My cat has noisy breathing & heart murmur. Who should diagnose?

If he is dyspneic, he may have both upper and lower airway disease. I find that chest x-rays can underestimate the extent of lower airway disease. In some of these cases, we have to do additional diagnostics such as a thoracic CT, bronchoscopy and in some cases biopsy. He may need to be evaluated by a veterinary internal medicine specialist. Discuss this with your veterinarian.

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.

Thank you for the additional information. Heart murmurs can affect the breathing in a couple of ways. One is that the murmur often times is due to a leaky valve which means the blood is flowing backwards, which then causes fluid to back up into the lungs and breathing to be more difficult. In cats, this fluid can also build up around the lungs and press in, decreasing lung volume. We hear heart murmurs because of turbulent blood flow and this turbulence increases the risk of forming blood clots, especially in cats. If these blood clots then break off, they can travel through the body and lodge somewhere. If the clot ends up in the lungs, this is called a pulmonary embolism and can cause difficulty breathing. It sounds like she's improved a bit, but if she's still gasping, it is an emergency and she needs to be seen by a veterinarian right away.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. When cats pant or breathe with their mouths open, this is abnormal and concerning. Given the information you provided about the Merlin's heart murmur, I am worries that he could have significant enough heart disease to cause heart failure, which leads to the build up of fluid in the lungs. This makes it very difficult for cats to breathe, especially after exertion, and can be life-threatening. Alternatively, cats can pant when they are severely overheated, which is also very dangerous. I would recommend keeping Merlin quiet (no running or playing) until he can be seen by a veterinarian. He/she will want to do a full physical exam and take x-rays of Merlin's chest to look for heart enlargement and/or fluid in the lungs. There is a blood test available called an NT-proBNP that can detect heart failure in cats as well. I hope this information is helpful!

I understand your concerns for Scuff! Fortunately, from the signs that you describe, a foreign body obstruction from plastic is unlikely, as significant vomiting and anorexia would be expected. Wheezy breathing and changes in purring can be caused by asthma, heart disease, hyperthyroidism, among others. While I understand Scuff's fear of the vet, in this case, that is the only way that he's going to be diagnosed and treated appropriately. Consider looking into mobile vets in your area to see if they can make house calls and also have a portable x-ray machine. It sounds as though Scuff will likely need to have chest x-rays to get to the bottom of his problem. I hope that all goes well!

It sounds like Winchester may have an upper respiratory infection. Upper respiratory infections are common in kittens and can be caused by viruses and bacteria. It's also possible that he could have an inflammatory issue like allergies or asthma. It would be a good idea to have Winchester examined by your veterinarian as he may need antibiotics or other medication to treat. Until you can see your veterinarian you can try to put Winchester in a steamy bathroom to help open his airways. But I'd suggest seeing a veterinarian sooner rather than later as these issues can progress quickly. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Congrats on your new pet! Adoption is a wonderful thing. When Winston sees your veterinarian, discuss diagnostics to confirm and establish a baseline for his condition. Common tests may include chest x-rays to assess cardiac size and an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) to assess cardiac architecture and function. The echo, more than any other diagnostic, will determine if he will need medication to manage his condition. You can read more about cardiac conditions at this link: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/Health_Information/HeartDisease.cfm