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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!
Hi, I adopted a Snowshoe/Siamese cat from a shelter about 6 weeks ago. They estimate he is about 3 years old but his history is unknown. He had an upper respiratory infection when I adopted him and was on antibiotics. He was very sneezy but that cleared up with the antibiotics the shelter gave me. I then took him to the vet for a wellness check the day after I adopted him and they found a yeast infection in one of his ears. We treated that and it’s been fine. He was also given Bravecto Plus topical just in case and is an indoor only cat.
About a week later he developed a skin issue, he’s been itching and ripping hair out in massive clumps and had some scabs. He was given two steroid injections over the course of a month. Also an antibiotic injection. I also changed his diet to rule out food allergen but after more than a week of diarrhea from the Hills z/d diet we switched to a sensitive skin Blue Buffalo instead which he is tolerating much better.
The skin issue has been getting better so I’m not concerned about that but just want to preface his history with me. Now onto the current issue. I noticed he snores and has trouble breathing when he is sleeping. I chalked this up to the URI but it has not gone away with the URI. His whole body basically flexes as he inhales. It’s only while he is asleep but does not matter what position he lies in. After spending over $1,000 and going to two different vet offices in the last 6 weeks, I would like to reach out to see if anyone has answers about this. We got back from the vet today with his second steroid injection and the itching has reduced significantly after this one (last one didn’t do much) and we are sending in blood work. The vet suggested next we do a full body x-ray which I’m not opposed to but I’m a graduate student and I’ve already spent over $1,000 on him and I have only had him for 6 weeks! I am going to get the x-rays for peace of mind but tonight I was checking his nose while he slept and found this. I’m assuming it’s a polyp? But I’m not a vet and won’t pretend to be one. If it is a polyp, where can I get this taken care of for a reasonable price? I really don’t want to dip into my emergency fund but I’ve already spent so much on him for vet bills, let alone changing food, litter, etc. To rule out allergens. I’ll include a picture of what I presume to be a polyp.
I appreciate anyone willing to help! I live in the New Orleans area so if you have recommendations for clinics, that would be great too! I am also willing to travel a longer distance for less pricey care. He does well in the car.
He is the one thing that’s really keeping me going right now so I really want to help him.
Hello,
It is impossible to diagnose via a photo. I think the best thing to do is have your vet look at your cat. I also think that it might be helpful to ask about cerenia nose drops just in case it is inflammation. I know there is a dr Mike down in NOLA that has been very affordable and helpful to people with financial constraints. See if anyone local knows about him. Let me know. Good luck
Thank you for your response! His blood work came back today and the vet said it is perfect so that was good news. He is getting full body x-rays done tomorrow. It’s another $285 but I am hoping we get some answers about his snoring and breathing. She is going to thoroughly check his nose and what not while he is sedated. He is a squirmy boy! I will definitely be looking into Dr. Mike. Thank you so much! I really appreciate it.
Hi, I got the results from his vet today. She said that his nose looks like just inflamed tissue. She said his lungs were a little foggy on the x-ray but she thinks antibiotics (equivalent of human z-pak) and a diuretic will clear it up so we are doing that. His heart was slightly enlarged but he doesn’t have a detectable murmur. She is sending for a DNT test since they still had his blood for $62 to see if he may have heart disease. His left kidney was very enlarged and his right was atrophied. She said this could be cancer. His blood work and his urine both showed no issues with kidney function so she said this could just be large to compensate for the atrophied one. She said that we could do an ultrasound and biopsy but it will be very expensive and an echocardiogram if the DNT comes back indicating something is off. I am so upset. Should I be really worried about his kidney if it’s functioning fine? Thank you for your time.
I have a cat that I suspect likely has a soft palate or nasal polyp. So far we have seen my usual vet twice. The 1st visit they just looked at the cat and told us it was probably a respiratory infection and sent us home w/ a course of antibiotics (Orbax). That was a $150 visit. The cat completed the antibiotics and showed no improvement in it’s respiratory status, plus it seems like the meds made the car loose his appetite to the point of hardly eating. We just went back for another f/u visit, this time insisting on at least some diagnostic tests and they drew blood for labs, and did a chest x-ray (which the said appeared clear). This time they sent us home with azithromycin and prednisolone (more antibiotics and a steroid). That was a $500 visit. I expressed concern about an obstruction or polyp to the vet, and was told that if this course of meds didn’t work, we might need to see a specialist. I would be very grateful if anyone could put me in touch with a vet like Dr. Krista Maginfico that could help us address the medical issue at a reasonable price in the Austin, Tx area. Please, help if you know of anyone…..thank you in advance.
Good morning- so sorry about your car. Is it possible to get referred to a specialist by your vet? I know you already spoke to them, but perhaps a quick over the phone conversation could point you in the right direction if your vet isn’t equipped to diagnose? Or maybe call your local humane society and ask if they know of a vet practice that is capable? I hope you can get in touch with someone you’re comfortable with. Best of luck!!
I am sure the next step w/ our vet will be a referral to a specialist, I am just trying to reach out and ask for help finding one that might be a bit more reasonable than $1500-$2000 to diagnose and remove a polyp
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.
I have a 2 week old orphan that has upper respiratory infection and low weight. It is suffering with anorexia as well. The kitten is also tube feeding. Today is day 5 and the kitten has started showing lathargic behaviors again and has not had a bowel movment in 24 hours.
I am wondering if this is normal or if I should take it to the er.?
I would definitely take her to the vet or ER. This baby is too small and weak to overcome all these problems on its own. This is an emergency, in my opinion.
PLEASE NO RUDE COMMENTS… I SERIOUSLY NEED HELP N ADVICE… Backstory…… ive been out of work since 12/26/20 bc of unforeseen medical issues. and still haven’t received any ssi or unemployment. so with that please be a little understanding. my cat had a really bad eye cold n respiratory thing going on… it kept getting worse. I was told trevor supply sells cat and dog safe penicillin. so i got some bc i literally can’t afford a vet right now. i came home and looked up dosing via injection penicillin. apparently it should have been less the 1 ml (i realized today). i didn’t do the math correctly (didn’t carry decimal over right) and ended up giving him 10ml. now i I’m freaking out about his kidneys and liver. He’s currently acting fine. Playing and eating but i am still very very worried. Please please any advice?? ????????????????????????
Hello,
I’m not sure how I can help. Please calll and keep calling all of the local rescues and shelters and keep asking for help. Don’t make any decisions about treatments until you get reliable advice. You are making a (provable not so bad condition ) potentially life threatening. There are adorable places out there. See if you can volunteer in exchange for vet care? Where there is a will there is a way.
Hello, my cat Koshka has been suffering from chronic upper respiratory symptoms (snorty breathing, sometimes bloody sneezing) for quite some time now and I’m worried that she may have a nasopharyngeal polyp. I’ve watched several videos posted on youtube by Krista Magnifico and our situation sounds very similar to what was described there. This has been persisting for 2 years and she has been to the vet 4 times now and last week I took her to a new vet for a second opinion and she prescribed prednisone and said she could refer me to a specialist to do a rhinoscopy which costs over $2000.
My question is why hasn’t anyone thought to check for a polyp like Dr. Magnifico has been doing in these videos? It seems like a relatively simple and cost effective procedure. I’m getting very discouraged and frustrated at the thought of paying thousands of dollars just for diagnostics alone when I am currently unemployed. I’d be happy to take her in to the Jarrettsville Vet Center but I live in Nashville which is 12hrs away. I would love to hear any kind of advice on this matter as I’m not sure what to do at this point. Thank you for reading this!
Hello,
As with all of these cases I do t know why more vets don’t do a sedated exam and look for a polyp. I know lots who do, but most don’t. Please call around and try to find someone who is willing to look. Also based o the history of your cats symptoms it is unlikely this is a polyp. Most polyps I have seen are in young cats and the degree if inspiratory effort and noise worsens significantly over time. I would say about 6-12 months. I feel this is more likely to be either rhinitis (usually secondary to another disease or condition) or neoplasia (oronasal or facial tumor. Then best advise I can give is to call around and ask for a referral who will work with you and your cat to help get better answers that you can afford. Let me know if you find someone so I can share it with others. .
My rats (2 months old) are sneezing. Sometimes it’s one, sometimes its like three in a row, but it is not consistent. I have read that this could be linked to respiratory issues, but they have no other symptoms. They ping, brux, boggle, play fight with their siblings, eat, socialize with me and other members of my family. They are not secreting porphyrin either. They do sleep a lot during the day, which I thought may be a symptom, but they are also still babies and are EXTREMELY active during the night. Should I be worried about the sneezing?
Hello,
Sneezing is a very broad clinical sign. In general it indicates that there is inflammation or irritation to the nose and nasal passages. This can come from infection, allergies, allergens, foreign bodies and even masses. If it is happening to both of them I would worry about allergens or infection. Infection usually causes other clinical signs like lethargy and deceased appetite. For allergens or inflammation things like removing all household irritants (no spays, powders, diffusers, etc) and minimizing dust and particles with a household filtration unit all help. Also fresh air if you can provide it safely. If the sneezing persists please call your vet and ask for an examination. For now scrutinize their environment. And keep it very clean and allergen free
If this is environmental: add an air cleaner (one that just blows dust into a filter) near their enclosure. I really like the system made by Swiffer – it’s literally a fan in a base, blowing dust into a filter sock. It looks nice and does a great job at reducing dust. Furthermore, make sure you aren’t using harsh cleaners, or anything with airborne scents. This means no candles, no aerosols, no oil diffusers.
Make sure you vacuum in their area frequently, and make sure you keep the room free of dust. The aforementioned air cleaner helps but it doesn’t completely remove the need to dust.
Also consider their bedding. Do you clean it on a schedule which is correct for their needs? Is it dust-free? Some bedding types are NOT recommended for small mammals.
I have a 12 year old cat that is experiencing sneezing, nasal discharge followed with blood in one nostril as well as some wheezing. Took him to emergency room and he was given steroid injection and clavamox for two weeks in December. After the two weeks experienced same thing, they stated it could be nasal polyp. Regular vet gave Orbax which did nothing. After calling around because everyone wanted 2500 for a ct scan i found a vet that performed a rhinoscopy and he removed three polyps. One looked abnormal so he did a culture and biopsy. He put my cat on doxycycline. The cat is still having wheezing but breathing better. The meds do not seem to be working. So went back to vet and he gave my cat a steroid injection. The biopsy came back negative for cancer and the culture negative for respiratory viruses. He doesn’t know whats going on. He says either my cat has a immune issue with inflammation where he will prescribe some predisone pills or that the cat has a tumor deeper than his rhinoscopy can go. He is suggesting i put my cat down. My cat has been behaving more energetic since receiving the predisone injection days ago but the wheezing and stuffy nose wont go away. Any ideas, i don’t want to put down an otherwise healthy animal.?
Hi there???? So glad that you were able to search out and find a vet that could help you. Have you had a heart to heart with him about other management options for your cat?
hello,
i see lots of cats with lots of nasal issues. In general most older cats are some degree of inflammation and irritation, or even perhaps an allergy component. I think that before any suggests euthanasia it would be helpful to get a second opinion. I would ask to see either an internal medicine specialist, or, a feline specialist. If she is happy, eating and functioning I would give her more time an try a few other treatment options. In some cases long term cerenia nasal drops, a steroid, or even an inhaler can help. Also look at her environment. Remove all potential allergens, even think about litter. Anything that might be in her environment that might irritate her nose and nasal passages.. No perfumes, air scents, or powders anywhere. No diffusers, no smoking (even outside), no pollutants of any kind. Tghen try lits of different antibiotic treatments, and even perhaps an antiviral.. Everything should be tried before succumbing to euthanasia. Even with the worst cases (the facial neoplasias) I can often buy some good tie with some medial therapies. And I never give up until I know my patients have exhausted all options and can no longer find relief.
I hope this helps,, please ask your vet for more help,, or find another who will help you.
good luck,, let us know what happens.
krista
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.