feline lung disease

HAD the physiololgy of a 5 year old and now my 14 year old male Himalayan developed 2 large masses in caudal lung lobes and smaller masses in all other lobes from enduring 11 months of Mom's remodeling her townhouse. Cancer ruled out with thoracotomy bx and started on 2cc Dexamethasone bid. Masses disappeared so dose lowered to 1/2 cc bid but masses began reappearing. Also, steroid brought on DM. UC Davis started him on 1 unit PZI bid but ignored the labored breathing as it had decreased at that time. It has worsened severely.Put back on Dex 2 cc. I asked local vet for gabapentin to buy pain free time. Could this be silicosis? If so, only treatment I have found is lung transplant. Anyone ever heard of Mom doing this to the most important thing in her life? What about pain relief--he walks very slowly and can crouch slowly. Gurgles when he breathes, and moans when he sleeps. Very scared and wants in my lap more than ever but b/c he is scarerd. What about lung transplants?

[Savas]

I've heard very little about transplant surgery with pets. What I have heard tends to be experimental only, and not accessible to the public. Besides the cost (most people don't care to have to pay high vet costs, which puts you in a rare, special class) there's the problem of recovery. Getting a pet to recovery from intensive surgery can be very tricky (you can't explain to them you're making them worse to make them better down the road).


Have you gotten a second opinion, and is the local vet with a fully equipped animal hospital? It sounds like if you haven't, that should be the next step.

Have you figured out what specifically poisoned kitty (from the remodeling)? That could go a long way towards a proper diagnosis.

[LisaClaire]

Thank you for your review. Alek has seen approx 13 vets including internal,  oncology, the on surgeon who did his thoracotomy (chest tube out in 12 hours and he recovered beautifully) to get the bx., radiologists, and pathologists not including the entire team up at UC Davis. The bx did him NO good but helped with the dx. I was ecstatic when CA was ruled out--he became ecstatic too. If I am happy, he is happy--and vice versa.The Dexamethasone over a month had made the masses 'almost invisible' according to the radiologists but he had no energy and was swaggering and I took him to Davis. Diabetes had set in due to the heavy steroids. UC concentrated on the DM, decreased the steroids in Feb, but now, April,  the masses have reappeared. Cancer has been ruled out from the bx. Sheetrock contains a number of particles, silicon being the one that lodges into the soft tissue parenchyma and forms nodules as his x-rays now show. No cure. It is progressive and irreversible. Expense? I would use my last penny to give this kitty a few more healthy, happy years. He is my REASON  for living. Just found out  from UC-D that lung transplants have been done on sheep. Discouraging.

[Savas]

Yes. I'm sorry that it doesn't look like there are many, if any options. Honestly, at this point your best bet may to make kitty as comfortable as possible. Anything you try would probably be experimental.

I suppose the one thing you can check on is some of the more exotic homeopathic remedies. I'm not sure what may help with this situation, but I do know that quite often when western medicine fails to aid, often folks turn successfully to other medicines.

[LisaClaire]

I came to that same place but I think if I can get him pain free, I can relax and take time to find a vet who is not afraid to treat 'outside of the box.' Have an appt tom AM with a 'kitty's only' vet but am only able to take him there b/c the gabapentin is helping to make him more comfortable. Vet is 25 miltes away. He has me up all night feeding him every 34 mintues b/c we also put him on mirtazapine (Remeron) to incr appetite and decr depression. I think San Fran has some sophisticated homeopathic vets and as long as I can keep him pain free, I can keep traveling with him. If new vet has nothing, I think I will ask oncologist to 'just get rid of the opacities from the lungs again if indeed he can not survive that much steroid in his body--and then he will be able to breathe, the diabetes should go away (if it has not become irreversible) and then we can watch and see. Who knows. MAYBE the masses will not come back a 3rd time. In the meantime, he can breathe. Do you know what the highest bolus dose of Dexamethaxone is that can be given at one time--to a healthy kitty even? I do not know what else to do b/c I do not know what we are fighting. Looks like his own immune system which is responding to 'stuff' in his lungs.

[Savas]

I'm not sure if I can say what the maximum dose is. It is generally by kitty size/weight and health, so it isn't exactly a fixed amount. Even then it isn't a drug I'm up to spec on (it's specific usage).
This is my formal way of saying I just ain't sure. :)

I hope the alternative treatment helps and works out. I'm actually curious to hear what they do. If you'd like to keep us updated, I for one would be eager to hear how it goes!

Keep us posted on kitty's progress. What, btw, is kitty's name? (I refer to all cats as kitty because of a strange habit I picked up;

For some reason, I always get a cats sex  backwards when referring to them casually. I KNOW the male is a male and vice versa on the female, but my wife says it's almost like a unique form of kitty-sexing-dyslexia. It helps if I have the kitty's name. :)

[SandyM2008]

I went through something similar and I am in Toronto.  Can you please call me at 416-482-9388, if you want call collect and I have unlimited long distance.  Thank you.  Sandy.

[SandyM2008]

Sorry it's actually you that I want to speak with and not Savas since you posted about the lung transplant.  Please call me, my name is Sandra and I am at 416-482-9388.
Thank you.

[christiw888]

There is a company in Australia that sells herbal suuplements for pets. I got great results with their squamous cell carcinoma treatment for my cats third eyelid cancer. You may want to contact them. They are very helpful! http://www.herbal-treatments.com.au/

Best of luck with your cat!
Christi