Dyspnea in cats: when the cat does not breathe well
Dyspnea in the cat: when the cat does not breathe well, timely intervention is necessary. Let’s find out symptoms and remedies of pathology.
The difficulty or impossibility of breathing always presents itself as a medical emergency, to be addressed as quickly as possible; the timeliness of the rescue is essential to save the patient’s life. Even our animal friends are unfortunately subject to this disorder: here’s what you need to know about dyspnea in the cat.
The causes of dyspnea in cats
Dyspnea, or respiratory distress,is a disorder related to the act of breathing, which can occur indifferently in the phase of inhalation and exhalation, and which results in difficulty or impossibility to breathe.
Dyspnea is completely normal in certain situations (for example, for those who have just made physical exertion); in those where the difficulty of breathing is not justified by any ordinary cause, the disorder becomes pathological.
This also applies to our animal friends. Dyspnea in cats can be due to various causes:
Lung infections (such as pneumonia)or other diseases of the respiratory system
Tumor: among the neoplasms, the main one among those responsible for feline dyspnea is lung cancer. The same effect can also be caused by other tumors, the mass of which is such as to press and oppress the respiratory tract;
Obesity in cats;
Occlusion of the respiratory tract: it can be caused by an injury or by the presence of a foreign body inside the animal;
Pulmonary edema (abnormal accumulation of fluid inside the lungs) or pleural effusion (when accumulation occurs inside the chest cavity);
Pulmonary hemorrhage;
Heart failure or other heart diseases: the impairment of the cat’s circulatory system could cause not enough blood to reach the tissues and muscles of the body.
What are the symptoms
The symptoms of cat dyspnea are obvious and simple to relate to a respiratory disorder. The cat pants, is short of breath, flounders in search of air. Feline dyspnea can occur suddenly, as well as it can occur gradually.
In the latter case, before breathing difficulties, other symptoms may occur, such as lethargy and weight loss; the cat may have difficulties, or be unable to, perform physical exertion.
Therapy of feline dyspnea
Dyspnea in the cat, especially if it occurs suddenly, without particular warnings, presents itself as a real emergency. Therefore it is necessary to act promptly, taking the feline to your trusted veterinarian.
Most likely it will be necessary to stabilize the condition of the feline, providing it with oxygen that helps it breathe; the next step will be the completion of all the examinations necessary for the correct diagnosis of the respiratory disorder.
The therapeutic treatment will be different depending on the response of the tests.
A period of hospitalization may also be necessary, the duration of which depends on the state of the animal. In addition to the prescribed therapy, a change in diet will most likely be necessary. The diet of the sick cat will also differ depending on the diagnosed disease.
