My cat has heart disease & fluid in lungs. Vets stumped. Any ideas?

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a disease that manifests primarily the skin, nose, mouth, tissues around the eyes, and there are bloodwork changes (anemia, low platelet count) that can occur. Fluid build-up in the body (I presume it was in his chest as you mentioned breathing problems) does not occur with Lupus. Your veterinarian is making a good suggestion for wanting you to see a cardiologist. One of the causes of fluid build-up in the chest could be congestive heart failure. There are many things that can cause fluid to build up, congestive heart failure is only one of them While any veterinarian can diagnose and treat heart failure, in complicated cases (as it sounds like Max's case is) getting the assistance from a cardiologist would probably be very helpful. The cardiologist may recommend additional testing such as a cardiac ultrasound (echocardiogram) and possibly other tests as well. It is good that Max is feeling well now but the time to address health problems is when they are recognized, ideally before patients are debilitated from them.

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!

Oh no. Poor kitty. Blood pressure can be affected by either of these conditions, but is impossible to say for sure without getting her blood pressure checked. This is a tough one, because there are so many possible causes for her weakness and slow breathing, but I would have to assume that her underlying heart condition may be the culprit here. Saddle thrombus is also a big concern with cats that have underling heart disease, and can lead to sudden paralysis of the hindlegs, with vocalization (moaning). I know you don't trust the other vets in the area, but it may be worthwhile at least taking her in to see if her blood pressure is indeed the problem. Getting some bloodwork analysis on her may also be indicated, depending on her physical exam findings. We have to keep mind too, that unfortunately CHF patients can only be helped with medication for oh so long, because it does not cure the underlying problem. I hope that Brancinia is going to be ok, but its best to take her in immediately. Waiting for your preferred vet in this situation may be more detrimental to her overall wellbeing than taking her in to determine her current status. I wish you all the best with your furry friend. Take care.

Given the elevated temperature a pneumonia die to a mixed viral and bacterial infection is highly possible. Cardiac disease should be ideally ruled out as well. Often these diseases require a longer treatment course unfortunately. I do not think we can give you more specific advices at this stage, as a more thorough evaluation it would require more clinical informations including see the radiographs. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further

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!

I'm sorry to hear that Mittens has not been doing well. I agree that Mittens' chest x-rays appear to be progressing over the past 2 weeks. At this point, either pneumonia is less likely or the bacteria causing a possible pneumonia are resistant to her current antibiotic therapy. Cancer is absolutely a suspicion due to the x-ray progression. Consider asking your vets if they have considered performing either endotracheal or transtracheal washes on Mittens, which would be able to obtain a sample of fluid or cells in the lungs. These samples could be analyzed for cytology (which may be able to diagnose cancer) or culture (to determine if bacteria is present and an appropriate antibiotic). There is a chance that Mittens may not be stable enough to undergo sedation for this procedure, but your vets will be able to examine her to determine if the risks are worth the benefits. I hope that all goes well!

The most common cause of fluid in the lungs of older cats is cancer. Certainly other problems can cause it as well, but many of those problems would be ruled out with normal lab work. You can consider having the fluid drained as much as possible, and sometimes starting a diuretic such as lasix can decrease its formation, but neither of trise solve the problem. However, if you get fluid you may be able To get a diagnosis from the fluid. However, I do worry that it is likely a very guarded prognosis regardless of the cause. I’m so sorry Nibbs is so sick. Take care and thank you for using Pet Coach.