Cat coughing, difficult to swallow, heart murmurs

[Lisa40]

Hi I'm after some advice about my cat who is coughing, a wet cough since using catalax, was dry before. He has difficulty in swallowing but eats fine. Has a healthy appetite, senior age. Heart murmurs. No vomiting. No heavy breathing but does get worn out easily. Sleeps and drinks alot of water, no sneezing, no mucus from the nose or eyes. Poo and urine tests are neg to any problems, general bloods came up neg and seem fine also. His body trembles at times which I thought could be related to having a toxic tree in my garden which I'm trying to get removed. Not a hairball issue as I first thought was the reason for the cough.. His purr and upper.. Throat area seems to be where the fluid from the wheeze is located. No weight loss.. Either. Can any one help me with what to do as the vet wants to do more investigation.. Xrays, and cardiopet which is a particular blood test. Then it will be more further tests which is looking to cost me thousands. I'm afraid to just find out he has a tumour which is cancerous or throat cancer .. And again more money which I cannot afford..? Could it be anything not life threatening?

 

[AgentMama]

If he is an elderly cat, I would probably agree to the xrays (unsure of the cost of the blood test), but if your plan, regardless of diagnosis, is to keep him comfortable and manage him. I'm not sure I would agree to the rest if the diagnosis doesn't change your plan of treatment. I think with elderly pets, it's often kinder to keep them comfortable and happy until they let you know that their time is done. Subjecting them to a lot of diagnostic work and treatment that often doesn't prolong their life, but makes their quality of life worse is unfair.

 

[airsdaddy]

Had to log in and chime in on this one.

Almost exactly a year ago I had to put my best buddy to sleep. Went to a vet, ran some tests. Couldn't find anything wrong. Went back when things didn't get better. Ran some more tests. Told me the good news, it's not Lymphoma. Prescribed more meds. Cat continued to slowly get worse. Decided to get a second opinion. New vet immediately referred us to a specialist who confirmed that it was, in fact, Lymphoma. And had progressed so far that there was very little chance to even extend his life very long where he'd be comfortable.

All that to basically emphasize: don't be afraid to get a second opinion. I don't know if those months between taking him the first time, and finally getting the diagnosis would have made a difference, but I will always wonder.

 

[KayaWildfire]

Had to ask our oldest who is in vet school now, she says do x-rays for sure. That sounds like a heart condition especially with the coughing and lack of energy. There are medications that can slow the progression of the disease so I would act sooner rather than later on this one. And if he does have something awful that cannot be fixed, you can at least make him comfortable and know you have done your very best for him.

 

[Lisa40]

Hi I'm after some advice about my cat who is coughing, a wet cough since using catalax, was dry before. He has difficulty in swallowing but eats fine. Has a healthy appetite, senior age. Heart murmurs. No vomiting. No heavy breathing but does get worn out easily. Sleeps and drinks alot of water, no sneezing, no mucus from the nose or eyes. Poo and urine tests are neg to any problems, general bloods came up neg and seem fine also. His body trembles at times which I thought could be related to having a toxic tree in my garden which I'm trying to get removed. Not a hairball issue as I first thought was the reason for the cough.. His purr and upper.. Throat area seems to be where the fluid from the wheeze is located. No weight loss.. Either. Can any one help me with what to do as the vet wants to do more investigation.. Xrays, and cardiopet which is a particular blood test. Then it will be more further tests which is looking to cost me thousands. I'm afraid to just find out he has a tumour which is cancerous or throat cancer .. And again more money which I cannot afford..? Could it be anything not life threatening?

 

[Lisa40]

Hi thankyou so much for all the replys and advice given about my beautiful boy.. I agree.. with him being a senior his priority is to be as comfortable as possible. I will be going ahead on the xrays for sure in the throat, head and chest area plus of course his heart.. I suspect its asthma from my research with a case of a possible chest infection. His heart murmer I will have to ask what grade the vet Regards it as for me to take further tests like extra bloods. And just hope the xrays will be enough to get some answers.. I've recorded his coughing and will show this to the vet on Wed. I've got many questions for the vet as a possible ear infection can also be the cause. So many possibilities.. But at least he is eating fine.. And seems happy, he still plays a little, and not in pain as far as I can tell.

 

[Lisa40]

I'm sorry to hear of your loss and about the Marygo around over finding the right diagnosis.. It's a pity we have to be our own doctors as it is.. And now seems to be in this case with all our animals.. To be look aftered correctly..
Kind regards

Lisa

 

[SharonZ]

The coughing could be due to fluid around the heart. Definitely do the x-rays, and have them take a good look at his teeth. Dental issues can cause all sorts of medical issues.

 

[Lisa40]

Yes he does have dental issues.. Gingervitis and his gums are looking pale.. Thankyou for the advise. I'll be sure to get the x-rays done. It's ashame I don't know how to upload a video of him coughing onto this site.

 

[Lisa40]

Yes he does have dental issues.. Gingervitis and his gums are looking pale.. Thankyou for the advise. I'll be sure to get the x-rays done. It's ashame I don't know how to upload a video of him coughing onto this site.

 

[Lisa40]

Could he possibly have a heartworm infestation or lungworm infestation .. Would x-rays show this?

 

[Lisa40]

Cardiac ultrasound, echocardiogram, cardiomyothapy, poo test, complete blood count, heartworm antigen blood test and x-rays.. Are all advised.. Which one will be the most effective to start with?

 

[mom2rtk]

Cardiac ultrasound, echocardiogram, cardiomyothapy, poo test, complete blood count, heartworm antigen blood test and x-rays.. Are all advised.. Which one will be the most effective to start with?

That's really a question for your vet. Be honest. Explain your concerns and don't be embarrassed to mention any financial concerns. Ask how much each of those would cost and what information they would provide. Ask your vet what they would do if this was their pet and they couldn't afford to do all of it. If your vet makes you feel guilty about not having endless money to spend, find a different vet.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

It could be an issue of heart failure, which an XRay would help define, then a diuretic could help.

Not sure what we did in the old days before we had echocardiograms and MRIs for pets?

You might want to find an older vet in your area who has experience diagnosing pets without all the fancy tests of today.

 

[KayaWildfire]

I would say x-rays, but tell your vet you only have x dollars to spend. Your vet likely has a ranked list on what he thinks is likely the culprit. Tell them you can't do it all, but where do they think it is best to start? They will tell you. The vet would much rather you be upfront about no having a ton of money and letting them pick and choose the most important things than you choosing something that might not be as important to them. Does your kitty go outside? If he doesn't and has never been out, heartowm is not terribly likely.

 

[SharonZ]

If you've already done the basic bloodwork, I would say x-rays.