How Much Does Cat Asthma Treatment Cost? (Updated: )

What is Cat Asthma?

During an asthma episode, your cat may suddenly begin to breathe more rapidly. It will attempt to breathe with its mouth open, taking short, fast breaths and exhibiting irregular abdominal movement. In addition, there may be a wheezing sound.

Asthma may be severe, with episodes occurring seldom and having little effect on your cat’s quality of life, or with severe attacks that can be life-threatening.

In severe or life-threatening episodes, the limitation of breathing can lead to oxygen deprivation that may be fatal. This indicates an urgent situation.

An asthma attack, whatever in severity, is stressful for your cat. Because it cannot breathe, it is unaware of what is occurring and may suffer dread or worry, which is unpleasant for anybody. There are methods for managing your cat’s asthma and enhancing its quality of life.

How Much Does Cat Asthma Treatment Cost?

Asthma is incurable in cats, although its symptoms can be controlled with oral, injectable, or inhaled drugs to ease airway constriction and avoid relapses.

Inexpensive corticosteroids, such as depo-medrol or prednisolone, are among the available treatment alternatives. Prednisolone costs around $0.27-0.29 per 1-milligram tablet and $0.16-0.17 per 1-milligram tablet, according to 1800PetMeds.

In spite of their inexpensive price, corticosteroids have adverse effects that must be evaluated against their long-term advantages.

Inhalant medications may also be used to decrease inflammation in the airway (similar to human asthma therapy), but they are more expensive and difficult to administer to cats. Training cats to wear an inhaler mask, such as the aero kat inhaler, improves the efficacy of inhaled steroid therapy.

An inhaler may cost up to $500, resulting in a cost per usage of around $4.10. Cats may require one or more uses per day, resulting in rapidly rising expenditures.

Variable-priced alternatives include oral antihistamines, cyclosporine, and oral bronchodilators.

Additional Costs to Anticipate

Costs associated with your cat’s asthma medication do not cover diagnostic tests, which might vary in price. Asthma can be difficult to diagnose since its symptoms might be mimicked by other conditions.

Your veterinarian will most likely begin with a physical exam and x-rays. X-rays provide the most accurate diagnosis of asthma. X-rays are done to detect if the lungs have structural alterations associated with asthma. Chest X-rays can cost between $100 and $250.

Asthma is diagnosed by ruling out other illnesses that might be causing the symptoms. This may involve blood testing to see whether there is a high quantity of eosinophils, which are frequent in allergic reactions and parasitic infections. This can range from $75 to $190 each test, while typical testing costs around $260.

Your veterinarian may also do a fecal test to rule out the presence of parasites that may be responsible for asthma-like symptoms. This may cost around $20.

Keep in mind that this is only for diagnostic testing, which might vary according on your region, the specific veterinarian’s clinic, and the extent of testing your cat requires. You may possibly be dealing with a condition that is more or less expensive to treat than asthma.

In addition, if your cat experiences a life-threatening asthma episode and you must seek emergency veterinary care, the fees might be substantial. Depending on the location of your emergency clinic, stabilizing your cat might cost between $800 and $1,500.

How Often Should I Treat My Cat's Asthma?

As previously stated, asthma treatment for cats focuses on managing symptoms rather than curing the underlying issue.

Each therapy modality has its own protocol. Whether you’re using injectable, inhaled, or oral steroids, the aim of treatment is to identify the lowest effective dose and interval that effectively controls your cat’s symptoms.

Some felines will require daily medicine delivery, while others may require treatment every other day or twice weekly. Your veterinarian will provide the optimal treatment regimen for your cat’s individual symptoms and attack frequency.

Does Pet Insurance Cover Cat Asthma Treatment?

Asthma is a chronic ailment, thus pet insurance often covers it. This may include emergency visits linked to an asthma attack, supportive treatment, and diagnostic tests, depending on the specifics of your insurance and coverage.

Some insurance carriers provide supplementary prescription coverage, which might assist with the cost of your cat’s asthma medicine.

If the problem occurred before you enrolled your cat in pet insurance, it is a pre-existing ailment, and pre-existing conditions are typically not covered.

Your policy may also include deductibles and plan restrictions, so it’s wise to discuss the specifics of your policy and coverage with your insurance provider.

How to Minimize Asthma Attacks in Your Cat

The goal of asthma treatment is to manage asthma episodes and symptoms. In addition to administering medicine, you may help your cat by reducing the triggers that cause an immunological reaction and an asthma attack.

The following allergens are common asthma triggers for cats:

• Pollen
• Grass
• Mold
• Dust
• Animal dander
• Cat litter
• Insects
• Smoke from candles or fireplaces
• Tobacco smoke
• Household cleaning solutions
• Air fresheners

You may not be able to entirely eradicate your cat’s asthma symptoms, but you may be able to reduce the frequency of attacks by removing the causes. This is especially vital if your cat is prone to severe, life-threatening asthma episodes.

Conclusion

Asthma in cats is a distressing and painful illness for both you and your pet. Due to the immune response nature of asthma, there is no cure or direct therapy.

Using oral corticosteroids, antihistamines, or inhaled medicines, the available treatment methods aim to reduce attacks and ease symptoms. You and your veterinarian can choose the optimal treatment for your cat depending on its medical history and the severity of its symptoms.

“How Much Does Cat Asthma Treatment Cost?” by BestForPets (bestforpets.org) has provided you with a thorough overview of the asthma treatment cost for your cat and any additional expenses you may incur. We hope this article will assist you in selecting an appropriate plan for you and your cat.