Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I posted awhile back about my cat who had two teeth removed. He was having respiratory problems that sounded like asthma. The vet thought it might be asthma but noted that the upper left fang was loose and needed to be removed. So did the lower right fang. That was done in April. At the time the vet refused to give antibiotics even though I asked for them repeatedly. He said there was no need. Within a week my cat developed respiratory problems again and the vet said that it was due to the body's reaction to the "debris" of bits of bone and tissue cast off during the tooth extraction and he gave a prescription for Prednisone 62.5 mg a day. This did not correct the problem and after several weeks no longer dampened what was termed an allergic response and my cat developed respiratory problems again. This time the vet put him on Clavamox as well as Prednisone. The symptoms persisted to the point that my cat needed a shot of Demamethasone every 5-7 days. He was weaned off the Prednisone because it didn't seem to be doing much good and is currently now on Cepthalexine 125 mg twice a day for two weeks and Dexamethasone(tablets) 2 mg twice a day slowly moving it to once a day then once every other day as there is improvement. He has now been on Cepthalexine for two weeks and Dexamethasone for two weeks and every time I try to taper off the Dexamethasone the symptoms return. I got it to the point that I was giving the Dexamethasone every other day for about 4 days- no symptoms- so I extended it to 30 hours and only doing that once the symptoms returned within hours. It took 15 hours and two dosages of 2 mg of Dexamethasone every 12 hours to get the symptoms under control.

I'm pretty well on my own on this, vet-wise. The vets(I've actually now seen three vets about from two different clinics) now feel that as long as the Dexamethasone is keeping the symptoms under control that everything is fine. But Dexamethasone has side-effects- increased thirst, increased blood sugar levels, and fluid retention, as well as increased appetite- and I'm seeing all of this. I think my cat should be on a diuretic and the cause of the problem should be found but, as I said, the vets think that as long as the symptoms are under control that's all that's important.

I really don't know about what happens when teeth are extracted- how long the body takes to recover, if there's debris, bone damage, infection, or whatever, and how long that takes to heal. I also don't know if tooth extract can trigger asthma and if that is what my cat has- all questions concerning that are vague- well, give it time for the gums to heal, etc, before we look into that. It's been almost four months since the teeth were extracted and I would think that the gums,etc have healed by now.

I don't know if the symptoms that keep recurring can be any indication as to what the problem might be. If I don't give the Dexamethasone at least every 24 hours- he begins to breathe in a raspy way in the left nostril where the upper fang was extracted, there is a flap just inside the nostril and it seems to move closer and closer to the central nasal bone, it's not swollen,it's not red, it's a normal color, it just seems to move towards the central nasal bone so when I look directly into both his nostrils the one is wide open and the other is partially shut. As the symptoms increase it's all in the nasal passages or sinuses and it sounds like there's a whistling sound when he breathes in like it's breathing through a flute, then the breathing becomes more laboured and there's a yellow discharge that accumulates in the same left nostril. It doesn't drip it just accumulates and blocks the nose if I don't clear it out. If it gets to that point and I give 2 Dexamethasone, the symptoms take 15 hours exactly(it's happened twice) to clear completely.

As I said, the vets I've seen are content that the symptoms aren't there if the Dexamethasone is given and my concern is that it is not without cost. I think my cat has fluid retention, and there's also the possibility of raised blood sugar levels, and his increased thirst and increased hunger.

I think it's up to me, at this point, to suggest whatever I think the cause might be because the vets don't know what is causing this. Does asthma have the symptoms I mentioned? Does it take this long for gums to heal after an extraction? Can
a tooth extraction trigger asthma? Can a tooth extraction trigger anything that has the symptoms I mentioned? What can I do now? What diuretic can my cat take for the fluid retention? What is the problem? What is causing the respiratory problem and what looks like an infection but can it still be an infection after two weeks on Cephalexine? Maybe the right antibiotic hasn't been given for it although I think Cephalexine is broad-spectrum.

Sorry for the length of this post but I really could use some help and direction. Thank you.

I forgot to mention that one of the other symptoms is that, as the breathing problem worsens( if Dexamethasome isn't given), the left eye(on the same side as the upper fang was removed) starts to get larger little by little,a little more bulgey, then it gets red and bloodshot, especially in the tear duct. All of this goes away if Dexamethasone is given.

If the problem is a sinus infection, would Dexamethasone be able to suppress the symptoms to the extent that it does? Can Dexamethasone suppress the symptoms of an infection? Wouldn't Cephalexine have taken care of the infection(if that's what the problem is) by now? Thanks again for any insight you may have concerning this because it has the vets stumped and me too. I would really like to find the answer and get my cat off Dexamethasone( he's been on it over a month) because of its side effects.

Tooth extractions normally heal up within a couple of weeks, maximum. If your cat is retaining fluid, it is due to the steroid, the dexamethasone, so a diuretic will only mask the symptoms caused by the meds. It sounds like there is an infection in the sinus, due to the opening left by removing the canine. This likely accounts for the whistling sound. Since there is a discharge from the left nostril, have the vet send this to a pathology lab for a culture and sensitivity to determine what is causing the discharge and what will treat it. Have him check also for fungi.

Thank you for your reply. I finally got an appointment with the vet who said that a culture wasn't needed because Cephalexine was broad-spectrum and the antibiotic used most after dental extractions, and even when it isn't known what is causing the infection it should work to take care of any infection because it is so broad-spectrum- so no need for a culture to be taken. The vet thinks the problem is that the antibiotic wasn't given for a long enough period of time.Because of that, the best I could get was another 2 week prescription of Nov-lexin, 125 mg twice a day for two weeks. The vet thinks this time it will take care of any infection.

There wasn't much else I could do, and the thing is that in order to get a swab of the yellow discharge from the nose, the
breathing problem has to get serious enough that it is to the point of being life-threatening, and only when it gets to that point does the yellow discharge appear. Then it takes 15 hours staying at that point and two doses of Dexamethasone before it "kicks in" and suppresses the symptoms. I don't know if Novo-lexin will take care of any fungal infections- I guess will just have to wait and see.

The Dexamethasone is causing fluid retention. I asked for a diuretic and was refused. The vet said it was a side-effect and just had to be tolerated. I found a herbal diuretic at the health store. One tablet contains 100mg Buchu leaves, 100 mg Uva Ursi leaf, 100 mg of Juniper Berries, 75 mg Parsley root, and 75 mg Celery Seed. I gave half a tablet every eight hours with no result so increased it to one tablet every eight hours and the fluid retention is diminishing.

The other side effect of Dexamethasone is increased thirst so my cat is drinking enough water to offset any possibility of dehydration. I researched Uva Ursi though and find it can cause kidney/liver problems and wonder if I should switch to something else because of that. I read where Hawthorne Berries are also a potent diuretic and wondered if I should switch to that.

I'm kind of on my own here, vet-wise, because my cat can't stay with fluid retention- it was getting serious and he was beginning to look like a beached whale. Still the vets would offer nothing so I am trying to find something safe and effective to give him on my own. Thank you, again, for your reply and any imput you could offer.

Another update. I was told that in order to get a test for a fungal infection there would have to be a nasal flush done while there was the discharge from the nose. In order to get my cat to the point of a nasal discharge he would have to be in severe respiratory distress. At that point they would then do a nasal flush and thought to do that would increase the respiratory distress too much so are saying no. At this point, my cat was taking Dexamethasone every 12 hours and I was told to try to extend that time gradually to every other day. I was able to extend it to 18 hours then 24 hours and once to 36 hours before there was the start of raspy breathing, etc. Now, it's barely 11 hours before I have to give it again. I don't know if asthma produces a yellow nasal discharge or what else could be causing this problem or what else could be tried in the way of medication. The vets are offering nothing at this point and are saying that maybe my cat will always have to take Dexamathesone. I noticed that the left nasal passage, when I look directly into it, there's a normal nasal flap that moves in and out to the centre nasal bone and that the one on the left(on the same side that the upper fang was extracted) is now 50 percent covering the opening. It's not any different in size than the one on the right, it doesn't look swollen or red- it looks like it's moved in by 50 percent so when he breathes in it moves to the centre bone then moves back out when he breathes out and this might be causing some restricted breathing. I don't know if a sinus infection could be pressing on this and even if there was a possibility of a tumor would the Dexamethasone suppress the symptoms as the result of a tumor? His eye starts to bulge if I don't give the Dexamethasone but then it goes to normal size if I give it. If there was a tumor that was pressing on the eye, Dexamethasone wouldn't, as I see it, take away the symptoms of that, and they go away when Dexamethasone is given. The only thing is now that he is sounding raspy, especially if he gives a deep breath in. Maybe it's just the hole left by the extraction(does it ever fill in?) but then, the flap on his nose doesn't seem to be as far back as it should be. Maybe the allergic reaction is causing this, I don't know, and the vets don't seem to want to find out. I haven't ruled out asthma either although I don't know if asthma can cause all of what I have described or if asthma can be triggered by a tooth extraction because he has not ever had asthma or any kind of breathing problem before this. Thank you again, for any input you may offer on this.

I don't know if this will help, but my cat had a tooth out last year at about this time. I complained to my vet that Sambo (my cat) was weezing, appeared to be coughing, and sneezing. He xrayed Sam's lungs, and they were clear. I went online and found out that the type of cat I have (Bombay) is subject to resporatory problems and allergies. He appears to be fine now.

I don't know if this will help, but could your vet xray your cat?

sharon