After last night being so rocky, first thing this morning, I took Charlie into the vet’s office where they worked us in. I talked with Dr. Walker at great length about Charlie’s hitching breath, his open-mouth breathing which could indicate a heart murmur or heart problem. His passage of worms (still) the dry hacking cough that infrequently occurs and his wet almost gargly(is that a word) sounding purr.
We talked about what we might be facing with him and how best to discover what we are up against. It was decided to run a set of x-rays and see if his esophagus was constricted, what his lungs look like, and how his stomach and bowel look.
It wasn’t good. Charlie has an abnormally swollen heart that instead of sitting erect, it is sloped and tipped to one side. He has a bubbles of air floating in his esophagus, a big bubble of air in his stomach that impedes looking at the contents of his stomach, and air in his bowel as well.
Dr. Walker was kind enough to tell me what all this means. She said that most of it boils down to poor nutrition when he was born, damage from the roundworms and hookworms and tapes. She seemed encouraged that he has gained 3 pounds- that he was active during the exam and that he doesn’t seem to want to give up the ship quite yet.
We had a long conversation, and at the end of it, looking at the x-rays and watching Charlie struggle to breathe- I was at the point of asking her to go ahead and tuck him in with the angels. Before I opened my mouth, he was lying on the exam table, my arm was next to him. He suddenly grabbed on to my hand, dug his claws in, slid across the table and glommed unto my arm. He looked me square in the face and I swear he said “I am NOT ready to give up yet, don’t you dare give up on me!” So, I said nothing.
We have changed his treatment program. He got a shot to try and move some of the air through his system. He is now on Clavamox and Sucalfrate. I will move him into the cat room so he can be by himself. I will be running the vaporizer all the time for him to make breathing easier, and turn the heater on at night when it starts getting colder.
The vet and I decided that if he doesn’t turn around in 3 days, then chances are, he isn’t going to and living will become more of struggle for him. If this happens, she has kindly said she will tuck him in herself and not charge me for the service.
He is an orange fighter this boy- let’s hope that during the three-day mark he can overcome all that has been done to him and be a healthier, happier kitty.
Poor Charlie; but what a fighter and a lover! Sending good wishes your way.
Hi there, the symptoms you’re describing sound somewhat similar to what my cat is currently going through. Is there a name for the condition you describe as, “He has a bubbles of air floating in his esophagus, a big bubble of air in his stomach that impedes looking at the contents of his stomach, and air in his bowel as well?”
Also, do you know the name of the shot he received “to try and move some of the air through his system?”
My cat has been in and out of the vet numerous times for his seemingly hitching breath and gurgling purr, but all of the tests are coming back normal. In addition, the sounds only occur when he’s purring (which he never does at the vet), so I’m really the only person who has seen the condition.
Any details you could provide would be greatly appreciated!
I always keep notes when any of the rescues get sick. So I do have the name of the shot they gave him. BUT I need to find my notes, and with 7 kittens running amuck on my desk daily, my notes are kind of scattered.
Charlie still gurgles and at times he stops eating. I have had good luck getting him to eat babyfood (turkey or chicken) when he refuses all else. The vaporizer runs continuously which also helps, and I give my Lysine every day in his babyfood. He will likely be on Lysine the rest of his life.
Until I can come up with the $500.00 needed for an ultra sound it is likely, I won’t have an answer to his gurgles. But again, it is also likely the ultrasound won’t show anything and be “inconclusive” at best. Which is why I haven’t scheduled him for it. He is active, for the most part healthy and will soon be neutered. For the first time, I am nervous about getting a kitten neutered. I will be asking they run full bloodwork prior to the surgery and that they take great care in putting him under. My husband calls him the bionic kitten because of how much money he has swallowed. I really don’t want to lose him because of a neuter surgery gone terribly wrong.
Thanks for your quick response. You’re smart to be concerned about giving a potentially unwell cat anesthesia…I’ve heard some scary stories.
FYI–when this issue first started, we took chest x-rays of my cat (his name is Miles). The x-ray revealed two masses on his heart, which our regular vet automatically diagnosed as tumors. We went to the specialist for an ultrasound the next day (amazingly only cost $100)–upon examining the masses via ultrasound, the radiologist assured me that the masses were only fluid filled cysts. She seemed completely unconcerned about the cysts and went so far as to say that they could have been there his whole life (he’s 10-years-old), and that she didn’t think they had anything to do with his breathing “issues.”
We’ve since tried a two-week stint on antibiotics to rule out upper respiratory infections, a blood pressure test to rule out cardiomyopathy, all possible blood work, a urinalysis, a bronchial/esophageal scope to rule out tumors in those areas, and a second round of chest x-rays to confirm that the cysts haven’t grown at all .talk about frustrating and expensive!
All that and none of the vets have ever seen Miles’s gurgling, since he never purrs when we’re at the vet. I’m going to have another vet do a home visit, so at least a professional can see the problems he is having…it’s really heartbreaking when he’s having the episodes..I’ve also heard about the L-Lysine, so I’m going to try that too.
I found another page today that you might find interesting: http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=28274.
In particular, the stories about Jake and Bird seemed helpful (and familiar).
Thanks again.
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