Ask questions and share about your pet's health to help others.
Hi,
For about 3 months now, our 9 year old cat, Wheezy, has been making strange noises when she breathes that are similar to snoring or sounding just really congested. We took her to the vet and determined that her lungs are fine and she doesn’t have an upper respiratory infection. We believed it was possible for it to be a polyp.
I found the video about Stripes, by Dr. Kristina Magnifico, and I would be willing to bet that Wheezy also has a polyp on her throat. However, like Stripes’ owners, our usual vet gave us an estimate of close to $1200 for all the procedures to check for a polyp and remove it (some of them seemed unnecessary for this process). We cannot afford a cost like this and if there is a simpler way to go about this like in Dr. Magnifico’s video then we need to go that route.
I also wanted to ask about another symptom Wheezy appears to have where there’s a lot of fluid building up in her right eye. Not sure if this is any more evidence of a polyp or not. I’ll attach a picture.
Everything seems to have slowly gotten worse and she has a lost a VERY unhealthy amount of weight because she won’t eat, and I would guess she’s dehydrated as well. She has lost all her energy. Prior to this starting she was a very healthy indoor/outdoor cat.
If there is anybody in the area of Eastern Massachusetts that could recommend any where they’ve taken their animals that would be so helpful.
Thank you!
I’ve got a first time urinary blocked cat that had a sewn in cath/IV fluids in ER at 6pm yesterday. Tricky thing was, they were only an overnight so I picked him up this morning with the plan to have primary take over but they basically refused when I got there, stating they would only remove the catheter when needed. So I took him home with the catheter and continued IV fluids myself (ER left the line and gave me a bag they had started) and returned to have the catheter removed at 3pm today. She came back saying his bladder was empty, so she couldn’t tell if the blockage was still present and to just monitor. Well it’s been about 4hrs and I’ve seen him go to the litter box three times. First time (about an hour after we got home) small bloody urine, and the last two times nothing. Should we have a second catheter placed and resume IV for longer? He’s currently on Prazosin and Buprenex q12hr. He’s currently acting normal but I presume his bladder isn’t as full as it was yesterday afternoon.
Hello,
This is a question for a vet who can examine him. I keep cats on iv fluids with a urinate catheter in place foe days to allow the bladder to flush and hopefully remove all of the favors that allowed or caused the blockage. I also use pain meds and an anti inflammation along with prazosin. The average hospital stay is about 5 days.
Hi,
My cat is 4 years old and she’s approximately 17 pounds. i want to bring her to around 10 pounds so she can live a healthy life. I want to change her diet from Dry food, what do you suggest? currently she eats Friskies 3 times a day (a hand full each time).
I like science diet, royal canin and wellness. As a general rule. I also think that based on age a visit to the vet and some blood work to check thyroid and kidney function.
My cat bandit has trouble breathing and is wheezing and making snoring sounds when he is awake. He wont groom himself and sheds terribly. When we took him to the vet after their tests they concluded its probably polyps in his nose or throat and suggested a specialist who wants over a thousand dollars for a ”special” surgery but when i did some research online i watched a video of Dr. Krista Magnifico removing a polyp from a cat which took 3 mins and was 130$ total cost. I live in the Atlanta Ga, area and was hoping y’all had suggestions of somewhere close to me that can do the same wonderful, skillful job Dr. Magnifico performed for around the same price range. I know this problem is bothering my poor bandit and i just want him to be healthy and happy and i know getting this removed is the key.
Good morning-
I would start at your vet. I would explain your thoughts and ask for help in finding someone who is willing to perform the surgery at a more affordable price, if they cannot. If that doesn’t pan out, I would start calling around and asking. Maybe try your local humane society or animal rescue? They may know of someone close to your area that is willing to perform the polyp surgery. Perhaps even posting to social media may prove helpful- someone who has been through this situation may see it and point you in the right direction. I hope things work out- please keep us posted.????????
Hi, my cat Daisy recently had major dental surgery to remove 12 of her teeth. She did well through it but shortly after started to pull her hair out as she grooms. Wherever she has rested there are clumps of hair and it’s primarily on her thighs. She’s eating well, acting normal and using the litter box normally. Can you help?
I would contact your vet and make them aware of this new behavior right away.
I would worry this is pain. Or stress. There are lots of medications available for these. Please call your vet.
My rescue cat is estimated to be about 3 years old. Pembroke has had breathing issues since I adopted him. It started with a URI which was treated successfully. But then the snoring started. He also shakes his head frequently and itches his ears. I had a full body x-ray as well as blood work done on him. I can visibly see a blockage in his left nostril but no vet in my area has been willing to figure it out without me going to a specialist for an endoscopy. However, this could just be nasal inflammation (according to 1/3 different vets I’ve gone to) because I was told based on the x-rays there is no growth. Am I crazy for wanting to try and get more answers before spending $2000 on an endoscopy? Ive already spent thousands on this little one and I’ve only had him for a few months. I’m in the Greater New Orleans area. I will attach his x-ray photos. He also has an abnormally large kidney but all of his blood and urine levels were fine. They recommend an abdominal ultrasound but I am trying to prioritize his breathing issues as this is hard to watch when he’s sleeping. He acts completely normal but when he is asleep it is apparent his breathing is difficult. I can also hear him do big swallow that sound like he has post nasal drip. He sneezes often but he never has any discharge/snot.
Hello.
I think it is perfectly reasonable to ask for help without spending another few thousand dollars. Maybe you could try some medications to see if they help? I use cerenia drops often. I also try a nasal flush under general anesthesia. This is a really hard place to look at our even investigate. So I would give some time and some medications and see if that helps.
If all else fails ask for a feline specialist referral.
Good luck. Keep me posted. Please.
Thank you for such a quick response. Do you have any suggestions for what this may be? The last two vets I have seen have said they have never seen this before. It is definitely not urgent (unless it’s cancerous but he has no other symptoms). It doesn’t seem to bother him much. I just feel so guilty when I hear the whistle snores and see he struggles while sleeping. I can also occasionally hear him breathing during the day. I will ask about the cerenia drops and other possible medications before going to a specialist! Thank you again!
My 16 year old cat has been diagnosed with some kind of nasal cancer. I don’t know which specifically because I didn’t want to pay for the tests that would specify which kind. Regardless, we are not treating the cancer; we are giving her supportive care. She is currently on steroids (prednisolone) and painkillers (gabapentin). With all of this, she has recently had a new symptom: a bulging of the bridge of her nose. At first, I thought it might be the cancer, but then one day, it popped open, and started leaking fluids (probably blood mixed with other things). I gave her first aid, and it healed. Now, it’s doing it again, but the fluid is building back up, even after leaking out. I called the vet after the first time this had happened, and was told that things like this would keep happening, and that she’s probably near the end of her life. Nothing about what it could be or how to handle it.
So my questions are, should I see a different vet? Does the pressure cause her pain? Is there some way to treat this? I haven’t euthanized her yet, because she still seems to enjoy life.
Hello,
These are all questions to ask your vet. Without knowing specifically what the diagnosis is (or specifically what type of cancer) and what kind of fluid this is it is hard to predict outcome abd treatment options. Also the steroid can influence patient response. Cancer is defined as aberrant cell growth so it is by definition abnormal activity and asking to know and understand anything acting abnormally is also hard to predict. You have decided to keep her comfortable while declining the work up so we have a hard time answering specific questions about what to expect and do bed sue we do t have enough information to be able to answer questions like these.
Pain is impossibly to answer without seeing your pet in person and doing an exam to look for the signs that might indicate pain. Also we don’t have great long term options for treating pain in cats. Pred has some properties to help.
It sounds like you are doing the best you can with limited ability to diagnose which is the huge majority of cases I see. Keep doing what you can and it’s ok to seek multiple opinions.
Good luck.
i believe my cat has hepatic hepatic lipidosis lost alot a weight had her to two vets in the past year that did nothing i thought she was doing better but this past month she has lost a lot of weight only 5 pounds she eating but not as much i say hepatic hepatic lipidosis because the last vet said her liver reading was off wanted 800.00 for a biopsy after i already paid for 400.00 for blood work i couldn’t afford it i lost my job during pandemic and just can’t afford a vet visit at the moment anything i can do???
Hi
I am sorry that you are going through so much. I really think you should schedule time with your vet to sit and talk through the diagnosis, what the treatments are and see if you can come up with an affordable payment option. Explain your financial situation – see if there is a way to set up some sort of payment plan ???? so that your cat can get prepped diagnosis and treatment. Hopefully you and your vet can come to a mutual agreement. Best of luck to you!!!!????????
Dr magnifico , we took our 3 year old feline to our home vet yesterday morning for straining and not being able to urinate (happened within 15 hours approx.) they released him at 12:09pm on buprexen 0.35 ml every 12 hours until we can get the culture and urinalysis back Monday, they did an ultrasound and said there was no blockage but to take him in to an ER if things get worse, well 8pm that night it was only getting worse not even a dribble and so we rushed him to an emergency hospital and applied for a loan because the ER told us he WAS blocked and that there was a mound of crystal formed and that he needed surgery ASAP as well as the catheter. They kept him overnight and now today ( the next day) they said if at 430-5 they take out the catheter and he can pee on his own they want to send him home. My fear is that he will get reblocked as he is trying to heal… I saw your YouTube video GET OUT ALIVE BLOCKED CAT and how they should keep him for up to 3 days and monitor him with the catheter still in place? Our home vet doesn’t open until tomorrow and I’m sure they will want more money to keep him overnight again I already applied for the loan and got approved but our expenses are running tight. What do you recommend? This is our cats first problem he has no history of illness or allergies. The ER he is at right now is tanasbourne veterinarian emergency in Hillsboro Oregon ! Our home vet is Milner vet hospital in Oregon city
Hi there- I am soooo sorry that you going through this. I am not a vet- I have however had a male cat who had urinary blockage issues and can tell you what we had to do-
First off, the vet we had at the time kept him overnight after the. Lock she was removed to make sure his Irvine was running clear and to monitor him. He was sent home to us with very specific instructions- keep him isolated in a small area in case of accidents(which there were) a change in both diet and litter and multiple water sources. He was also put on a Rx food from science diet for the rest of his life. I would contact your vet first thing- explain to them what has happened since your last visit, ask to speak with your vet and see what they advise. We had to change our litter to “low ash” and the prescription food seemed to do the trick????He ended up living quite a long life with no recurrence.
My cat is taking short breaths and he is breathing out of his mouth. When should I be concerned? He is a Persian so he never breaths normal but when is it necessary to take him to ER?
Hello
Any time there is a chance of trouble breathing you should be concerned. I reformed you see a veterinarian immediately
Hello,
I would be worried that this is neoplasia. It is unlikely that a cat this old will have a polyp. That has been my experience. Call the rescues and shelters and see if they know of anyone local to you who will sedate your cat and look behind the soft palate. Find a feline specialist to ask for a second opinion. Good luck.
Thank you for the quick response. Not exactly what you’d like to hear but at least we can probably rule out polyp. We’ll follow your suggestions.