Guide to a Healthy Cat by Elaine Wexler-Mitchell

Author:Elaine Wexler-Mitchell [Wexler-Mitchell, Elaine]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Cats, Health, Cats - Health, Pets, General
ISBN: 9780764541636
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
Published: 2003-12-05T08:00:00+00:00

130

Guide to a Healthy Cat

ACUTE OR CHRONIC?

Culturing the specific

bacteria that are causing

The terms acute and chronic are an upper respiratory

used to describe diseases. Acute

infection is difficult,

means a disease comes on sudden-

because the nose is also

ly and eventually goes away. A

the home of many normal

chronic disease is one that lasts for

bacteria that can contami-

a long time or that does not com-

nate a culture. To get a

pletely go away.

more reliable culture

specimen the cat should

be sedated, sterile saline

flushed into a nostril, and a sample collected from the back of the nasal passages.

Fungal Infections

Fungal upper respiratory infections occur occasionally, with Cryptococcus neoformans being the most common fungus. Cats with compromised immune systems, such as those infected with FeLV or FIV, are most at risk for developing fungal upper respiratory infections.This fungus can be found in bird droppings and, as unlikely as it seems, it can affect cats who live indoors.

Fungal upper respiratory infections are usually slowly progressive and do not improve with antibiotic treatment. As fungal infections progress they can cause growths in the nostrils and bulging of the sinuses. Fungal upper respiratory infections may be diagnosed by examining a smear of nasal discharge microscopically, by performing a blood test for Cryptococcus or other fungi common in your area, or by a biopsy or needle aspirate of a nasal growth. Antifungal drugs are effective against fungus, but the treatment may last months and the drugs are quite expensive.

If the Cold Doesn’t Go Away

If treatment by your veterinarian is not helping, more aggressive care and hospitalization may be needed. Other diagnostic tests should be done that will look for other diseases that can mimic upper respiratory infections, including:

• Complete blood count and blood chemistries

• FeLV and FIV tests

• Microscopic evaluation of nasal discharge The Respiratory System

131

• Bacterial culture

• Fungal blood titer and/or culture

• Skull X rays

• Rhinoscopy (examination of the back of the nasal passages with a fiberoptic scope)

• Nasal biopsy

• Tracheal or bronchial wash

• Bronchoscopy

Other possible diagnoses are nasopharyngeal polyps (growths that block the back of the throat), inflammatory conditions, sinus infections and neoplasia (abnormal tissue growths). These other diseases will not respond to conventional upper respiratory infection treatments.

COULD YOUR CAT HAVE ASTHMA?

Cats do get asthma. Asthma is a form of bronchitis—an inflammation of the large airways in the lungs called the bronchi. In asthma attacks, the muscles surrounding the airways constrict and the internal lining of the airways swell. This combination blocks adequate oxygen from passing through and creates respiratory difficulty.

Allergies or irritants can cause asthma, and since asthma affects the lungs, it is a lower respiratory disease with serious implications. Diseases that affect the lower respiratory tract are potentially more dangerous because the lungs can be permanently damaged.

Signs of Asthma

The clinical signs associated with asthma include:

• Coughing

• Gagging

• Increased respiration rate

• Open-mouth breathing

• Wheezing

• Lethargy

• Difficulty breathing and distress

The number and severity of the clinical signs is usually in proportion to the severity of the asthma. Asthma can progress to a life-threatening 132

Guide to a Healthy Cat

situation. It can only be diagnosed definitively by an X ray.

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