Question Details
Chronic Snuffler Cat In A Cat
by Cbecker - April 13, 2020    View Case Report
I have been working with a 13 yr. old MN feline who is a chronic snuffler. As a kitten he was exposed to below freezing temperatures and lost the tips of his ears and had significant damage to his nasal passages/sinuses. Since then he has chronic upper respiratory problems, with dyspnea/snoring occurring constantly and intermittant infection with thick, yellow nasal discharge.
He has lost significant weight over the years and is currently 6# (BCS= 2/5). He has an okay appetite, but needs tempting food daily. His activity level is low. Routine dry needling at Shan-gen, and LI-20 is tolerated very well.
I would like to start him on San Ren Tang, he is currently on Bu Fei San long-term and Huey's Formula (both Jing Tang herbals) with a plateau of response. Is there another formula that is known to more benefit chronic snufflers? He will need to be on this long-term, do I need to pulse dose an herbal medication in this elderly feline or need to watch for any specific negative changes.
Thank you for all your help.
Replies
by naturevet
April 21, 2020
Hi Cheryl,

Sorry for the long delay in replying!

Almost invariably for cats like your patient, I end up using San Ren Tang and changing their diet to some sort of 'real food'. Nutritional balance is not important for the first few weeks, so much as trying to find something that will stimulate the appetite while not being processed. As he feels better, we can get more picky about the diet and start tweaking it in the direction of balance. Canned fish, roast chicken from the grocery store, even freeze-dried grain-free diets (not constituted) are all options and will provide a foundation for San Ren Tang to hopefully do great things.

Regarding the current protocol, if he has improved on it, then there may be more room to improve. The problem is that the two formulas negate each other. Huey's Formula, which is actually the classic formula Cang Er Zi San, dispels acute Wind Heat while Bu Fei San 'locks the thief inside the house' and seals the pathogen in. One deals with drying discharges, the other creates a bunch of moisture. I would suggest stopping the Bu Fei San while adding in the San Ren Tang. The CEZS and SRT will work synergistically then, particularly if the diet is also changed. I use this combination in people for the identical situation.

If, for some reason, he worsens, then it is the tonic (BFS) that he needs, in which case you would stop the CEZS and SRT, and go in that direction instead (coupled with something else - maybe a Blood mover like Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang). Given his age, though, and the nature of the discharge, I would be surprised if diet change + SRT +/- continued use of CEZS didn't resolve the problem or at least markedly improve it over the coming weeks

Steve
by Cbecker
May 15, 2020
Thank you, I will give this a try.
by Cbecker
August 16, 2020
Hello Steve, I when I changed this cat's formula to SRT, then added in CEZS after 2 weeks, the owner reported that her cat worsened, became lethargic and did not eat well. She said she had a much harder time getting him to take the SRT at first, but he eventually accepted it. She wanted to change him back to BFS when he started to go downhill, and I said that was okay, but we did add in XFZYT. I believe she gives the XFZYT only when he seems depressed or less active, and I'm not sure how often that is. She is pleased with how he doing, and we will continue with the BFS and XFZYT combo. I asked her to give then both on a more consistent basis. Thank you again!
by naturevet
August 24, 2020
That's great news!

Sorry to have steered you wrong there. At least when things go wrong with herbal formulas, it tells us what the right move is. So they are still a better choice than drugs, if you can get the results.

I'm so glad that seems to be happening now. Hopefully that continues and thank you for the update!

Steve
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