Heartworms?
We've had our 2 year old kitty Maya to the Vet several times for breathing difficulties over her short lifetime. The Vet had always told me they can't hear any rattle in her lungs, and antibiotics don't do anything. They tried last time giving her a shot of a drug used to treat asthma and it worked a bit, but only for a few days. Last night Maya's breathing was rapid and strained, with some coughing and head shaking.
I was researching her symptoms online last night and she seems to be a text book example of feline heartworms- lethargy, weight loss, coughing, asthma-like signs (ntermittent difficulty in breathing, panting, open-mouthed breathing), gagging. I know they are difficult to diagnose with tests and that there is currently no safe medication for it.
Since Maya is two years old, and this is the lifespan of the heartworm, is it wrong to hope she is at the end of this? This morning she seems noticably better and is more perky. Do cats with heartworms have difficult moments at the end of the cycle, when they worms are dying and being passed from the body? What can I do to keep her as comfortable as possible until this is over? How long is the dying/passing process? I figured with all you cat lovers there must be a few who have dealt with this horrible issue. Thanks for any input you may have!
Saving just one pet won't change the world...but, surely, the world will change for that one pet
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