My old cat coughs, antibiotics failed. Should I risk X-rays?

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!

Poor guy. I am so sorry Bogos is still not doing well after receiving antibiotics for his cough. It sounds like the next best step here is to get some x-rays done on him or potentially try another type of antibiotic. Sometimes infections can be resistant to antibiotics, requiring cultures to specifically find what antibiotic will get rid of the bug. Hopefully this is just a resistant infection that will respond to something else. Other potential causes for coughing in cats are: primary lung disease, parasites, or even a fungal lung infection. I hope that things work out well for your pet Bogos. Schedule an appt soon with your vet and they will go from there. Take care.

Poor Ava! I can see that the white area has gotten larger over the past month, despite her antibiotic treatment. Given the location of the larger white area, an aspiration pneumonia would be my primary suspicion, and this typically occurs if an animal vomits and then inhales some of the contents. It is possible that any infection is resistant to the antibiotic being used. Even though she is still too small for endoscopy, it may be worth asking your vet if it is possible to perform an endotracheal wash to obtain a sample of this matter for cytology and culture. Other possible causes of this radiographic change include infectious conditions (such as FIP) or cancer (unlikely given her young age). I hope that all goes well for Ava!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am afraid that without diagnostics such as radiographs there is no way to tell what may be going on. This is not likely to be due to a hairball. Coughing can be a sign of many conditions such as pneumonia, bronchitis, heart disease, among many other possibilities. I recommend that you have Max evaluated 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 day!

I agree with you that a cough that lasts more than a month is longer than I would expect if she was coughing secondary to a cold or infection. I would expect that the next step would be to take x-rays of her chest to evaluate her heart and lungs. You didn't mention how old Winnie is, but we certainly see asthma in cats. I will attach a handout with more information about that below. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=665 Good luck! I hope that was helpful and you can figure out what is causing Winnie's cough. Thanks for using PetCoach.

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.

I'm sorry to hear that Jo has been experiencing a cough and breathing changes. Coughing and respiratory changes are always concerning in cats, but I am happy to hear that she is otherwise active and seems normal. Possible underlying causes of her issues could be related to underlying heart disease, heartworm disease, hyperthyroidism, tracheal masses/irritation, asthma, among others. Jo needs to be examined by a vet, but stress could certainly exacerbate her current clinical signs. If possible, try to look into house call vets in your area. Many areas have vets either with mobile veterinary practices or those in brick and mortar practices that are willing to make house calls. If these options are unavailable, Jo may need to brave the car ride and trip to the vet. I hope that all goes well!