Feline chronic bronchial disease and inhalers help!

Re: Feline chronic bronchial disease and inhalers help!

Martin Atkinson — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 10:13:51 GMT

Now the aerokat comes with a non-return valve you can activate the puffer thingy into it before you use it - that reduces the time its on the face and the cat is less likely to be startled by the hiss. Certainly there is a risk the cat is going to object to something restrictive over its face if its breathing is already compomised.

Re: Feline chronic bronchial disease and inhalers help!

Catherine Hemingway — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 19:51:20 GMT

Thanks everyone. Fingers crossed the cat likes the inhaler!

Re: Feline chronic bronchial disease and inhalers help!

Rob Loxley — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 18:04:43 GMT

Worth a read:

"Investigation and treatment of feline chronic bronchial disease (In Practice 2007)"
Fritzthebrave.com for inhaler tips/videos and FAB website; useful to point clients at too.

See also http://www.vetsurgeon.org/forums/p/3783/9872.aspx

Re: Feline chronic bronchial disease and inhalers help!

Emma Middleton — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 17:48:11 GMT

Hi Catherine,

The previous posts seemed to have answered your questions, but I would say that if you have any more queries I found a phone call to the Aero-Kat company really helpful when I was in your position. I spoke to a vet there who was able to give me advice about seemingly trivial questions like "how do you get a cat to accept having a mask shoved on its nose?" and dosages too.

Emma

Re: Feline chronic bronchial disease and inhalers help!

Christopher Saul — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 14:39:26 GMT

Try to get the cat to associate the inhaler with food/treats. Start slowly and don't crowd the cat,

Other than that I would echo Stephen and Martin's dosing - looks about right, and also martin's point that I would initially have the cat on systemic steroids alongside the inhaler; I'd reccomend oral pred initially, gradually 'weaning' the cat over onto the inhaled steroid

Good luck

Chris

Re: Feline chronic bronchial disease and inhalers help!

Martin Atkinson — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 09:57:38 GMT

I am currently treating 3 cats with upper respiratory tract disease, diagnosed as allergic on cytology. I unfortunately induced an acute asthma attack in one while performing a BAL (second time I've done that) and it took 2 hrs of oxygen therapy, adrenaline, dexamethazone and salbutomol inhaler to save it. Its pulse ox was 60% at one point. I have a rectal probe for my pulse oximeter which is very useful in these circumstances, once the pulse ox got to mid 90s and stayed there I could switch the O2 off. You may find you need to give parenteral corticosteroids for a while alongside the steroid inhaler (I have used beclamethasone rather than fluticosone as that was all I could get from NVS) until the condition is controlled better. Make sure they take at least 10 breaths from the Aerokat. In the past I've found cats didn't tolerate the Aerokat that well at home, present ones seem happier with it fortunately. In the past I've had cats with chronic coughs which improved with the steroid inhaler and could come off treatment and one which had acute asthma attacks but would not tolerate the aerokat for maintenance with steroids although they could get it to take the salbutamol when it had an acute attack and it worked well.

Re: Feline chronic bronchial disease and inhalers help!

Stephen Courtney — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 21:22:27 GMT

Oh and remember the owner has to COUNT the doses given, there are only a certain stated number of doses in the inhalers - I think 120 in the fluticasone and 200 in the salbutamol. You cannot tell if the inhaler is used up by shaking it - you can always hear the propellant, but the 'zap' is gone after the stated number of doses!

Re: Feline chronic bronchial disease and inhalers help!

Stephen Courtney — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 21:19:32 GMT

I would give 2 puffs twice a day. A lot comes back out of the top of the inhaler, so there is plenty of wasted product and this is NOT an exact dose. What I do is give a 'squirt', wait 10 seconds, and repeat. Do this twice a day.

The owner should also have a blue Salbutamol inhaler as well. Fluticasone is the preventer, a locally acting respiratory steroid, and has no acute properties. Salbutamol is the reliever, to be used if the cat seems wheezey or has a severe respiratory attack.

Hope this helps!