New Sphynx mommy with concerns

[vengasejanis]

Hello everyone! As you've read in the title, I am a new sphynx mom. I adopted little Janis on Sunday, June 12th (she's about 4.5 mos old). I had a couple questions and I'm hoping someone can lend some insight. Janis was diagnosed with pneumonia before I adopted her (she was about 3.5 mos old) and was given a two-week antibiotic treatment, along with a heart med to help keep her heart strong, and fluids were also extracted from her lungs and sent for analysis. Turns out her pneumonia was a bacterial infection and the vet gave her clearance to be adopted after her two-week treatment. The day I brought her home (we had a 6 hour car drive home) I let her roam around the house and explore, and before I knew it she was running around and playing! I thought it was great until I saw her stop to cough for a bit. She coughed almost as if she was coughing up a hairball and it lasted about 5 seconds. Then about 30 mins later she coughed the same way again! I thought I was going to have to take her to the emergency vet! I calmed her down from playing and she didn't cough anymore after that. I noticed she was very playful on Tuesday morning, so I played with her for about an hour and I noticed that her heart rate and breathing increased due to playing, then she coughed again! I calmed her down and took her to the vet today. The vet listed to hear breathing and said it sounded fine through the stethoscope and since she had pneumonia about a month ago, he decided to give her a shot of antibiotics again just in case.

My question for you all is: Has anyone had a Sphynx that recovered from pneumonia? Do you know if pneumonia could have long term affects?

Any insight is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Yoda mom]

@vengasejanis , welcome to you and Janis ! Looking forward to pics of her!
So glad you joined the lair family and jumped right in!
I am sure you others will chime in with a big welcome and their experiences -
Thank you for taking great care of her! Can't wait to see pics!

 

[admin]

Hello everyone! As you've read in the title, I am a new sphynx mom. I adopted little Janis on Sunday, June 12th (she's about 4.5 mos old). I had a couple questions and I'm hoping someone can lend some insight. Janis was diagnosed with pneumonia before I adopted her (she was about 3.5 mos old) and was given a two-week antibiotic treatment, along with a heart med to help keep her heart strong, and fluids were also extracted from her lungs and sent for analysis. Turns out her pneumonia was a bacterial infection and the vet gave her clearance to be adopted after her two-week treatment. The day I brought her home (we had a 6 hour car drive home) I let her roam around the house and explore, and before I knew it she was running around and playing! I thought it was great until I saw her stop to cough for a bit. She coughed almost as if she was coughing up a hairball and it lasted about 5 seconds. Then about 30 mins later she coughed the same way again! I thought I was going to have to take her to the emergency vet! I calmed her down from playing and she didn't cough anymore after that. I noticed she was very playful on Tuesday morning, so I played with her for about an hour and I noticed that her heart rate and breathing increased due to playing, then she coughed again! I calmed her down and took her to the vet today. The vet listed to hear breathing and said it sounded fine through the stethoscope and since she had pneumonia about a month ago, he decided to give her a shot of antibiotics again just in case.

My question for you all is: Has anyone had a Sphynx that recovered from pneumonia? Do you know if pneumonia could have long term affects?

Any insight is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hello @vengasejanis and welcome to Sphynxlair! Sorry to hear of this issue. It should have cleared up by now for the most part, hopefully enough antibiotics were given initially. A lot of times a nebulizer may have to be used to get the antibiotics into the lungs. The cat would need to be hospitalized for fluids and oxygen therapy. Another home remedy would be to use a humidifier in the room the cat sleeps in. Hope she gets better soon - keep us posted!

 

[Toa and Ross]

Hello @vengasejanis and welcome to sphynxlaor for you and Janis! I don't have experience with pneunomia. My Toa does cough the way you describe sometimes when he gets excited (playing, having to wait for his food). He keeps his head low to the ground, and coughs like he's chocking or needs to get a hairball out. His heart bums like crazy at those moments. When I sit next to him and pet him he calms down in a few minutes. I did this a few times and he started coughing more often. Cause I noticed he did it also at moments he did want to have something (like a toy or food) I didn't want to give at the moment I was starting to think this was maybe his way of getting attention. Just like childeren are going to cry when they don't get what they want. So now I just say "Toa, stop it" and you know what? He stops!
I don't know if this is the same with Janis. Of course first you have to know for sure the coughing is not cause by pneunomia!!

 

[vengasejanis]

Hello @vengasejanis and welcome to Sphynxlair! Sorry to hear of this issue. It should have cleared up by now for the most part, hopefully enough antibiotics were given initially. A lot of times a nebulizer may have to be used to get the antibiotics into the lungs. The cat would need to be hospitalized for fluids and oxygen therapy. Another home remedy would be to use a humidifier in the room the cat sleeps in. Hope she gets better soon - keep us posted!

Thank you for the advice @admin ! We can try a humidifier go see if it helps.

 

[vengasejanis]

Hello @vengasejanis and welcome to sphynxlaor for you and Janis! I don't have experience with pneunomia. My Toa does cough the way you describe sometimes when he gets excited (playing, having to wait for his food). He keeps his head low to the ground, and coughs like he's chocking or needs to get a hairball out. His heart bums like crazy at those moments. When I sit next to him and pet him he calms down in a few minutes. I did this a few times and he started coughing more often. Cause I noticed he did it also at moments he did want to have something (like a toy or food) I didn't want to give at the moment I was starting to think this was maybe his way of getting attention. Just like childeren are going to cry when they don't get what they want. So now I just say "Toa, stop it" and you know what? He stops!
I don't know if this is the same with Janis. Of course first you have to know for sure the coughing is not cause by pneunomia!!

Thanks @Toa and Ross ! I'll keep an eye on Janis and see if she's trying to get my attention. She is pretty vocal as it is, so it's very possible!

 

[Hairless Blessing]

Welcome to sphynxlair, good to have you.
Good advice already, but, if thing's don't seem to be getting any better
I would take her back to the Vet.
I hope this will take care of it.

 

[lealea]

Hi there. After pneumonia, you can often end up with a lingering cough that is more pronounced after periods of exertion. The lung tissue remains inflamed after an infection and can take a while to calm down. If it persists or gets worse, or she looks like she is having trouble catching her breath, take her straight to the vet. Often a short course of prednisolone is needed to control that inflammation and get her back to normal.

The cough should sound dry and not mucousy or moist, which would indicate an infection. Observe for runny eyes or nose. A dry cough can last for a few weeks following pneumonia and can serve as a way to clear any lingering mucous. Any signs of decreased activity, lethargy, anorexia, chestiness, wheeze or other abnormal behaviour should have you straight back in the vet.

I hope this helps.

 

[Xandria]

While I have nothing more to add to the great advice above, sending you positive and healing vibes for your lovely Janis. Welcome to the lair and I hope you find some time to post some photos and tell us more about yourself and your little one.

 

[vengasejanis]

Here's a picture of my little Janis!

 

[Xandria]

She's gorgeous. I love her colours and patterns!

 

[Toa and Ross]

@vengasejanis : wow! What a stunnin beauty Janis is. A girl who deserves to wear pearls

 

[Catzzzmeow]

She looks so pretty

 

[KitKat26]

Here's a picture of my little Janis!
View attachment 59952

How beautiful!!! I would love to know where you got her collar

 

[vengasejanis]

@KitKat26 I bought her collar at Petsmart!

 

[kauna]

She is just beautiful! I love her colors.

 

[Yoda mom]

@vengasejanis , checking in on Pretty Janis
Hope to hear she is feeling great!

 

[Tausmom]

Hi and welcome. :shame: My boy is 2 and when I picked him up at 6 months old, unbeknownst to me, he was ill. Tau suffers from Chronic Upper Respiratory Infection and this will last his entire lifetime. He does well for the most part but if he becomes to exhausted, stressed out or sick, he begins to cough and it sounds quite phlegmy. It always sounds worse than it is but causes me anxiety nonetheless. Just keep in mind that it doesnt necessarily mean anything is wrong - just that your girl needs to clear her lungs so her body coughs it up. That said, it's always good to take her for regular check ups every few months for a clean bill of health. Good luck! (y)

 

[vengasejanis]

@vengasejanis , checking in on Pretty Janis
Hope to hear she is feeling great!

Thank you for asking about Janis! I took her to the vet last week because I heard wheezing after she coughed and it worried me. Anyway, the vet took x-rays and couldn't see her left lung so he extracted the fluids but when he took another x-ray afterwards, he noticed that only about an eighth of her left lung was visible, which is leading him to believe that the rest is filled with scar tissue or pus from both infections. I'm thinking Janis is going to have limited lung capacity going forward but we're not certain yet. The vet sent the fluids to the lab and I'm awaiting a call with results. Other than the wheezing and coughing Janis is doing just fine. She's playful, she loves running across the house, she eats and drinks just fine, she's the biggest snuggle bug, etc. I'm now wondering if starting her on a daily regimen on Lysine will help her. I might try it.

 

[vengasejanis]

Hi and welcome. :shame: My boy is 2 and when I picked him up at 6 months old, unbeknownst to me, he was ill. Tau suffers from Chronic Upper Respiratory Infection and this will last his entire lifetime. He does well for the most part but if he becomes to exhausted, stressed out or sick, he begins to cough and it sounds quite phlegmy. It always sounds worse than it is but causes me anxiety nonetheless. Just keep in mind that it doesnt necessarily mean anything is wrong - just that your girl needs to clear her lungs so her body coughs it up. That said, it's always good to take her for regular check ups every few months for a clean bill of health. Good luck! (y)

@Tausmom thanks for your comment! Is Tau on any type of medication? The cough freaks me out every time but I think Janis coughs about once every two days and the cough lasts approximately 5-10 seconds, so nothing too bad.

 

[Yoda mom]

@vengasejanis , your great mum! She is just gorgeous ! I can see her being a snuggle bug!
Many of us do supplement with l-lysine you can ask your vet if it would be beneficial
L-Lysine for Sphynx Cats
Btw, my cat refused to eat the expensive enysyl-f paste

I use Now Brand L-lysine mixed in wet food . I get online and at many health stores
There are several other good powder version

Not sure if humidifiers, steam from shower in a bathroom would help but worth asking vet-

Give sweet Janis extra snuggles from us!

 

[Tausmom]

@Tausmom thanks for your comment! Is Tau on any type of medication? The cough freaks me out every time but I think Janis coughs about once every two days and the cough lasts approximately 5-10 seconds, so nothing too bad.

Im going to try the L-Lysine but Tau doesnt eat wet food every day. Other than that, I give him Silver Nitrate in his fresh water every day - 1 squirt - and it can be found at a health food store. He also takes Clavamox if his cough gets too often or too "wet" sounding. I dont worry unless its more than once a day and it sounds phlegmy or wet. He's normally very playful and naughty so if I notice any lethargy or abnormal behavior, I'll have him looked at.

I also run several air purifiers throughout the house for my son and I'm hoping it's helpful for Tau. If Janis get's too worked up, definitely run a humidifier but make sure if it's a hot steam unit that it's where she won't burn herself if she chooses to inspect it.