice or experience with issues like this. I’ve never had a cat with these problems.
Thanks.
#cats #nasal #headtilt #respiratory #polyps
Hello,
This is a tough one. The problem really lies in the inability to localize and identify the lesion causing all of the clinical signs. I would look into Horners Syndrome and see a cat specialist. I also would consider a long discussion with a trusted vet on what is treatable and what isn’t based on most likely diagnosis. That’s really what you need. Help from someone who will talk about your case within your budget and comfort zone. I have to add one more thing. It really bugs the heck out of me to have a vet who won’t talk to you further after you discuss and confide in your inability to see a specialist (who will likely want a ct that you also can’t afford). Sorry. Soapbox moment.
Keep me posted on your cats status please.
Thank you. I just found your videos on removing nasal polyps on you tube. Was so hopeful yesterday that the second opinion vet who did the exam with Lucas under anesthesia would find a polyp in his throat and remove it. But instead she said she felt something kidney bean size under his soft palate. She wasn’t real confident of what it was. I went for the second opinion and told them I could not do the specialist route due to cost. Then I ended up being told I need to go see a specialist and spend 1-2 thousand for a CT. After that I could not pay for anymore treatment. So I searched around and had a vet online recommend the antibiotics. No one yet has given me options. Although the second vet said well he could live with polyps. I said but he is getting worse. The head tilt went away and came back. She said nothing else. I feel like I’m in an airport being moved through the system in the midst of storms that no on wants to discuss. And when I ask questions like can we give him steroids for inflammation – she says oh no I wouldn’t do that.
I am scheduled for a consult with a vet from Cornell on Sunday. Maybe that will help.
The other option I’m considering is just paying for a consult with a specialist – internal medicine I guess. When you call they won’t tell you what anything costs until you beg them. So I am leary of spending more money twith a specialist who may tell me they can’t do anything until I spend even more money on a ct.
Sorry, frustrating week.
Here’s Lucas – before the Horners syndrome started.
Hello,
I completely understand your frustration. For al of the reasons you mention we added a storyline section to this site. If you can please add a story of your experience at each vet you went to and include the prices of each visit. I hope it is a way for others to see what the cost of care is and even which bets are affordable and helpful. Stories are entered by service provider. So each visit is entered separately but reference that you added one for each. It is a new feature so let me know if you have any questions or problems. We really are working hard to help people like you. Keep us posted. Good luck. Ps I think Cornell is a great option.
For more information on this subject please see these credible resource pages; ACVS Nasopharyngeal Polyps; https://www.acvs.org/small-animal/nasopharyngeal-polyps
Dr Magnifico, this is the link you posted. Figure 5 sounds like what Lucas has – a small polyp under his soft palate. Is this a surgery that a general practice cat vet could perform. Or only a surgeon. Cost is an issue for me. But I want to help Lucas before things get worse. Thanks.
It says the mass will regrow with the simple removal shown. But it would be some relief and I’m not sure how fast they grow. Thanks.
Went to a new vet today. What a difference from the others! Quiet, calm environment. Cats only patients. The vet was so thorough. Spent a long time with Lucas. When Lucas got anxious, he allowed him to go back into his carrier and calm down. Then he continued the exam by removing the top of the carrier. Lucas stayed in the corner and was much calmer. Going to try a new antibiotic – to hit what might be a middle ear infection. Onward!
Awesome! Sounds like you made great helpful progress. Very best of luck.
Thanks Dr Magnifico,
The consulting vet from Cornell recommended I find a good vet interested in pursuing what is going on with Lucas, and listening to me regarding my budget. That was the same advice you gave! By the way the Cornell consult was excellent. The vet was very familiar with nasal polyps – and did not feel like this is the problem.
I’ve heard of it and have friends with a cat who needed a nebulizer treatment daily.
If you can afford a second opinion, by all means, but it’s not unheard-of.