Wheezing?

I haory on my cat named Zoey, she is two and has medical problems since she was 4 mnths. At that time she got that lovely food poisoning many may have heard about or even had an animal suffer from. She survived after spending alot of time in the hospital. That vet told me she was affected young and may develope slower than usual so I was told to wait till she was a yr or more to get her fixed. I didnt make it to a year when she started to get a very large belly and swelled almost everywhere but acted fine it was odd, then i noticed puss coming from her female area. Then found she had a puss infected uterus. SHe was better for about 4 mnths after that and then yes im saying fart because its what happened she farted blood scared to death i took her to the 24/7 ER an hr away where I paid 500 bucks for test told the vet then that she was wheezing and her fur was disappearing. Well his diagnosis was constipation. So I waited a week and felt she was not getting better took her for a second opinion found out her fur was disappearing due to a flea allergy I guess she is highly allergic lucky her and me. Well that was the secnd time I asked about her wheezing the vet said he couldnt hear it so he simply dismissed it. Well here I am with a cat who has used up her nine lives and my savings account and is still wheezing and I feel its louder but she still runs around and plays all the time never coughs and I rarley see hairballs since she is still half hairless from the surgery and allergic reaction nearly 4 mnths ago. I dont know what to do I seemed to have gotten the sickest cat in the world I have her on a special diet vet gave vitamins and she is spoiled rotten. SO why is there no reason a vet cant give me an answer for my cats wheezing? After all the money I have paid Im afraid they just wanted me to have to bring her back to make another buck. Should I worry or does she have year round allergies?? I love my cat and take her to the vet anytime needed but Im tired of going if nothing is going to be done. $2000 is alot in less than 2 yrs and have it not all taken care of at once. I need a good vet but Ive been 2 3 diff ones in my area and live in a small area.

[Mrs_Savas]

Poor little Zooey!  It's so great that you're taking such good care of her and I totally sympathize about the money.  Paying out thousands in vet bills is tough and pet insurance just doesn't make sense in most cases.

Ideally, a wheezing cat should have a chest x-ray at least.  I'm a little taken aback that, given her considerable medical history that at least on of those vets didn't want to err on the side of caution and do the proper tests, even if he couldn't hear the wheezing.

Since the vets don't seem to hear it, my guess, and it's just a guess, is that you are getting intermittent wheezing due to an allergy.  She is affected by something she comes into contact with and gets congested and wheezes.  If she isn't in contact with the allergen 24/7 then the effects could be off and on like that.

You could try to give her some benedryl and see if it helps the wheezing.  Benadryl is very commonly prescribed by vets for cats with allergies.  Most vets will tell you that 1 mg per 1 pound of weight is the max dosage for cats.  Otherwise, cortisone shots are commonly given for allergies, but they often only help in the short term.

Also, it might not be allergies.  If the benadryl helps, great.  But the wheezing could be caused by asthma or a virus that is causing congestion, although since you are not seeing other symptoms, I think that allergies or asthma are the more likely candidates.

Eventually you will likely want to get her the x-rays and other appropriate tests.  If you lived in a larger area, I would recommend a large animal hospital, as they tend to have large staffs with more combined experience than you get a vets office.  But, since you are in a rural (I gather) area, just go to the vet that impressed you the most with their communication skills and veterinary knowledge and insist that you know what you're talking about!

Hang in there!  And let us know if we can answer any other questions or concerns.

[zodiacqueen]

As Mrs. Savas said, I am also completely shocked that the vet didn't take any x-rays.  You know your cat better than the vet does, and if you said she's wheezing then you should've been taken seriously and the x-rays should've been taken.  I would've been PO'd too!

I'd insist on an x-ray.  They need to look into the possibility of asthma, pneumonia, and heart issues.  The x-ray could possibly show an enlarged heart, then that would need an echocardiogram.  The vet would've heard a heart murmur, though.  So, if that wasn't heard than that is good news.

I'm leaning more towards asthma or an infection-that was the vibe that I got when I read your post.

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