My cat was electrocuted. What to expect for her lung recovery?

Hello, I am so sorry this happened. Electrocution causes edema or swelling and build of fluid in the lungs. As a result, pets experience difficulties breathing and need oxygen support, fluid therapy and pain medication if the tongue or oral cavity was burned. Often times, patients need support for at least 24-48 hours. Please don't wait. Take Snow to the nearest veterinary emergency hospital. Take every precaution not to stress Snow in transport.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Spas! I am so sorry Spas is so sick! Possible causes are congestive heart failure, pleural effusion (from heart failure, infection, cancer, chyle, blood) or cancer. Has your Vet determined the cause. Cats in heart failure can do well once stable but will need to be on life long medications. Only you know what is best for Spas and your family. If he doesn't start improving where he doesn't need oxygen and is breathing normally with in 2-3 days then it is reasonable to think about stopping. If he responds and is back to normal I would treat him until he has another crisis and then consider stopping. I hope this helps and I wish you and Spas the best!

Hello. I am so sorry for your concerns about Coco. I will, unfortunately, say that lung problems, especially in cats, can be very serious. Your veterinarian will need to determine if this is a heart or lung problem, & if the issue is due to injury, a lung torsion, infection ( bacterial, viral, fungal ), or possibly even a congenital problem. You will need to be patient as your veterinarian conducts some testing, especially on the fluid removed from her chest. I hope Coco does well & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Unfortunately, there is no natural treatment for pulmonary edema in cats. I also would not recommend giving your cat any medication to treat it unless Richie has been specifically diagnosed by a vet. You can do serious harm to your cat if you try to self treat him for a condition he may not have. In order to diagnose pulmonary edema in a cat, Richie needs to have blood tests and an x-ray of his chest. I would speak to a vet about having x-rays done to diagnose if he does have pulmonary edema or not, and the vet can then prescribe treatment for him if he does.

I'm so sorry to hear that Lily has been so sick. Based on the bloodwork that you've provided, it looks as though in addition to elevated liver values, she's also quite anemic (low red blood cell count). It is important to determine why Lily is experiencing this degree of liver disease. Given her relatively young age, issues like infectious diseases are most likely, but cancer or other immune-mediated issues are also possible. I would recommend asking your vet about running some testing for different infectious diseases, like Mycoplasma, Bartonella or Cytauxzoon. In the meantime, also ask your vet if Lily is at the point where she needs a blood transfusion to manage her anemia. This decision is based on vital parameters, exam findings, as well as her hematocrit (HCT). You may also want to ask your vet if Lily looks as though she needs a diuretic, like furosemide, to remove excess fluid from in and around her lungs. Lily's medical case sounds quite complicated, so I'd recommend seeking out a second opinion on her care, if available. You can also ask your vet to contact veterinary internal medicine specialists if they need more specific advice for her diagnostics and treatments. I hope that she's on the mend soon!

It takes a very long time for signs to be apparent, as the body continuously fights the inhaled substances. Cats can indeed get lung cancer from inhaled smoke, and other respiratory problems, just like children. Passive smoking is just as dangerous for pets as it is for children. When I went to vet school we did a post mortem on a cat that had black lungs from passive smoking. When symptoms/signs appear, there is usually irrepairable damage. It is best to make sure the cat gets exposed as little as possible to smoke. Best keep the house ventilated as much as possible , so the smoke does not linger in the house.

I am very sorry to hear that. This could be either due to an acute cardiac problem or respiratory one, but it is likely that the lungs filled up with fluid. A post-mortem examination would help to shed some light on the underlying cause of it.