Myrna saw the cardio for a regular checkup on June 14 and everything was fine but she was congested and this issue had been ongoing for a couple of weeks. By the weekend, she was again breathing fast and yet nothing worked: not extra lasix, not a lasix injection. So, I took her to the ER. This is the Facebook post from June 16:
In the ER with Myrna at 2 am. We've not been here this early since 2009. Breathing rate increased to about 12 around 8 pm and we gave extra lasix. Then she wouldn't urinate when she was due and then she laid under the bed about 10pm. When she came out to get a drink, she was still breathing fast and her next dose of lasix was due at 11pm. I decided to inject her with .3ml of lasix. Also gave .1ml buprenex pain med. Normally, in half an hour or less she'd use the box and in about an hour the breathing rate would decline and eventually would be normal. Tonight, she laid under the bed until after midnight when she came out to drink. She drank for an hour , never leaving the bowl, resting against the bowl, and pawing at the water. When I picked her up to try the litter box, she was wet. I assume she urinated at the bowl. By then it was 1:20 am and I gathered her up to go. Too many symptoms are similar to the heart attack in September. She'll be here next few hours and cardio will see her in am.
Update on Myrna: she's only breathing about 42 per minute-still high, should be about 32 or less; still on oxygen. Lungs are a tad clearer than xrays from Thursday's cardio checkup so it's not true CHF. BUT lower lung lobes are inflamed. They suspect she's asthmatic. Gave abutererol (an inhaler placed over the mouth and pressed and air forced into mouth) and her breathing rate was less forceful but still at 42 but lungs are less harsh sounding. Echo did NOT show a heart attack (there would be scar tissues and there are none, none as they saw in September after that heart attack.) They will try to take her off of oxygen about 1 p.m. to see how she does. They will decrease oxygen overtime to wean her. She did well not in oxygen when they did the echo. So, if all goes well, she'll be home later this evening. BUT she might also be on yet ANOTHER med, this time an inhaler, which will be fun to administer I'm sure. In discussing it with the vet as to when I should have taken her to the ER, she said since all seemed normal and I knew the protocol and followed it-more lasix, a lasix injection, wait for breathing to decrease-and she was eating and drinking, that it would be hard to say how much sooner she should have been to the ER. The only thing there they could do for her was give oxygen since we could have continued lasix injections as needed had it just been simple CHF. While a lack of response to the lasix indicated a need for the ER, it was realizing that she was urinating on herself while sitting for an hour drinking that prompted me to go right then. In truth, gut instinct said around 11 p.m that she wasn't well. Looking back, that was when I should have taken her even if two hours sooner wouldn't have made a difference in the outcome THIS time since it wasn't a heart attack. But what if it had been? Then she would have needed oxygen and ER care two hours sooner. Lesson learned-go on gut instinct. If the sick cat bothers you, leave right then, don't hesitate. By the way, a one hour drive to the vet ER is cut down to 30 minutes at 1:30 a.m.! But by the time I left the ER it was 3:30 a.m. and by the time I was back in bed, it was after 4 a.m. Leaving two hours sooner would have meant that I would have been back in bed two hours sooner. Keep that in mind the next time you hesitate at 11 p.m. to take the cat to the vet. Think-do I want to be up at 4 a.m. or 2 a.m.?????
She's home, she's well, we thank you for your prayers and kind words, and this is how you get a cat to inhale asthma med-med is sprayed into one end while the plastic mask end goes over her face and held for ten breaths.
In the ER with Myrna at 2 am. We've not been here this early since 2009. Breathing rate increased to about 12 around 8 pm and we gave extra lasix. Then she wouldn't urinate when she was due and then she laid under the bed about 10pm. When she came out to get a drink, she was still breathing fast and her next dose of lasix was due at 11pm. I decided to inject her with .3ml of lasix. Also gave .1ml buprenex pain med. Normally, in half an hour or less she'd use the box and in about an hour the breathing rate would decline and eventually would be normal. Tonight, she laid under the bed until after midnight when she came out to drink. She drank for an hour , never leaving the bowl, resting against the bowl, and pawing at the water. When I picked her up to try the litter box, she was wet. I assume she urinated at the bowl. By then it was 1:20 am and I gathered her up to go. Too many symptoms are similar to the heart attack in September. She'll be here next few hours and cardio will see her in am.
Update on Myrna: she's only breathing about 42 per minute-still high, should be about 32 or less; still on oxygen. Lungs are a tad clearer than xrays from Thursday's cardio checkup so it's not true CHF. BUT lower lung lobes are inflamed. They suspect she's asthmatic. Gave abutererol (an inhaler placed over the mouth and pressed and air forced into mouth) and her breathing rate was less forceful but still at 42 but lungs are less harsh sounding. Echo did NOT show a heart attack (there would be scar tissues and there are none, none as they saw in September after that heart attack.) They will try to take her off of oxygen about 1 p.m. to see how she does. They will decrease oxygen overtime to wean her. She did well not in oxygen when they did the echo. So, if all goes well, she'll be home later this evening. BUT she might also be on yet ANOTHER med, this time an inhaler, which will be fun to administer I'm sure. In discussing it with the vet as to when I should have taken her to the ER, she said since all seemed normal and I knew the protocol and followed it-more lasix, a lasix injection, wait for breathing to decrease-and she was eating and drinking, that it would be hard to say how much sooner she should have been to the ER. The only thing there they could do for her was give oxygen since we could have continued lasix injections as needed had it just been simple CHF. While a lack of response to the lasix indicated a need for the ER, it was realizing that she was urinating on herself while sitting for an hour drinking that prompted me to go right then. In truth, gut instinct said around 11 p.m that she wasn't well. Looking back, that was when I should have taken her even if two hours sooner wouldn't have made a difference in the outcome THIS time since it wasn't a heart attack. But what if it had been? Then she would have needed oxygen and ER care two hours sooner. Lesson learned-go on gut instinct. If the sick cat bothers you, leave right then, don't hesitate. By the way, a one hour drive to the vet ER is cut down to 30 minutes at 1:30 a.m.! But by the time I left the ER it was 3:30 a.m. and by the time I was back in bed, it was after 4 a.m. Leaving two hours sooner would have meant that I would have been back in bed two hours sooner. Keep that in mind the next time you hesitate at 11 p.m. to take the cat to the vet. Think-do I want to be up at 4 a.m. or 2 a.m.?????
She's home, she's well, we thank you for your prayers and kind words, and this is how you get a cat to inhale asthma med-med is sprayed into one end while the plastic mask end goes over her face and held for ten breaths.
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