Air in cats lungs

SingItOut

I think I made a thread about this issue my cat was having a few months ago, My cat has been going to Vet 1 since May due to a leg injury where she was limping and had a rash on the back leg, there was no sign of any fractures on her X-ray or any cause so they put her on anti biotics. The issue cleared up for about two weeks then her limp returned. So she was in vet 1 again. The limping stopped until August and hasn't been an issue since then.

Since last weekend, October, her limp came back followed by the same rash on her leg but that has now spread to her stomach so I arranged to see a different vet in a different clinic for a second opinion as vet 1 were just shrugging their shoulders at me.

She went into Vet 2 this morning for another X-ray. The vet just rang me to say that she wasn't breathing properly under anaesthetic so the vet did whatever she did and carried on with the X-ray. She found that my Cat has air in her lungs and the vet expelled it. Vet 2 said that while she doesn't think the air is caused by a tumour, prognosis is not great and that I may have two options, treat it with steroids or have my cat out to sleep. She said either way prognosis may not be great. I obviously want what's best for my cat and want to give her any chance possible but I also don't want to put her through any unnecessary pain.

I think the vet said its called Pneumothorax, I got very upset on the phone and didn't take everything in, has anyone ever dealt with this before? Did you try the treatment route? I have till 5pm to make a decision before going back to the vet.

intheclouds

Im so sorry to hear your cat has been so ill.

If I were you I think I would try the treatment first anyway.

loveisdivine

I don't really have advice on what decision you should make, but I don't think you need to rush to make a decision by 5pm.

Bring your cat home first and then take some time to decide. Don't be rushed into having her PTS.

SingItOut

SingItOut wrote: »

I think the vet said its called Pneumothorax, I got very upset on the phone and didn't take everything in, has anyone ever dealt with this before? Did you try the treatment route? I have till 5pm to make a decision before going back to the vet.

Pneumothorax is a collapsed lung that could be caused by any number of things. It may be some form of lung disease as the vet mentioned steroids. I'd imagine there would have been other symptoms.
Pneumothorax with a limp would make me think he'd been hit by a car but with the length of time between the two they don't seem to be related.
You really need to call the vet back or better yet pop in to him for a chat. It's totally understandable that you were upset on the phone and didn't take everything in. I'd be the same way. You can't make such a huge decision in such a short space of time without talking to the vet again and getting a clear understanding of the issue.

Im so sorry you're going through this.

SingItOut

Thank you everyone I appreciate it so much. I've been talking with my parents and if it's ethical for Vogue (my cat) to have treatment then we will do everything for her. Apart from her limp she is completely herself and cheerful so we want to give her any available chance.

We will take her home with us this evening and decide more on what we're going to do. Thank you everyone for your comments.

Ms Doubtfire1

PT on its own is usually not a life threatening problem. I would suggest you try and find out what the underlying issue is - if there even is any.
Get a second opinion.

http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/respiratory/c_ct_pneumothorax?page=2

SingItOut

We're just back from the vets, Vogues breathing improved dramatically since the anesthesia so that's a major relief. There was a lot of excess air around her chest and lungs that the vet removed. We've decided to go ahead with monthly steroid injections and she's now on an inhaler for the rest of her life. The vet said it's the equivalent of Cystic Fibrosis in humans so eventually it will come down to the dreaded decision, but until then we will go ahead with treatment as long as my cat is happy.

Thank you again for all the advice, I'm so relieved I don't need to think about the bad side for a while.

Edit: Just realized the thread title makes no sense... or perfect sense whatever way you look at it