{"id":808,"date":"2017-04-03T12:24:23","date_gmt":"2017-04-03T16:24:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.drphilzeltzman.com\/blog\/?p=808"},"modified":"2022-07-08T15:34:49","modified_gmt":"2022-07-08T19:34:49","slug":"why-was-willow-suffocating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drphilzeltzman.com\/blog\/why-was-willow-suffocating\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Was Willow Suffocating?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Willow, a sweet 18 month old cat (see picture), had been battling repeated upper respiratory infections ever since she was a kitten. Antibiotics helped for a while, but the infections kept coming back. Her breathing started to sound noisier. Breathing became harder and harder. Until she was suffocating.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

When I was called by Brodheadsville Vet Clinic<\/a>\u00a0to examine Willow, I suspected that she had developed a polyp. A polyp is a benign tumor that can grow in a cat\u2019s mouth (or ear) because of ongoing irritation or inflammation. It can be tricky to see when it\u2019s in the mouth, because it grows over the roof of the mouth, aka the soft palate.<\/p>\n

Under sedation, I pulled her soft palate forward and sure enough, we found a huge mass (see video if you think you can stomach it!!!). I gently removed the mass. Willow was carefully monitored for bleeding and difficulty breathing.<\/p>\n