Cat breathing heavily after steroids, vet says 50/50. What's next?

Coco is adorable and I'm sorry to hear that she has been having so many changes to her breathing. Heavy breathing with abdominal effort/movement is a sign for concern and can be related to congenital heart defects causing congestive heart failure, pneumonia, pain, infectious conditions, among others. Any breathing changes are an emergent cause for concern and should be addressed by a vet immediately to assure that Coco seems to be stable. I hope that all goes well!

I'm so sorry you lost Coco. Please accept my condolences for your loss. Typically steroids do not cause heart failure, so I don't expect giving her steroids would have brought on the final stages. I suspect she was quite sick already. I'm sorry.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Heavy breathing is certainly abnormal in cats. It can be seen with conditions like asthma, heart disease, bronchitis, pneumonia, among other possibilities. This is usually concerning in cats and warrants a visit to a veterinarian as soon as possible for further assessment and possible treatment. They will likely going to perform thoracic radiographs, among other diagnostics dependent on the results obtained. Treatment would be dependent on the findings. Good luck and have a good night!

It's very likely she is having a bad reaction to the steroids that affects her breathing negatively, you need to give it a little more time, within 24-48 hours you should start seeing an improvement.

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!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While panting and open mouth breathing can be due to nervousness to some extent, this most likely signals a respiratory condition such as asthma, heart disease, among many other possibilities. I highly recommend you consider taking Fluffy to your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They will likely recommend starting with an exam and chest radiographs. Hoping for the best! Good luck and have a great day!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Breathing issues can be a sign of many conditions such as pneumonia, bronchitis, heart disease, asthma, among many other possibilities. This could certainly be due to asthma which is not treated with antibiotics but rather it is treated with steroids and other medications. Since he has not improved, I recommend that you have Oscar reevaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Likely diagnostics to be performed include thoracic radiographs and bloodwork. Treatment would be dependent on findings. Good luck and have a good night!