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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / May 2005Asthma video
If anyone is interested, there is a very good video that has just been posted of Fritz "The Brave" having an asthma attack. I didn't know the symptoms of asthma when Sam first presented. After about 1 1/2 weeks of his coughing I took him to the vet and my description was "that he looked like he was coughing up a hairball". He had swollen lymph nodes and was raspy so my vet gave him a steroid shot and antibiotics and sent him home with oral antibiotics. About a month later I took him in again because he was still coughing and I thought he needed a second round of steroids which is how we treated him. I never described his symptoms in such a way that my vet recognized asthma and of course he never coughed while he was at the office. It wasn't until I found him in the hallway, unable to breath and rushed him to the ER vet that we learned he had asthma. I don't know if I'd have recognized the symptoms if I had seen this video, but I like to think I would have given a better description to my vet. If you are interested in seeing a cat having an asthma attack it can be seen at http://www.fritzthebrave.com/asthma/symptoms.html which is a web site devoted to feline asthma. Julie >If anyone is interested, there is a very good video that has just been >posted of Fritz "The Brave" having an asthma attack. I didn't know the [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] >can be seen at http://www.fritzthebrave.com/asthma/symptoms.html which >is a web site devoted to feline asthma. Thanks for posting the link. Just watching the video, I'd probably just think it was a bad hairball. Something else to keep in mind if I ever observe one of mine doing this.  SignatureSteve Touchstone, faithful servant of Sammy and Little Bit stouchst@JUNKsirinet.net [remove Junk for email] Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html > Thanks for posting the link. Just watching the video, I'd probably > just think it was a bad hairball. Something else to keep in mind if I > ever observe one of mine doing this. Hairball is exactly what I thought when Sam first began coughing. I hate to admit that he was evicted from the bed on several occasions because I didn't want to clean hairball from my sheets and mattress. After I learned what was going on I was saddened to see Sam getting off the bed by himself when he had an attack. He'd learned that he wasn't allowed to cough on the bed. Things have improved since then and fortunately, Sam hasn't had an attack since March. Julie > If you are interested in seeing a cat having an asthma attack it > can be seen at http://www.fritzthebrave.com/asthma/symptoms.html which > is a web site devoted to feline asthma. Nikki is crouched all the time while she is coughing, Fritz seems to sit upright sometimes, but otherwise it's the same. I do know the difference between an asthma attack and a hairball attack; it's subtle but recognizable. I can hear the difference even from another room. SignatureMarina, Frank, Nikki, and Mere marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki >> If you are interested in seeing a cat having an asthma attack it >> can be seen at http://www.fritzthebrave.com/asthma/symptoms.html which [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > between an asthma attack and a hairball attack; it's subtle but > recognizable. I can hear the difference even from another room. I don't remember Sam sitting up either. I think he crouches and extends his neck more, but I think the sitting up would get more air to their lungs than the crouching. Fortunately we haven't had an attack since the first of March and even made it through the heavy pollen season in Atlanta. When we went out of town this past weekend I had the vet give Sam a low-dose steroid shot so that he could stay home rather than be boarded and have his inhaled steroids. I'm keeping a close watch this week to make sure it didn't do any harm but so far so good. They had told me the last time I boarded him that he had cried and clawed at the kennel the entire four days we were gone. I thought the stress of being in a kennel away from home was more harmful than the low-dose shot would be and the vet seemed to agree. Hugs and snuggles to Frank, Nikki and Mere Julie Has the coughing and wheezing ever caused him to vomit? > >> If you are interested in seeing a cat having an asthma attack it > >> can be seen at http://www.fritzthebrave.com/asthma/symptoms.html which [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > Hugs and snuggles to Frank, Nikki and Mere > Julie > Has the coughing and wheezing ever caused him to vomit? I've never seen him vomit when he was having an attack, but there were times when I came home from work and found that someone had vomited during the day. With five cats its hard to know who is the culprit unless you see it happening. Its the same with skid marks. I just have to sigh and ask "Who left the skid mark?". Of course no one ever owns up to the deed. I can only imagine what my Mother would have had to say if she could see my carpet some days, lol! Julie > I don't remember Sam sitting up either. I think he crouches and extends > his neck more, but I think the sitting up would get more air to their [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > in a kennel away from home was more harmful than the low-dose shot would > be and the vet seemed to agree. Aw, that's so sad about Sam at the kennel. I think a shot of steroids on a rare occasion wouldn't be as harmful as the stress of missing his hoomins and his home. Hugs back to the Stone Mountain pride. SignatureMarina, Frank, Nikki, and Mere marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki > I don't remember Sam sitting up either. I think he crouches and extends > his neck more, but I think the sitting up would get more air to their > lungs than the crouching. People with experience with asthma can tell you that hunching the shoulders is a natural reaction to an asthma attack and feels like the best way to get air. I saw my father do this years before I was ever diagnosed with it. > If anyone is interested, there is a very good video that has just been > posted of Fritz "The Brave" having an asthma attack. http://www.fritzthebrave.com/asthma/symptoms.html Julie, thanks for pointing this out. It will be helpful to many people who have undiagnosed asthmatic cats. >I don't know if I'd have recognized the symptoms if I had seen this >video, but I like to think I would have given a better description to my >vet. If you are interested in seeing a cat having an asthma attack it >can be seen at http://www.fritzthebrave.com/asthma/symptoms.html which >is a web site devoted to feline asthma. OMG, poor, poor thing! It makes me want to reach out and hold him close, if that doesn't make the attack worse. Sam is like that?? > >I don't know if I'd have recognized the symptoms if I had seen this > >video, but I like to think I would have given a better description to my [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > OMG, poor, poor thing! It makes me want to reach out and hold him > close, if that doesn't make the attack worse. Sam is like that?? My Cheeky is like that about every 4 months. I try to get her a shot when I see the first cough, but sometimes I catch the attack first. It is very scary. Last time she was running behind me, about to zip down the stairs for breakfast and it just felled her. She hunched and coughed and coughed, the tip of her little tongue sticking out. Usually I can hear congestion in her purr when it is time to get a shot. You have to be careful not to give them too many as there are side effects such as diabetes. I want to get one of the albuterol masks for her. > My Cheeky is like that about every 4 months. I try to get her a shot > when I see the first cough, but sometimes I catch the attack first. It [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > careful not to give them too many as there are side effects such > as diabetes. I want to get one of the albuterol masks for her. I can highly recommend the Aerokat mask and inhaled meds. We've been attack free since the first of March and made it through the high pollen season in Atlanta without an attack. There were a few days when Sam was wheezy and he got a hit of albuterol just to make sure. Poor Cheeky, give her scritches and hugs from me. Julie > I can highly recommend the Aerokat mask and inhaled meds. Ah, I did not see this post before I posted asking you how you administered the meds. I have heard of Aerokat. >We've been > attack free since the first of March and made it through the high pollen > season in Atlanta without an attack. Wonderful! There were a few days when Sam was > wheezy and he got a hit of albuterol just to make sure. Poor Cheeky, > give her scritches and hugs from me. Thank you. It really is scary when they have these attacks. I'll get the Aerokat gear, for sure. >>I don't know if I'd have recognized the symptoms if I had seen this >>video, but I like to think I would have given a better description to my [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > OMG, poor, poor thing! It makes me want to reach out and hold him > close, if that doesn't make the attack worse. Sam is like that?? Yeah, Sam had several attacks like this a day several times a week before I finally figured out what was going on. You're right, you want to just hold them. Fortunately, I have the inhaled albuterol and can give it to him and get pretty immediate relief now. Finding him in the hallway barely breathing is not something I ever want to re-live. Hugs and scritches to Betty Julie >Fortunately, I have the inhaled albuterol and can > give it to him and get pretty immediate relief now. Finding him in the > hallway barely breathing is not something I ever want to re-live. How do you administer the albuterol? |
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