Lungworm?

[Emeraldgreen]

We've had our cat Jimmy for 6+ years and before that he had been found living on the streets and then became the clinic cat at my vet's office for a year. He was making wheezy sounds back then and the vets put him on Prednisilone. He's been on it for most of the last 6 years. An xray was never done when I first adopted him and it was just assumed he had asthma. Recently, I brought him into the vet because he wasn't doing well and they did a chest xray. The vet was surprised that he had been diagnosed with asthma because his lungs didn't show any signs of it. They kept him on the pred though because he also has Irritable Bowel Disease and it is helpful for that.
We've tried everything from changing his litter to wheat, corn, other grains to pine and back to scoopable. We've used air filters and have him on hypo allergenic food. Nothing ever changed and he remained wheezy. He still plays and has fun but breathes heavily at times.

Over the past few months Jimmy started vomitting up water. Thankfully the Medi-Cal Hypo Gastro food he is on has all but cleared up his IBD and he is making normal poops now instead of diarrhea. But he is coughing now. It is a little cough and he doesn't even open his mouth but he does it every 10 minutes or so.

I took him to the vet and they did xrays. She showed me the bronchial donuts that were in his lungs and said that she believes he has bronchitis instead of asthma. She put him on a higher dose of prednisilone and then I was to wean him down to every third day. She thinks that the bronchitis could be causing him to throw up.

He is still vomitting up water and still coughing after weeks on the higher dose. I called the vet again today about it and she is now wondering if he might be dealing with lungworm! She said that it's possible this is what he's had the entire 6+ years and it could have been misdiagnosed as asthma etc.. I do have two other cats who cough (Oliver and George) and I've brought them in to the vet because of it and it was thought that it was probably just hairballs. But they cough alot and the vet is now saying that maybe they too have lungworm.

She is prescribing Panacur for all my cats and she said that within a week, there should be some improvement if it is lungworm.

If there is no improvement she will try Jimmy on broncodialator tablets.

Does anyone know if lungworm can be seen on an xray? I'm wondering if those little donut things could be parasites? Or maybe they are just the bronchial things that are inflammed because of the parasite??

p.s. it was also recently discovered on the xrays that Jimmy only has one working kidney. It is enlarged and doing all the work while the other one is all shriveled up. But the vet doesn't think the vomitting is due to this. I'm wondering about that though.

[Catty1]

More info than you wanted - have a look here! (It would be great if they DID have lungworm - then the med will clear it up and you'll have an answer!)

http://ezinearticles.com/?Is-Your-Ca...orm?&id=732729

http://www.cat-world.com.au/LungwormInCats.htm

http://www.petplace.com/cats/lungwor...ats/page1.aspx

[Emeraldgreen]

Thanks for the links Candace. I had come across the first two already but not the third and on that third link, it talked about xrays being one of the diagnositc tools to determine lungworm. Thanks for finding that! It didn't go into detail about what could be seen on an xray but something must be visible if xrays are being taken. The vet told me that after I left a message with the receptionist this morning about Jimmy she had another look at his xrays and was giving it alot of thought and then thought of the possibility of lungworm.
I'll see if I can find some pics on the net of lungs with lungworm.

I agree, it would be a blessing if it turned out to be lungworm because they could all be treated and begin to feel alot better.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I don't know anything about lungworms but hopefully whatever it is can be diagnosed and easily treated. I'll keep Jimmy, Oliver, and George in my thoughts and prayers.

[Medusa]

Goodness, lungworm! I wouldn't even have thought of anything like that. I sure hope that's what it is so that it can be easily remedied. Prayers going up for Jimmy and all your crew.

[Pinot's Mom]

I've never even HEARD of Lungworm, but I hope that gets cleared up soon!

As for the kidney - it's common in older cats (I was told by a vet when it happened to our RB kitty Jamara) that one kidney kind of fades away. It usually happens without warning or side effects.

[Medusa]

Exactly the same thing happened to my RB Puddy. One kidney shrunk to the size of a pea instead of the size of a kidney bean as it should have been. However, she lived for years w/it that way so try not to worry about it, Lara.

[Randi]

I don't know anyting about lungworm, but I hope it's something that can be treated, so Jimmy will get better.

Will keep Jimmy in my throughts, and also Oliver and George.

Medusa, when Puddy's kidney shrunk, was that before or after you realised something was wrong with the kidneys? Could it be seen in the bloodtests?

[Medusa]

Medusa, when Puddy's kidney shrunk, was that before or after you realised something was wrong with the kidneys? Could it be seen in the bloodtests?

If I remember correctly, it was when she needed emergency surgery for intestinal blockage. It was then that Dr. Lee said that her one kidney had actually burst and he couldn't even find it. He found traces of it and removed it. The other was shriveled and had nephritis but she still lived several years after that, quality years, too, until a few months before she passed.

[Lizzie]

A fecal sample should show lungworm so I'm surprised the condition wasn't seen before since a fecal is usually part of the initial examination. Perhaps that wasn't done on Jimmy before this? I fostered a group of young cats a few years ago that had to be treated for lungworm. As soon as my vet heard the noisy breathing, and it was terrifyingly noisy in one young cat (called Skinny Girl by her original owner), my vet scooped out a small sample of poop and handed it over for testing. Some time later we heard shouts coming from the lab area of the clinic as the techs yelled at each other to come and see the slide. Apparently they'd never seen so many of the little beggers on one slide before. We knew that the cats had been starved, never having been given any cat food at all, so it wasn't surprising that they'd eaten whatever they could find. It always makes me heave to think of any animal eating slugs, yech!

We treated all the cats with Panacur, which I mixed in with their food, making sure they only ate their own small portions each time. They all fully recovered except for Skinny Girl, renamed Jazz, whose infestation had been so extreme. However, her adoptive family reports she only has slightly noisy breathing now when she's very active. I remember it was so noisy when I drove her home from the shelter that I almost pulled over on the freeway, thinking that she was dying. If she hadn't been rescued when she was, she most definitely would have died.

With that experience, I made the mistake of thinking a more recent foster had lungworm when she actually has asthma - I hadn't even thought of that possibility.

Good luck with making Jimmy well again. It is very hard when they have several different medical problems.

[Kater]

A fecal sample should show lungworm so I'm surprised the condition wasn't seen before since a fecal is usually part of the initial examination.

While lungworm larvae (not eggs) can be detected in feces, it requires an unusual type of test. Usually veterinarians routinely perform a fecal float to look for most parasites. However, lungworms are detected with something called the Baermann technique. Unless a veterinarian had reason to suspect lungworms (or another parasite that is detected via Baermann) is it not likely that the this would be a routine test performed during an initial examination. Incidentally to find lungworm eggs one would have to do a transtracheal wash or collect a sample of sputum. These diagnostic differences just have to do with the life cycle of the lungworm. I think the looking at a Baermann or TTW/sputum is going to be a better diagnostic than trying to rely on radiographs (xrays) alone.

Another parasite I would consider with these signs and history is heartworm. Believe it or not, vomiting is a clinical sign in cats with heartworm and it is primarily a disease of the lungs in felines.

I think vomiting would be a clinical sign in pretty late stage kidney failure. My cat was in fairly late stage kidney failure when I put her to sleep (earlier this month) and she had not yet started vomiting. However, I'm sure this varies by individual to a degree.

I'm a first year veterinary student and just had my first parasitology class this semester. I hope what I wrote makes sense. Let me know if you have questions!

Best wishes for Jimmy (Oliver & George, too)!! He's oh-so-cute and modest.

[Emeraldgreen]

I don't know anything about lungworms but hopefully whatever it is can be diagnosed and easily treated. I'll keep Jimmy, Oliver, and George in my thoughts and prayers.

Thanks for the prayers.


Medusa wrote:

Exactly the same thing happened to my RB Puddy. One kidney shrunk to the size of a pea instead of the size of a kidney bean as it should have been. However, she lived for years w/it that way so try not to worry about it, Lara.
If I remember correctly, it was when she needed emergency surgery for intestinal blockage. It was then that Dr. Lee said that her one kidney had actually burst and he couldn't even find it. He found traces of it and removed it. The other was shriveled and had nephritis but she still lived several years after that, quality years, too, until a few months before she passed.

Wow, I didn't realize the kidneys were as small as kidney beans! I knew they were kidney bean shaped though.
What caused the intestinal blockage? I was wondering about that and thought maybe it could be the reason he is throwing up.
The weird thing is that he doesn't vomit up food, just water. He drinks alot of water and has for the 6 years I've had him. He has been on pred for most of that time though too and that causes excess thirst. And, now that we know he has one working kidney, that could explain the thirst too.

Pinot's mom wrote:

I've never even HEARD of Lungworm, but I hope that gets cleared up soon!
As for the kidney - it's common in older cats (I was told by a vet when it happened to our RB kitty Jamara) that one kidney kind of fades away. It usually happens without warning or side effects.

I really didn't know anything about lungworm before this either. But I'm learning lots now!

Randi wrote:

I don't know anyting about lungworm, but I hope it's something that can be treated, so Jimmy will get better.
Will keep Jimmy in my throughts, and also Oliver and George.

Thanks Randi! I'm heading into town early next week to pick up the meds for all the cats and will post an update afterwards if anything changes with them.


Lizzie wrote:

As soon as my vet heard the noisy breathing, and it was terrifyingly noisy in one young cat (called Skinny Girl by her original owner), my vet scooped out a small sample of poop and handed it over for testing.

Was it wheezy sounds that the cat was making? Jimmy makes a wheezing sound off and on. It's not too loud but you can hear it from a few feet away. Maybe I'll try and tape it and post it here. George also makes very wheezy sounds. I've had every test you can imagine done on that cat (George) and no vet has been able to figure him out. He's actually had a cat scan, it cost a fortune. They sent the results to a university in Colorado for some specialist to evaluate and nothing could be seen in his nasal passages. They did a biopsy of his nasal passage tissue and the only result of that was that the tissue was somewhat 'inflammed' but they couldn't determine from what. He didn't have a fever and no infection, though they tried him on a few antibiotics. I had his blood tested and sent to a california allergy testing lab and it came back saying he was allergic to wheat, rice, turkey, dairy and pork, just about every cat food out there! But he is currently on a food called NOW and it is grain free. Before that, he was on Taste of the Wild, neither food relieves his wheezing. We've tried every litter you can imagine and it doesn't help. We've tried air purifiers in his room too and it doesn't help. So maybe it is lungworm. I'm just so worried that after years of wheezing (3.5 years) that if it is lungworm, that maybe damage has been done. He still is very playful and seems to enjoy life but I would be over the moon if I could help him breathe better. And Jimmy. It would be such a gift. (Ollie doesn't wheeze but he has these coughing spells).

Kater wrote:

While lungworm larvae (not eggs) can be detected in feces, it requires an unusual type of test. Usually veterinarians routinely perform a fecal float to look for most parasites. However, lungworms are detected with something called the Baermann technique. Unless a veterinarian had reason to suspect lungworms (or another parasite that is detected via Baermann) is it not likely that the this would be a routine test performed during an initial examination. Incidentally to find lungworm eggs one would have to do a transtracheal wash or collect a sample of sputum. These diagnostic differences just have to do with the life cycle of the lungworm. I think the looking at a Baermann or TTW/sputum is going to be a better diagnostic than trying to rely on radiographs (xrays) alone.

Another parasite I would consider with these signs and history is heartworm. Believe it or not, vomiting is a clinical sign in cats with heartworm and it is primarily a disease of the lungs in felines.

I think vomiting would be a clinical sign in pretty late stage kidney failure. My cat was in fairly late stage kidney failure when I put her to sleep (earlier this month) and she had not yet started vomiting. However, I'm sure this varies by individual to a degree.

I'm a first year veterinary student and just had my first parasitology class this semester. I hope what I wrote makes sense. Let me know if you have questions!

Best wishes for Jimmy (Oliver & George, too)!! He's oh-so-cute and modest.

I brought Jimmy into the vet a few months back because he became very ill and was pooping alot of blood. They did a fecal float then but not the test you mentioned for lungworm. He ended up having xrays and then an ultrasound and it was found that he was fighting an infection in his bowel. He was put on Metronidazole for about a month and we switched him to Hypo Gastro food and he is doing really well with his IBD and making normal poops. It's the first time in 6 years so we are so thrilled.

I brought Jimmy in again a month or so ago because he was throwing up water. I think this has been going on for longer though but he does it in the litter box so I didn't know. I just happened to catch him doing it one day and since then I sneak up on him every time I see him in the litter box. He is not thrilled with this new program. lol And on occasion, he throws up on the floor near the litter box and it's just water.

The other thing he does is cough, but not an open mouth cough. It's just a little cough, almost like a hiccup but he does it alot now. The vet did xrays and showed me the donut things in his lungs and figured that it was bronchitis and that was causing him to cough, which she thought in turn was causing the vomitting. She upped his dosage of pred and expected the coughing and vomitting to stop. Then when I called her last week, she talked about the possibility of lungworm. I don't want to get him xrayed further but do you think the donut things on the xrays already done could be caused by lungworm? That's what I'm wondering about.

With regard to heartworm, we don't have it in the southern part of B.C. and Jimmy was a stray found in Southern B.C. and we also live in the southern part as well. The other cats come from the south too. But maybe Jimmy belonged to someone at some point in the northern part who moved to the southern part and then abandoned him or maybe he just ran away. Hmmmmm, I wonder.
Does heartworm show up on an xray? I know there is a heartworm test but just wondering if my vet had another look at the xrays if she could see anything in his heart.

I don't think Jimmy is in late stage kidney failure because the vet ran a complete blood panel on him a few months ago and all his organs were functioning normally, including his one kidney. She was a bit surprised by this but thought it was great. I remember her saying that he had a kidney stone in his kidney though but she felt it wasn't an issue. Maybe that is what is causing the vomitting. I know someone suggested this to me in another post a few months back and I did run it by the vet but she doesn't think there is a connection.

I'll be picking up the panacur early next week and will post afterward. Do you happen to know if they are infected with lungworm if they will throw up alot after the meds?

[Kater]

Wow, I didn't realize the kidneys were as small as kidney beans! I knew they were kidney bean shaped though.

Hehe, I feel obligated to let you all know that cat kidneys are not the size of kidney beans! The only exception might possibly be neonates. The standard-sized housecat's healthy kidney is somewhere in the range of 2-4 inches long (This is an estimate from my memory, we normally measure kidneys as a ratio of the size of a particular vertebrae in cats). Anyway, bigger than a kidney bean! That's why veterinarians can palpate them on physical examination (assuming the kitty is not too chubby).

They sent the results to a university in Colorado for some specialist to evaluate and nothing could be seen in his nasal passages. They did a biopsy of his nasal passage tissue and the only result of that was that the tissue was somewhat 'inflammed' but they couldn't determine from what.

CSU! That's my school.

I don't want to get him xrayed further but do you think the donut things on the xrays already done could be caused by lungworm? That's what I'm wondering about.

I'm pretty sure the donuts could represent a variety of generalized lung damage. I'm not sure if they were calcified areas or what (I'd need more information), but yes, they could probably indicate lungworms as well as numerous other types of damage. Sometimes we see very specific types of changes in a radiograph (xray) that can lead us pretty directly to a diagnosis, but a lot of times we just observe general tissue or organ abnormalities and have to investigate further from there.

With regard to heartworm, we don't have it in the southern part of B.C. and Jimmy was a stray found in Southern B.C. and we also live in the southern part as well. The other cats come from the south too. But maybe Jimmy belonged to someone at some point in the northern part who moved to the southern part and then abandoned him or maybe he just ran away. Hmmmmm, I wonder.

You're probably right that it belongs VERY low on the doctor's differential list, but it's severely underdiagnosed so I thought it was worth mentioning.

Does heartworm show up on an xray? I know there is a heartworm test but just wondering if my vet had another look at the xrays if she could see anything in his heart.

They are not visible on radiograph (xray) as far as I am aware. In SOME cases they may be visible in ultrasound, I believe (probably with an infestation of higher numbers). The preferred diagnostic method for cats is a blood test, but not the same one used on dogs. In cats we primarily look for ANTIBODY to heartworm (we look for ANTIGEN in dogs), so the bloodwork would probably have to be sent out to a lab. However, it is a fairly simple test and might be worth ruling out.

I don't think Jimmy is in late stage kidney failure because the vet ran a complete blood panel on him a few months ago and all his organs were functioning normally, including his one kidney. She was a bit surprised by this but thought it was great.

Glad to hear it!!

I'll be picking up the panacur early next week and will post afterward. Do you happen to know if they are infected with lungworm if they will throw up alot after the meds?

I'm sorry...I'm not sure how well Panacur is tolerated in cases of lungworm. Hopefully your vet can provide some insight.

Hope that helps! Let me know if you have more questions.
Good thoughts for your meow-meows!

[Medusa]

Thanks for the prayers.


Medusa wrote:

Wow, I didn't realize the kidneys were as small as kidney beans! I knew they were kidney bean shaped though.
What caused the intestinal blockage? I was wondering about that and thought maybe it could be the reason he is throwing up.
The weird thing is that he doesn't vomit up food, just water. He drinks alot of water and has for the 6 years I've had him. He has been on pred for most of that time though too and that causes excess thirst. And, now that we know he has one working kidney, that could explain the thirst too.

Pinot's mom wrote:

I really didn't know anything about lungworm before this either. But I'm learning lots now!

Randi wrote:

Thanks Randi! I'm heading into town early next week to pick up the meds for all the cats and will post an update afterwards if anything changes with them.


Lizzie wrote:

Was it wheezy sounds that the cat was making? Jimmy makes a wheezing sound off and on. It's not too loud but you can hear it from a few feet away. Maybe I'll try and tape it and post it here. George also makes very wheezy sounds. I've had every test you can imagine done on that cat (George) and no vet has been able to figure him out. He's actually had a cat scan, it cost a fortune. They sent the results to a university in Colorado for some specialist to evaluate and nothing could be seen in his nasal passages. They did a biopsy of his nasal passage tissue and the only result of that was that the tissue was somewhat 'inflammed' but they couldn't determine from what. He didn't have a fever and no infection, though they tried him on a few antibiotics. I had his blood tested and sent to a california allergy testing lab and it came back saying he was allergic to wheat, rice, turkey, dairy and pork, just about every cat food out there! But he is currently on a food called NOW and it is grain free. Before that, he was on Taste of the Wild, neither food relieves his wheezing. We've tried every litter you can imagine and it doesn't help. We've tried air purifiers in his room too and it doesn't help. So maybe it is lungworm. I'm just so worried that after years of wheezing (3.5 years) that if it is lungworm, that maybe damage has been done. He still is very playful and seems to enjoy life but I would be over the moon if I could help him breathe better. And Jimmy. It would be such a gift. (Ollie doesn't wheeze but he has these coughing spells).

Kater wrote:

I brought Jimmy into the vet a few months back because he became very ill and was pooping alot of blood. They did a fecal float then but not the test you mentioned for lungworm. He ended up having xrays and then an ultrasound and it was found that he was fighting an infection in his bowel. He was put on Metronidazole for about a month and we switched him to Hypo Gastro food and he is doing really well with his IBD and making normal poops. It's the first time in 6 years so we are so thrilled.

I brought Jimmy in again a month or so ago because he was throwing up water. I think this has been going on for longer though but he does it in the litter box so I didn't know. I just happened to catch him doing it one day and since then I sneak up on him every time I see him in the litter box. He is not thrilled with this new program. lol And on occasion, he throws up on the floor near the litter box and it's just water.

The other thing he does is cough, but not an open mouth cough. It's just a little cough, almost like a hiccup but he does it alot now. The vet did xrays and showed me the donut things in his lungs and figured that it was bronchitis and that was causing him to cough, which she thought in turn was causing the vomitting. She upped his dosage of pred and expected the coughing and vomitting to stop. Then when I called her last week, she talked about the possibility of lungworm. I don't want to get him xrayed further but do you think the donut things on the xrays already done could be caused by lungworm? That's what I'm wondering about.

With regard to heartworm, we don't have it in the southern part of B.C. and Jimmy was a stray found in Southern B.C. and we also live in the southern part as well. The other cats come from the south too. But maybe Jimmy belonged to someone at some point in the northern part who moved to the southern part and then abandoned him or maybe he just ran away. Hmmmmm, I wonder.
Does heartworm show up on an xray? I know there is a heartworm test but just wondering if my vet had another look at the xrays if she could see anything in his heart.

I don't think Jimmy is in late stage kidney failure because the vet ran a complete blood panel on him a few months ago and all his organs were functioning normally, including his one kidney. She was a bit surprised by this but thought it was great. I remember her saying that he had a kidney stone in his kidney though but she felt it wasn't an issue. Maybe that is what is causing the vomitting. I know someone suggested this to me in another post a few months back and I did run it by the vet but she doesn't think there is a connection.

I'll be picking up the panacur early next week and will post afterward. Do you happen to know if they are infected with lungworm if they will throw up alot after the meds?

I don't know what caused the intestinal blockage, Lara. I just remember how much pain Puddy was in. She cried all night and I could do nothing to help her so first thing in the morning I rushed her in to Dr. Lee. That's also when he told me that her remaining kidney was pea sized and said that they should be the size of kidney beans. Maybe it's because she was such a tiny thing. She never got over 5 lbs.

[Lizzie]

I don't have time to cut and paste from the posts since I'm at work, so will just respond to a few questions in EmeraldGreen's post.

None of the young cats (6) that I treated with Panacur vomited, not even the ones who were heavily infested and with other serious medical issues. They lapped it right up in small bowls of wet food and didn't seem to notice it at all. My vet gave the doses to me in small plastic bags for each dose and each cat, that was a lot of little bags! You can buy the large tube that is for horses. It's in a paste form and very much cheaper, I know my friend in rescue uses that kind. Your vet would have to help you figure out the dose I should think, if you used the tube.

I can't remember the sound of their breathing, unfortunately, since it was a couple of years ago but I guess you could call it wheezing since it sounded as though Skinny Girl was trying to breath through a massive obstruction. It was loud enough for me to hear in the front of the car (she was in the back in a carrier) over the sound of freeway driving on roads that had had the tarmac stripped off them for repaving, so that was a horrible noise too. The other cat that tested positive to it did not have noisy breathing, in fact I don't remember hearing any wheezing from her at all. That cat, Viola, died of distemper a week or so later because her owner had taken her in for a free spay event without giving her any shots first. The fact that Skinny Girl/Jazz's lungs were permanently damaged might not have been due simply to the massive infestation of lung worms, but also to her general condition. These cats were living on a property where the only animal to be fed was the dog, and he got the cheapest form of dry dog food. The cats tried to get it but the chickens pecked at them as they tried to grab it too. There was no food, no shelter, no care at all.

Have you tried a nebulizer for George. I ask because I was reading about a cat on the Best Friends web site who always gets congested after anesthesia so he has to go through nebulizer treatments for a week afterwards. Perhaps Kater can give more information on that treatment and if it could be useful.