Respiratory Distress

[Red252]

Hello... just got home from a hard vet visit. Penpen is 4 years old--she was fine yesterday, but obviously hunched and withdrawn this morning and refusing food. We started hand feeding immediately then got her in to the vet. I was thinking she had generic bloat or something.

The vet basically said that she was experiencing acute respiratory distress and that she didn't think there was anything to do--Penpen had already been on baytril for several days for a healing abscess wound (which the vet said was healing great), the vet heard no issues with the heart and there was no fluid buildup in her lungs. Penpen had been given a clear bill of health just a few days ago after draining her abscess. She injected another antibiotic and lasix just in case there is an underlying infection or heart issue that is contributing to the respiratory issues, but she is not optimistic.

I basically am just wondering if I, or the vet, am missing any possibilities, and if there's anything else to do. The vet strongly suggested we not force feed her b/c of the stress on her breathing and the possibility of aspiration, though we are continuing to offer her favorite foods and water every 30mins or so. She hasn't eaten much, but will try to nibble some critical care every now and then. If there isn't anything to do, I guess I wonder what I can do to keep her comfortable and if she should get put down. I've been letting her lie next to her cage mate and they both seem to take comfort from it.

Thank you.

[bpatters]

I'm sorry. It's such a hard place to be in.

If this is a good exotic vet, and if you trust her, I'd suggest you follow her recommendations about what to do.

Does she fight you when you hand feed her, or does she willingly take the critical care? If she'll eat it without getting upset, I'd definitely keep feeding her until you make a decision about what to do.

[Red252]

No, she is definitely fighting when we try to feed her. We are making sure to offer her different foods every hour just to check

I know it’s not looking good—I mostly wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing a possible cause or treatment that people knew of here— I had great success with my other little one when her heart started failing, and I didn’t know if there was another treatable cause for respiratory distress that wasn’t being addressed. I didn’t see my regular vet today, but she seemed knowledgeable. I have a follow up with my regular vet tomorrow morning just in case.

Thank you for your kind words.

[Red252]

Got a good update! Penpen had started to eat a little bit and had fewer incidents of respiratory distress, so the vet gave me the all clear to force feed and treat the bloat that had set in. Obviously, I know bloat is dangerous, but I am so relieved that it's at least something I CAN treat. My regular vet said it was either that the bloat came first and the respiratory issues were an extreme pain response, or she had the beginnings of a URI that wasn't being covered by her baytril. X-ray also showed no masses or fluid buildup, so it doesn't seem like there was a mysterious cause for the respiratory issues after all, thank goodness.

So, so glad for this forum always telling us to act as quickly as possible. It saved Penpen's life yesterday. I know she's not out of the woods yet, but she's going in the right direction :)

[bpatters]

Glad to hear things are improving! Keep us posted.

[Lynx]

That is encouraging. bpatters gives good advice!

[Red252]

Phew! I had forgotten how exhausting hand-feeding is...but it is paying off for now. Penpen has lost a fair amount of weight, but I've been able to get 15-20mLs in her every 3 hours or so, and tonight she began eating the critical care on her own at first--I suspect her appetite won't be all the way normal until her course of baytril is done, but I'm feeling way better about her chances now. Now she's just gotta heal up that abscess, start eating her hay, and start gaining the weight back...

I'll definitely update if anything changes, but for now things are looking way better :D

[bpatters]

Keep on keeping on! You're definitely going in the right direction!

[Lynx]

That is great! Feeding adequate amounts of food does indeed help stimulate a pet to eat on their own (when they can).