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Bronchitis Emedicine
Is quite common for cats to present to veterinary clinics with a chronic cough or wheeze. The problem may be constant or just recur from time to time, and can range from mild to severe. Clinically the disease may resemble human asthma, but the term feline asthma can be misleading as there are a number of different possible causes. Here we look at what those underlying causes can be, and the different forms of treatment available to affected cats.
Pulmonary Edema
Often due to severe heart disease.Infectious bronchitis. This can be due to bacteria, viruses or parasites.Pleural disease. Filling of the space between the lung and the chest wall with air or an effusion.Cancer. This can be a primary lung tumor or metastatic spread.Potassium bromide induced respiratory disease. A side effect from an anti-epileptic drug.Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Responds poorly to treatment.Pulmonary thromboembolus. Lodging of a clot in a respiratory blood vessel causing sudden onset breathing difficulty.Pulmonary hypertension. Usually secondary to other heart or respiratory disease.- The Seretide Evohaler is useful for cats requiring both steroid and bronchodilator therapy.
- It contains salbutamol and fluticasone, a combination allowing minimal dosing frequency.
Radiography The next test performed is usually thoracic radiography. This is best performed under general anesthetic so there is lee chance for motion blur, though in acute situations this is not possible. This is where the most meaningful information can be gained. It is rather inviting to go on writing on Bronchitis. however as there is a limitation to the number of words to be written, we have confined ourselves to this. However, do enjoy yourself reading it.
- The Differentials There are a large number of possible diagnoses when a cat first presents with coughing or breathing difficulty.
- Here are some of the more important ones:
Removal or Avoidance of Potential Allergens
House dust mite allergy must be excluded by spraying the house with an acaricidal product. 4. Chronic therapy for the underlying condition. For long term treatment of cats with feline asthma, a combination of steroids and bronchodilators are a popular choice. Steroids reduce the inflammation and lower mucus production, and can limit long term consequences such as fibrosis. Bronchodilators are most useful when there is airway spasm. Traditionally, medication has been given orally via tablets, but over the last few years, metered dose inhalers such as the ones used for human asthma have come on the market.Cats Usually Present With One or All the Following Signs:
CoughingWheezingDifficulty breathing A minority of cases will have the classic human status asthmaticus, rapid onset breathing difficulty due to severe narrowing of the bronchi. Cats tend to be middle aged or older, and Siamese cats may be more prone than other breeds. Writing is something that has to be done when one is in the mood to write. So when we got in the mood to write about Bronchitis, nothing could stop us from writing!
Diagnosis 1. Clinical examination The first step in the diagnostic protocol is a thorough clinical examination by a veterinarian. This should localize the origin of the disease to the upper airways, lower airways or pleural space. If the cat is found to have pleural disease, a needle may be inserted straight away to remove either air or a sample of the effusion for both diagnosis and short term treatment of the respiratory distress. Isn't it amazing how much information can be transferred through a single page? So much stands to gain, and to lose about Bronchitis through a single page.
Bronchodilator drugs used in inhalers include Salbutamol and Salmeterol. Salbutamol is very fast acting and therefore useful in a crisis caused by spasm of the bronchi. However, it only lasts for about 30 minutes and is therefore unsuitable for chronic therapy as frequent dosing is required. Salmeterol on the other hand is longer acting, and lasts for about 12 hours so twice daily dosing is possible. Salmeterol is better for long term control of mild to moderate asthma while Salbutamol is better for relief of acute bronchospasm.
Glucocorticoid drugs (steroids) used in inhalers include Beclometasone, Fluticasone and Budesonide. Beclometasone is cheap, but is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream when you want it to hang around in the area where it applied. Fluticasone is more expensive, but tends to stay where you want it to. Budesonide is relatively inexpensive and though it is easily absorbed into the bloodstream, it tends to be removed the first time it goes through the liver.
Lung Biopsy
This is an invasive procedure that carries a significant risk to the patient. It is only indicated where diffuse cancer or extensive fibrosis is suspected, or in severe disease that responds poorly to treatment. Ignorance is bliss, is it? Isn't it better to learn more than not to know about something like Chronic Bronchitis. So we have produced this article so that you can learn more about it!Aerosol therapy has the advantage that the maximum concentration of drug is delivered to the target site. This means that lower overall doses can be used, and the cat is less likely to suffer the negative side effects of steroids. Various inhalers can be used in both cats and dogs, but they tend to be designed for humans. As a result, higher doses are given compared with human medicine, as humans can be instructed to breathe deeply whereas cats will breathe normally at best.
Spacer Devices
A spacer device consists of a chamber into which the aerosol drug is released at one end, with a mask at the other end which fits snugly over the cats mouth and nose. Human baby spacer devices (e.g. Babyhaler) can be easily adapted for cats. Alternatively, veterinary spacers specifically designed for cats are now on the market (e.g. Aerokat). The spacer should be held over the cats nose and mouth for about 30 seconds to ensure complete delivery of the drugs. It should be remembered that aerosol steroid therapy can take up to 2 weeks to reach full effect, and if the cat has been on oral steroids previously, these should be phased out slowly during these initial 2 weeks. As the information we produce in our writing on Chronic Bronchitis may be utilized by the reader for informative purposes, it is very important that the information we provide be true. We have indeed maintained this.
Bronchoalveolar Lavage
This is similar to the technique described above, but the catheter is inserted all the way into a lower airway before the saline is injected and withdrawn. This is therefore a good test for lower airway disease. A rolling stone gathers no moss. So if I just go on writing, and you don't understand, then it is of no use of me writing about Infectious Bronchitis! Whatever written should be understandable by the reader.The Pathology
Little is known about the underlying causes or exacerbating factors in feline asthma. There may be an element of genetic predisposition. While chronic inhalation of airway irritants, such as smoking, has been shown to cause bronchitis in humans, this has not been studied in detail in cats. Likewise, allergens such as pollen, housedust mites, dander, fungal spores, dust and cat litter could all be implicated theoretically. It is with much interest that we got about to write on Chronic Bronchitis. So we do hope that you too read this article with the same, if not more interest!- Remove or avoid airway irritants.
- The most obvious one is ensuring the cat has no contact with cigarette smoke, and purchasing dust free cat litter.
- Treatment The aims of treatment are as follows. 1.
- Eliminate any suspected infectious agents.
- This may be a sufficiently long course of antibiotics if bacterial infection is suspected, or a wormer such as fenbendazole if lungworm is suspected.
- Time and tide waits for no man.
- So once we got an idea for writing on Bronchitis, we decided not to waste time, but to get down to writing about it immediately!
Cat Asthma Attack -- what to look for in your kitty
Treatment Lifelong?
Generally yes. Doses can often be reduced gradually once clinical remission has been achieved. As with many chronic conditions, complete control might not always be possible and an acceptable quality of life is the main aim of the treatment. We were actually wondering how to get about to writing about Bronchitis. However once we started writing, the words just seemed to flow continuously!
To return to the comparison with human asthma, when trying to understand the underlying causes it is important to differentiate between asthma (constriction of the bronchi), chronic bronchitis (oversecretion of mucus with a chronic cough) and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Asthma is reversible bronchial constriction caused by eosinophil cells, whereas COPD is irreversible bronchial constriction involving neutrophil cells.
Acute bronchitis the most important is to stay calm and relax. Camomille tea and chicken soup are said to be the best remedies. Because sometimes bronchitis is mistaken with a simple flu patients try to treat it on their own. Emergen -C style vitamins, Robitussin may help you to cough and expectorate and have a good sleep during the night. You should stay in door and in warm places (in bed) and let your organism to take care of it. Hot baths and plenty of fluids are of great help, when you sleep maintain a half sitting up position so as to cough less.
Codeine is the most wanted ingredient when you have acute bronchitis. It has been explained why cough suppressants are not useful, you drown with your own secretions that can't be eliminated. We have used a mixture of seriousness and jokes in this composition on Asthmatic Bronchitis. This is to liven the mood when reading about Asthmatic Bronchitis.
You have trouble breathing in the Emergency Room you may be given an albuterol breathing treatment, an inhaler, and some prednasone. Bronchitis may complicate with pneumonia and that is quite severe, especially in children which are not supervized by parents and they do not treat well or at whole their bronchitis. That's why important to acetyl cysteine (nac). Sometimes only the rest and the home care won't help so try to visit your doctor and buy your drugs, even more important is to take them. If you notice that your health is not improved in one week than you may suspect a complication, the most probable one is pneumonia. Albany college of pharmacy & health sciences for several more weeks, the progression of chronic bronchitis, on the other hand, may be slowed, but an initial improvement in symptoms may be achieved. To err is human, to forgive is divine. So we would indeed deem you to be divine if you forgive us for any misunderstandings that may arise in this article on Www Bronchitis.
For those with chronic disease and very young children preventive measures have a high importance so immunizations are highly recommended. If you are unsure about what type of medications are in over-the-counter cough syrups you should ask the pharmacist for an explanation. If you have these symptoms you are likely to develop acute bronchitis: dry, hacking unproductive cough that may change to a loose cough with increased mucus, runny nose, sore throat, back and other muscle pains, chills and low grade fever, headache and general malaise (feeling unwell). Wheezing after coughing is common. Keeping to the point is very important when writing. So we have to stuck to Www Bronchitis, and have not wandered much from it to enhance understanding.
Eating honey is also heplfull because it may soothe the throat. For acute bronchitis you do not need antibiotics so the infection will disappear in one week, if you have fever you may take aspirin, do not smoke. For a secondary bacterial infection antibiotics are prescribed and maybe an inhaler and an expectorant. Theraflu and tea with lemon and honey, hot toddies with bourbon are helpfully. For some people with bronchitis hot baths instead of steam are better. Interesting is what we had aimed to make conventional medical treatment for bronchitis. It is up to you to decide if we have succeeded in our mission!
This Cat Has Asthma Also, but the Radiograph is Not Typical. the Arrow
