Not winning with Bovril.

[fecto's mum]

Farthing, have you looked at the zooplus site. I buy all Big Foozy's food from there cos he gets bored easy. Its very cheap and fast delivery. They do every type of food you can think of.

[farthing]

I think it's more to do with how he's feeling rather than the food, to be honest. He was ravenous when he arrived and I suspect as we controlled his thyroid with meds, the other issue set back in. He is very rattly, wheezy in the morning without steroids, which is why I suspect asthma. He's eaten on his own a bit today, so I guess it's the steroids kicking in. I now don't know whether to try the vidalta again or try something else!

[truthisouthere]

Poor lad.

Has your vet said what might be the cause of his wheezing if it is asthma or something other?.
Has your vet suggested it could be some sort of an allergy/intolerance perhaps.. EG: Some cats can be sensitive to the house dust mite and it can even clog their nostrils up due to localised inflammation and the body forming mucous just to get rid of the invading foreign body. Does he get any relief being outdoors or does he not go out yet.
Is your house chemical free?. Is he hairball free? I only propose all these questions to try and 'cover all bases' and get to the bottom of why he is so wheezy, especially in he mornings.

To 'Vidalta' or not to Vidalta is a difficult one. When he's already not got much of an appetite it won't help, BUT getting his thyroid under control IS a priority, so it's a real toughie.. Have you tried Bovril on a lower dose yet..I think it would be wise to have a little talk with your vet about his general health and what could be the cause of his wheezing.

Please give dear, sweet Bovril a gentle hug from me.

[farthing]

I am talking to the vet weekly, at the minimum about his health.
His blood show no abnormalities,( other than being slightly anaemic) and if it's an allergy/ inflammatory issue the eosinophils are often raised.
He is in the bathroom at the moment which has a wood floor, he doesn't seem to suffer greatly from hair balls and I do not use a lot of chemicals when cleaning. He is not fit enough to go outdoors or well enough for x-rays which would let us look at the state of his lungs, or show tumours, because it may well be a cancer the steriods are helping rather than an allergic response.
He is eating better now he's on the steriods and I will change his cat litter from wood pellets to the lightweight cat litter because reading your reply has made me wonder if the pellets are an issue in some way. We are waiting for him to stabilise on the steroids before dealing with the thyroid issue.
We may try the felimazole rather than vidalta, our Fluffy did not respond to vidalta but did with the felimazole so it will be a case of trial and error.

[fecto's mum]

Poor little Bovril, at least he is eating better. Maybe a change of thyroid meds will help him. He's obviously getting the best care possible thanks to you, Farthing.