My cat died after vet treatment for breathing problems. Overdose?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am so sorry for your loss! I do see pleural effusion (fluid) on the X-ray but I would also suspect a mass, which is likely the cause of the fluid. That could be why your Vet couldn't get any. Most of the white on the X-ray is likely the mass and only a small amount of fluid. I wish you the best!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am so sorry to hear about Bizou! Unfortunately, if he is in congestive heart failure, the only treatment is the lasix pill (furosemide). Depending on how severe his condition is, he may not survive without hospitalization with oxygen and injectible lasix. Your vet may have a strong suspicion of this if Bizou has a heart murmur and many crackles in the lungs (we can hear with the stethoscope). However, even that is not enough to definitively diagnose it. I have seen a couple dogs I was sure were in heart failure and when I took the x-rays, it turned out to be pneumonia or cancer. If you can at all afford it, go for the xrays so you at least know what you are dealing with - if it's cancer instead of heart failure, that may change your approach. If it is heart failure, it will give a clue as to how serious. If you can't afford the x-rays, treat for whatever the vet thinks is most likely. If heart failure is it, the most commonly prescribed medications are furosemide, enalapril, and pimobendan (though there are others). Finally, if he is still struggling for air, his tongue/gums are any color other than bright pink, or the vet thinks it is serious enough to require oxygen, and you cannot pay for treatment, I would strongly consider euthanasia. Dying by gasping and struggling for air while drowning in your own fluids is a horrible way to go - I've seen it several times. Please feel free to reach out to me via consultation if you'd like to to have a more detailed conversation with you. Best wishes to you and Bizou.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I’m so sorry to hear about Misty! If you want an answer you need to have her neceopsied (autopsy for animals). Fleas can kill a pet if there are so many they suck all the blood out of the pet. Typically we don’t see this in adult pets but it can happen. Because Misty died suddenly I would be more suspicious of underlying heart disease. Cats can have undiagnosed heart problems which can arise suddenly. If not, I would be concerned of a toxin. Again, it’s hard to say for sure but at least you know she didn’t suffer. My thoughts are with you and your family during this difficult time.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Frank! If Frank is having trouble breathing it is best to have him seen sooner than later. It is fine to give an extra dose of furosemide but he may need oxygen and an IV dose of furosemide. It is best for Frank to be seen as soon as possible. I hope this helps and I wish Frank the best!

I'm very sorry for your loss, it sounds as he might have developed a very severe infection, i'm not sure from your post if he was on antibiotic treatment or just treatment for mange. it could of course have been something else as well, it is not possible for me to know the cause of death for sure.

Hello. I am very sorry for your loss. I do not think any of the medications by themselves, or in combination contributed to Kassie's death. None of the medications were given long enough to cause any kind of toxicity level, & all were appropriate for trying to help her. Please accept my condolences for your loss.

Hello, and thanks for your question on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm so sorry to hear about your loss of Topanga. It's so hard to lose a beloved pet. It's difficult to speculate on all the "what-if's", what would have happened differently if Topanga had been treated a different way. However, if your vet suspected chronic kidney disease, that's a chronic, progressive, incurable disease, and nothing could have cured Topanga if that were the case. Additionally, it is a vet's job to help guide owners through the different options of treatment. If your vet gave you the option of treating Topanga from home with oral antibiotics, then I have to believe they thought that would give you a similar chance of improvement compared to the other options. With that said, the antibiotics were likely a "just in case" attempt to treat, just in case part of the problem with the kidneys was associated with a bacterial infection. But chronic kidney disease is rarely due to an infection - rather, it's an age related progressive disease that is common in cats. All in all, with the information you provided, I suspect you would have had the same outcome regardless of the method of antibiotic administration. I don't believe that your choice to treat her with oral antibiotics was the cause of her ultimately passing. I suspect it was simply the progression of an underlying incurable disease. I know none of that makes it easier to lose a loved one. It's so hard. But I hope this can provide some closure. I don't think you did anything wrong, and I don't think a different route of antibiotics would have changed the outcome. Hugs to you.