My senior cat is on oxygen for breathing; why isn't she improving?

She doesn't need to be under anesthesia for xray, just a sedation that can be reversed in seconds, an xray is a MUST at this point, lung cancer needs to be ruled out as well as asthma, heart failure and other respiratory diseases, this cannot be done without an xray.

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!

I am so very sorry to hear about your kitty Tiger. It sounds like he has worsened. You don't mention if your vet gave any indication of what could cause the lungs to be unclear. There are many possible causes including things like pneumonia, heart disease, or cancers. If Tiger is declining/worsening, and is unable to walk across the room, it sounds like he may need more aggressive care such as oxygen supplementation. Treatment, if possible, would depend on the underlying cause of the lung issue but may include things like antibiotics or medication to decrease water retention. In some instances, when the vet feels treatment is not going to be helpful/is not an option and the pet's quality of life is declining, we do consider humane euthanasia as another possible option. I would recommend calling the vet who saw your kitty and giving them an update on his decline. Be sure your kitty has easy access to food and water and his litterbox without having to walk far if he is getting tired so easily. You can also put a humidifier in the room with him to help keep moisture in the ear, which is better for airway health, but in severe cases such as his, more intensive treatment is usually needed.

I am sorry to hear about your kitty. I would consider some diagnostics since Anna has not improved on the medication trials performed thus far. Dental x-rays would be my next step, to ensure there isn't an infected tooth root that could be causing these issues. It is not always obvious looking in the oral cavity that a tooth is diseased. The x-ray may also help detect any bony changes in the skull that could occur with certain types of tumors. Other options you may discuss with your vet would include antihistamine trials, a drug called Cerenia which can be used to formulate nose drops that can decrease inflammation in the nasal passages, a nasal flush and culture to check for resistant bacteria or fungus, and prophylactic treatment for possible nasal mites. CT scan is also recommended in nonresponsive cases when other options have been exaughsted. You may also consider referral to an internist if your vet is having trouble finding a cause/treatment that works. You can read more about rhinitis at https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=6274586

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 am sorry to hear that! It sounds like he has had a good work up so far. I suspect your vet may want to recheck imaging (if not done already) to ensure the foreign object is no longer present. If there is a concern the infection has never fully resolved, you could ask for a referral to an internal medicine specialist (https://www.ecvim-ca.org/specialist-listings/internal-medicine-specialists-list). If the infection has been cleared but keeps recurring, you could ask to review the pros and cons of therapies such as anti-viral medications, probiotics, Cerenia or long-term antibiotic courses. I hope this helps!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Yes, you can give him oxygen supplementation from an oxygen inhaler. It is a very good idea. If your Fuji has been on treatment for bronchitis for 10 days, and he is still struggling to breathe, he should really have his chest x-rayed. Please, talk to your vet about taking chest x-ray of Fuji to make sure there is nothing more serious going on. Typical bronchitis in a kitten should have got better by now.