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My sisters cat has been diagnosed with a possible lung infection. Started out with an abbcessed tooth, was put on amoxicillian and than this morning started staggering around and falling over. The vet took x-ray’s and ran blood tests. Now he says that it’s a lung infection and wants her to go to a lung spelialist and have a flush done to find specifically what type. My sister cannot afford all this. The tests already done are going to break her as it is. I’m hoping someone on here might know something about an alternative treatment or anything at all that will help. I’m wondering why they don’t use something like a broad spectrum antibiotic since they know it is a lung infection just not what type.
Any advice at all is welcome. Like most of us here this isn’t just a cat to her, it’s family.
ThanksI would go to another vet. I had a cat that I rescued from a shelter who had severe pneumonia. They gave him high dose antibiotics and it took awhile but he did recover. I’m not a cat expert but flushing the lungs sounds like it will do more harm then good.
I agree with Purpledoggy. I don’t know much about cats but when in doubt a second opinion is always a good idea whether it be human or animal.
A “lung infection” sounds pretty broad. Is the cat coughing? That could mean an upper respiratory infection… which is treated with antibiotics.
Otherwise another treatment could be to tap the chest and get the fluid out.. if there’s any fluid in there. Sometimes just doing that works wonders.
However, if it’s a viral infection, lots of antibiotics will do no good.
Second opinions are always good options, but they cost money too just for walking in the door.
I agree with the second opinion… Has this Vet taken care of this kitty all along it’s life? or is it a Vet that was a spur of the moment choice because kitty was obviously not well? I know that I’m loyal to the Vet that looks after our kitties simply because we’ve gone to them from day one and we’ve built up a good raport. However, that wouldn’t stop me from getting a second opinion. If both opinions supported the other I would be more inclined to act on it. I do know about the money situation though… and the part about kitty being family… Tough choices all the way around. *HUGS*
tdm
Get a second opinion. One of my cats gets chronic ear infections. One vet said he would need surgury but another perscibes antibiotics and the infections always clear right up. As mentioned, antibiotics won’t do anything for a viral infections, but still get another opionion. Hope kitty gets better, poor kitty 😥 😥 😥 .
A second opinion doesn’t hurt, but don’t forget that the second vet will need to see the results of the original tests. They will probably want to do some tests too, and may even want (or need) to repeat the X-rays because there are different X-ray techniques from one hospital to the next. So going to another vet doesn’t necessarily save money.
I don’t think your sister’s current vet is mishandling the case at all. The lung wash test is actually a good one, and about the only non-invasive way to get a sample from the infected tissue. Knowing what organism is causing the infection makes choosing treatment (and judging outlook) a lot easier. That said, the lung wash doesn’t always yield a solid answer. A biopsy is better, but it’s a lot more invasive. Given the circumstances, the lung wash is a safer choice.
I guess one thing I would be real curious to know is whether this is a primary infection, or a secondary one. Primary lung infections in cats (meaning caused by a microorganism that set up shop in there all by itself) are kind of unusual, and some of the agents that can achieve this are scary, like plague. Plague in the lung can spread from cats to humans and kill humans. Other agents are just plain nasty, like fungal infections. Somewhat more common are secondary infections, which come about because there’s something else going on in the cat that gave them a toehold. The something else could be a tumor, a foxtail, a ruptured cyst, or even a disease that has weakened the immune system (feline leukemia, feline AIDS, a kidney infection, etc.). The lung wash is a way to try to find out if the infection is being caused by a bacteria versus a fungus, and whether it’s something that might be dangerous to humans.
Ask your sister and the vet if the bloodwork has ruled out leukemia, AIDS, or kidney disease. Has a urine test been done to look for infection in the urine? It would be good to make sure that the problem really is only in the lung (and perhaps the vet has already done this). If it is, then the possibilities are reduced to primary lung infection versus secondary. At this point, hammering it with antibiotics can be tried, but because the vet would be firing blind, he can’t be sure that it would work. There isn’t any universal antibiotic. 🙁 The closest thing is combining two powerful antibiotics. And maybe an antifungal too for good measure.
Your sister’s vet really is trying to help, but he’s operating under incomplete information. I know it’s super frustrating when the problem doesn’t identify itself on the basic tests, and it hurts that financial cost has to be a factor in decisions like this one. But your vet does have an obligation to always recommend the best standard of care for each pet, and that’s what he’s doing. If the family of the pet has to decline that option, then the vet can offer alternatives (such as they may be). And maybe they’ll work, and maybe they won’t, but at least the family has gone in knowing that they’re making the best choice they can afford to. Good luck. This is a hard thing to go through.
Thanks everyone for all the advice and well wishes. Bardwing in particular really covered it. Thanks.
I’m sorry if any of my posts seem abrupt but right now I’m a non-typist using dial-up 😥She has gone to the same vet for years and has confidence in him. We were just hoping someone might have heard anything at all about treating a possible lung condition that might help her cat and save her money. Our Father is actually a retired Vetranarian and he will be looking over the test results and x-rays tonight. Since he has not been in practice for sometime he will probably also tell her to get a second opinion.
Thanks again and I’ll keep you postedBarrdwing’s response made me wonder..
Indoor or outdoor cat? And what exactly are the symptoms, other then falling over?
I don’t think it’s upper respiratory, I am by no means an expert, nor a substitute for one, but I saw alot of upper respiratory cats when I worked at the SPCA and they were marked by extreme tiredness (they sleep ALL day), sneezing, sometimes coughing, and a wet, running nose.
I think the vet is handling the case very well so far, he needs to find out what is going on so that they aren’t shooting in the dark with treatments. Broad spectrum antibiotics only work with bacterial infections, they are sometimes (not often anymore) given when you have a viral infection only to cope for the weakened immune system. Now with ‘superbugs’ coming about, they won’t do that.
So, point is, they need to determine whether an antibiotic will actually work before they give the antibiotic.
i have had tons of lung infections and never had a flush.. even cats get better treatment than folks who go to Hopkins
Isn’t that the way it works? The pets sometimes get better care than humans…. Sad thing is pets can’t tell us what’s wrong or where it hurts.
Easter (the cat) is an indoor cat only. Twelve years old. She was being treated for an infected tooth.
Last night she started staggering when she walked than fell over. This morning she seemed better but Joyce took her to the vet anyway. The x-rays do show cloudiness in her lungs. They just don’t know what from.
Right now we are trying to track down some Iosol (oral iodine) or wild cherry extract amoung other items. I know it sounds strange but in the last 15 to 20 years my Dad has saved several animals using Natural remedies. He has researched this stuff for years. ( He is nearly 80) We know the best option would be furthur vet/medical treatment but it is simply not financially possible for my sister.
Will continue to keep y’all posted. 🙂Does the vet think it’s fluid at all? They might also be considering FIP, which is…not good news.
My mind is running the gamut of things like blastomycosis (which can show up on an xray usually as a ‘snowstorm’ in the lungs, but I’ve seen cloudy too), histoplasmosis, FIP, FIV, FeLV, heart problems, etc, etc.
But if your cat has an infected tooth, it’s possible that infection has spread. If sis can afford a lung wash at all, it’s her best bet for an answer outside of a shotgun treatment which may or may not do anything for kitty.
I wish her luck!
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