feline asthma

1. FELINE ASTHMA
Submitted To,
Dr.C Ansar Kamran
Dept.Of Veterinary Medicine
Veterinary college, Banglore
Submitted By,
Dr Rajat D Sagare
MVHK-1829

2. Introduction
• Asthma is a disorder of lower airways causing
airflow limitation
• Asthma is also described as an acute or
chronic inflammation of the airway associated
with
Narrowing/constriction of the airways
The presence of inflammatory cells within the
airways

3. • It is also considered as chronic bronchial
disease of cat with clinical signs similar to
chronic bronchitis and differentiation between
these two disease is not so easy
Synonyms
• Feline allergic asthma
• Feline allergic bronchitis
• Feline eosinophilic bronchitis
• Feline lower airway disease

4. Epidemiology
Species , Age , Sex,Breed
• Affected cats are young to middle aged at
onset .
• Either gender can be affected .
• Siamese cats are predisposed .
Geography and seasonality
• It depends on the allergen type

5. PATHO PHYSIOLOGY
When a susceptible cat first inhales an allergen, system
creates specific antibodies to target that antigen
When the cat is exposed to that antigen again, these antibodies
recognize the allergen and start a cascade of events that bring
many different types of immune cells to the airways
These immune cells then trigger the production of substances
that promote inflammation, a condition that results in irritation
and swelling

6. So airway epithelium may get hypertrophy , undergo metaplastic
changes , erode or ulcerate then airway goblet cells and mucosal
glands produce mucus and these changes help the inflammatory
cells to migrate
As a result, the diameter of the airways may decrease and mucus
may accumulate within the passages will cause cough ,wheeze
All these processes limit the ability of air to move through the
airways and cause the cat to experience difficulty breathing

8. Studies were taken place based on
• Hyper reactivity between Eosinophil and T-
lymphocyte
• Naturally occurring disease
• Experimentally induced asthma

9. Clinical signs
• Clinical signs are variable
• Asthmatic cats may cough ,wheeze and
struggle to breathe on a daily basis
• Squatting with shoulders hunched, neck
extended and rapid breathing or gasping for
breath
• Gagging up foamy mucus

10. Contd…
• Open mouth breathing
• Blue lips and gums
• Laboured breath after exertion
• Overall weakness and lethargy
• Some cats with asthma may be asymptomatic
• Severely affected have persistent daily cough
and may have episodes of life –threatening
acute bronchoconstriction

11. Diagnosis
1)History
Owner complains daily chronic cough
2)Physical examination
No such consistent finding which gives base
for diagnosis. Respiratory distress during
expiration is hall mark of these disorder

12. 3)Fecal examination
Aelurostrongylus abstrusus can cause cough
and dyspnea
4)Thoracic radiographs
Radiographs of thorax of cats with asthma
demonstrate bronchial wall thickening
(“doughnut ”)
It also shows increased density within right
middle lung lobe associated with mediastinal
shift to right (Atelectasis)

13. • Chest X-ray of a cat with asthma. Notice
the characteristic bright branching pattern
along the airways and overinflation of the
lungs

14. 5)Response to therapy as a diagnostic measure
Asthma will respond to corticosteroids or
bronchodilators
6)Bronchoscopy
It is difficult to make diagnosis as it is only
bronchoconstriction . This is a life threatening
procedure

15. 7)Bronchoalveolar Lavage
This is an extremely useful procedure and in
itself. BAL, as it is called, is performed by
inserting an endotracheal tube into the trachea
under general anaesthesia, then fluids present
in the airways of the lungs are extracted
through this tube for examination
Aside from asthma, the BAL may diagnose
other conditions of the lungs
The common cells recovered are eosinophil

16. The down side of BAL is that it requires a
general anaesthesia, which is not
recommended for a cat with severe respiratory
distress
8)Tracheobronchial culture
Normal pathogens such as Klebsiella ,
Pseudomonas can recovered in healthy cat
In asthma there is role of Mycoplasma

17. Treatment
• Treatment strategies are successful if directed towards
decreasing the underlying inflammatory component , and
also address the cough wheeze and increase respiratory
effect . It includes
• Long term corticosteroids
• Bronchodilators
• Antitussives
• Mucolytics
• Expectorants
• Antibiotics
• Anti leukotrienes
• Serotonin inhibitors
• Avoid stress

18. 1)Long term corticosteroids
This class of drugs will suppress airway
inflammation
Prednisolone –1 to 2mg/kg PO q12hr for 5-
7days. Then the dose is tapered slowly for
2months
2)Injectable corticosteroids
Methyl prednisolone actetate -10to 20mg IM
once every 4 to 8 weeks

19. 3)Bronchodilators
These drugs are classified as
a)beta receptor agonists-
Terbutaline -0.01mg/kg SQ or IM
Albuterol sulfate –inhalation-90microgram
b)Methylxanthine derivatives-
Theophyline 4mg/kg PO q8h
Aminophylline -5 to6 mg/kg PO q12h
c)Anticholinergics

20. 4)Antitiussives
5)Mucolytics-
Bromhexine-2mg/kg PO q12h for 7 to 10 days
Acetyl cysteine-5 to 10mg /kg for 30min q 12h
nebulization
6) Antibiotics
Antibiotics are rarely indicated in the treatment of
feline asthma, with the exception of treating
Mycoplasma infections. If Mycoplasma is isolated, an
appropriate antibiotic such as doxycycline should be
administered at the usual dose

21. 7) Serotonin inhibitors
Cyproheptadine, a serotonin inhibitor, has
been advocated as an additional therapeutic
for asthma. Serotonin mediates smooth
muscle contractility in feline airway .Dose- 2 to
4mg PO q12h
8)Antileukotrines
Zafrilukast-1-2mg/kg PO q12h
Montelukast-0.5 to1mg /kg PO q 24h

22. 9) Aerosol delivery of steroids and
bronchodilators
Metered Dose Inhalers (MDI’s)
Spacer (aerokat)
Prevents excessive disposition of drug onto
oropharynx
Synchronizes breathing with actuation
Fewer systemic side-effect
Commonly used are Fluticasone propionate
and Albuterol.

24. 1. Shake the MDI 3-4 times, then remove the cap and
insert the MDI into the appropriate end of the spacer
2. Place the facemask gently over the cat's face, making
sure the nose is covered
3. Actuate the MDI
4. Hold the mask in place for 7-10 seconds
5. If 2 actuations of the same medication are prescribed,
wait 30-60 seconds in-between repeating administration.
Start again at step 1, shaking the MDI
6. If using both a bronchodilator and a corticosteroid,
use the bronchodilator first, wait for 5 minute, then
administer the corticosteroid. The Broncho dilation
achieved will allow for deeper deposition of the
corticosteroid into the lungs

26. Prognosis
• Feline asthma is often a progressive condition
that fails to improve significantly over time, and
affected cats may experience occasional
asthmatic flare-ups that vary in intensity from
mild to life threatening. Although cats can never
be truly “cured” of asthma, by carefully
monitoring their respiratory effort, keeping an
eye out for coughing, and intervening with
medication when they need help, owners can
help their asthmatic cats live happily for years