Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, Just got back from the same vet who thought my cat had asthma due to the wheezing and croupiness. No cough. My cat was
vomiting canary yellow(yes, really that bright) mucus, a couple of tablespoons then respiratory distress from the exertion(trying to get air with the mouth open) as though there was no
oxygen. It was now determined that there was fluid build-up around the lungs and the vet drained 2 oz. Nothing in the lung. the fluid looked pink with little bits like blood clots in it.
I asked if it could be analyzed and he said it wouldn't show
anything but I see there is a test for cancer of the lung that can be done.

He said that the fluid was pressing on the lungs and causing them to rub together and that irritation was leading to all the yellow mucus and phlegm. He concluded, based on the fluid build-up alone that my cat could have FIP, leukemia, feline aides. When I asked if there was anything else that could cause fluid build-up around the lungs he said yes. When I asked about tests he said that leukemia could be tested for and aides but what did it matter when that left FIP, it would still be undetermined what the cause was because, according to him, there's no test for FIP. He gave my cat an injection of Dexamethasone and Duplicillin saying that one would fight any infection and the Dexamethasone would calm the
irritation response. This is the same thing my cat got when when vet thought he had asthma.

My question is, are there less serious reasons for fluid build-up around the lungs. He said he didn't think there was fluid in the lungs but, according to him lungs are like a sponge and how can one really tell if there's fluid or not. I would think it would be pretty easy. Doesn't pneumonia have fluid-build up
around the lungs? There's heart diseasea but that has a cough
doesn't it, and my cat doesn't cough.

So after a substantial bill my cat is still wheezing. According to the vet it's a wait and see if the fluid returns and wait and see if the meds work. If they don't all he can suggest is to change to another corticosteriod.

A bit of a background. My cat was always a bit croupy in the chest all his life, about 5 percent. Same sounds, kind of a
burbling rattle. But fine all this time. A couple of weeks ago he sat in a window seat on a pillow. I didn't realize the pillow was wet from rain that had leaked in and he was on that
pillow when the temp dropped in the evening to about 50 degrees. I didn't notice any ill effect until about a week later then croupiness, phlegm, etc. Doesn't the yellow phlegm mean something? Infection? The vet thinks it's just from the irritation in the lungs from the fluid around the lungs pressing on the lungs so that the lungs rubbed on each other. Could bronchitis or any other respiratory problem, flu, cat
cold cause fluid around the lungs? Could him sitting on a cold wet pillow chill him and cause fluid build-up? I think there are less serious reaons for fluid around the lungs and would like to know what they are. I tried to look it up myself but got somewhat confused on the "transudates" and "exudates".

I would appreciate your thoughts on this. Thank you.

Re the vet not wanting to test the fluid he extracted from around the lungs, as I said, he said, why bother testing it because there's no test for FIP and it could be that. But couldn't it also be other things too. and by not testing it prevents it from being determined whether those other things might be the cause?

Another thing, my cat is still very wheezy and croupy. Breathing is at a regular rate though. No coughing. Is there
anything that could be tried other than what was suggested?I can't give him any supplements because he hasn't eaten in a couple of days and it seems to irritate the stomach.

Would his background of being a bit croupy as a kitten and through adulthood, when exacerbated by sleeping on a cold wet pillow, cause some type of chest infection that could result in
fluid build-up and yellow mucus?

Thank you for any info you could offer.

The yellow mucous is likely what he vomited from his stomach, not the lungs, and is not significant if it is not repeated. If the cat is not coughing, there is probably no fluid in the lungs, but in the chest cavity around the lungs. If this is pinkish, slightly cloudy, it could be lymph or chyle, due to a tear in the Ductus arteriosus, which brings lymph back to the heart. Other possibilities are infections outside the lungs (pleuritis) and exudates or transudates in the thorax, possibly due to a tumor or growth within the chest cavity. This fluid should be sent to a pathology lab to determine its origin.

Hi, When I first posted in September my cat had had symptoms of wheezing and croupiness for at least a month. The vet would give Dexamethasone/antibiotic shots if the symptoms became severe but never offered a longterm solution. I suggested that the symptoms were of asthma so Dexamethasone was giving, which worked for awhile, then Prednisolone, then a combination of the two. After a severe asthma attack a month ago, 2 oz of fluid was drained from around the lungs, it was clean with pink tinges he said were tiny blood clots.He said that fluid around the lungs could only mean two things- FIP or leukemia. In every other respect my cat was healthy. No other symptoms except the wheezing and croupiness. The vet said that because of the fluid it was pressing on the lungs making them rub together. The irritation produced mucus and phlegm and trouble breathing.

My cat was, at my insistance put on Flovent, 220 mcg- 2 puffs a day, as well as Albuterol inhaler when needed. He continued on a course of Dexamethasone and Prednisone but it takes two weeks for Flovent to become fully effective in the system and time to wean off steroids so he was on both. After two weeks, I weaned him off the Prednisolone, and then a week ago, started to give the Dexamethasone every other day. Everything was fine.No croupiness, no wheezing. No trouble breathing.

Then a little over a week ago my cat caught a cold. I dont' know how because he's an indoor cat, but steroids can depress the immune system so maybe that was the cause. He was put on
antibiotics. The cold wasn't severe, just a bit of a runny nose and some loud sneezes. No croupiness, no wheezing.

Then two days ago, I noticed that my cat began to breathe more deeply. Appetite still good. Still active. Then he began to sleep more, not as active, and wanted to go where it was cold. I brought him to the vet this morning and he drained off 4 oz of fluid he was was clear with just a tinge of pink while he was there. When the vet phoned to say that he had drained fluid, I asked about sending it for analysis. He replied that
he had thrown it away because by the time he phoned it was too late to send by courier to the lab- it would get there the next day and that was too late for analysis. He also said that doing that test really didn't show anything anyway. I replied that there are at least 15 causes for fluid around the lungs - kidney/liver disease, acute pancreatitis, tumors, heart failure, as well as pneumonia and drug reactions - it's not just from FIP and leukemia. Once the fluid was drained my cat was as active as ever.

The first time my cat had fluid drained it was after a cold from being chilled, and the second time, the same thing.The first time, at 2 oz of fluid around the lungs, he could hardly breathe at the least exertion, yet this time, with 4 oz of fluid around the lungs, he was running and jumping and breathing easily.Just a bit croupy. Is there a link between him getting a cold and this fluid build-up?An infection that started the first time and it just never cleared up? The vet says if it isn't bacterial why bother giving antibiotics. He thinks it's viral if anything and again, pointed to FIP and leukemia.

I read where infections can cause fluid build-up around the lungs. The vet said my cat didn't have a fever so if it was an infection it wasn't bacterial. Could he be having a drug reaction to one of the meds? When he sneezes now it's like an allergic sneeze, just in the nose, as though he smelled pepper,
and although sneezing and coughing are symptomatic of asthma, he didn't ever sneeze or cough. Just this time, after a cold. I thought it was the tail-end of the cold. When I was reading up on asthma, several times it said that respiratory infections can lead to asthma.

I don't know how to try and narrow this down. The vet, without benefit of any tests, and without any additional symptoms thinks he knows the cause, saying that, in cats, only two things can cause fluid build-up around the lungs. But there are other reasons too. At this point, I'm trying to go with that there was a common denominator the two times that my cat had fluid build=up. There was a respiratory infection. Maybe, the first time, he should have been on a longer course of antibiotics. Maybe it's the infection that is causing the fluid build-up, the croupiness, wheezing,etc. And I'm using Flovent and Dexamethasone/Pred to control it but really the infection has to be dealt with. I need something to get the vet off the view that it's FIP or leukemia, when, after four months, it's still the same symptoms,no additional symptoms, and, in many respects, my cat is alot better since he's been on Flovent. It's just that fluid-build up that needs to be dealt with.

I would really appreciate your thoughts on this. Thank you.

I was just doing some reading about causes of fluid buildup around the lungs. One source said that it is possible for microorganisms can infect the lung and cause fluid build up around the lung and that antibiotics are needed. It said that antibiotics do not penetrate well into the pleural cavity so it's necessary to drain the fluid first before giving antibiotics. It said too that analysis of the fluid can indicate if there's those microorganisms or not. The shot the vet gave my cat today was a combination of Dexamethasone and Duplocillin. Would that work if the problem was an infection caused by this type of microorganism? Would it work for any type of infection in the lungs that could be causing the fluid buildup? Could this type of infection mimic asthma symptoms(croupiness, wheezing,etc)?