Tips and Tricks on using the Aerokat chamber in Cats
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- čas přidán 31. 05. 2024
- EASY AEROKAT USE: TIPS AND TRICKS - by Sacha Dam-de Vrijer
Dierenartsenpraktijk West-Betuwe - the Netherlands
1. Cat’s love their routine, they put trust in a predictable daily pattern
2. You know your cat best! Having a temperament which trusts you in all matters and adapts to a medication routine immediately with happy purrs, either clinging to the ceiling or hiding under the bed, no matter in which category they fall, the goal is for them to associate the "med time" with what they find routine and pleasurable.
3. Think of places and activities that your cat enjoys. Does she have a favourite spot in the house? What does she like as a reward? Praise, cuddles, stroking, catnip, treats and/or food? Bed time? Your arrival home? There's usually several things on your list and you can combine them in your ‘best reward’ strategy to make using an inhaler as stress-free as possible.
4. Let the cat get used to the inhalation process and start with the face mask: acclimatise your cat to this object over several days, letting him/her investigate it on the floor or by the food bowl. Leave it at her favourite spot, put some food on the mask to lick off, stroke her with verbal praise and stroke her with the chamber to get her personal scent on it.
5. Reward fearless approaches to the device with a suitable reward like food, catnip or stroking, and start placing it near the cat's face. Detach the face mask and place it on the cat's nose area for just a second with a suitable reward. Build up from there. Watch carefully for signals that she’s had enough and stop there.
6. Practice with the mask and chamber over your cat's face without anything in the chamber, and reward the cat for not reacting adversely.
7. If a cat is on Salbutamol, administer this bronchodilator first, to allow better delivery of the corticosteroid.
8. The puff sound of an inhaler, which most cats dislike, is a common concern for new users. But the sound can simply become part of the happy activity, or at the least, the tolerated activity that gets the treat. It’s better to preload the chamber with a puff of medication (in addition to the dose required) and place the mask over the muzzle, and be sure to hold it for four to six breaths.
9. Keep track of the puffs so you know when your MDI is nearing empty.
10. Let the cat drink water afterwards, they don’t like the smell or taste of the inhaler medication and prevents fungal overgrowth caused by the locally acting corticosteroids in the oral area. Don’t forget the treats!
You know your cat best and with a plan, patience and lots of love, you'll have success. The key points are: predictable daily pattern, safety, choice, reward. In the beginning, it seems impossible to imagine our cats will come seeking us out to tell us what time it is - their med time! But eventually they all do!
Looks easy? Maybe not at first! Do you want to see how we struggled at first trying the Aerokat inhaler on our own cats? And how we eventually succeeded? Have fun watching this CZcams movie: IMBEDDEN. Questions? Call us on 0345-573211 or email info@dierenartswestbetuwe.nl
Greetings,
The team of Veterinary Practice West-Betuwe
I want to make a comment to whoever feels discouraged, as I was when I first watched this video. I have a 3 year old cat who, in addition to asthmatic, is absolutely neurotic. The slightest things cause meltdowns (and asthma attacks). She regularly attacks her food bowl. She's doing a lot better now, but you can imagine my dread at having to use this tool. I followed the recommended procedures. Nothing helped. Eventually, we had to force her, after weeks of trying to ease her into accepting the Aerokat for a few seconds, sans medicine. The shape she was in no longer allowed for waiting, she had to have the meds. It was awful. Involved her yowling into the thing, and while she took the medication (right amount of breaths) she was so terrified and traumatized by being forced into it by two people. Equally traumatizing for my husband and I. I got kicked in the mouth when she escaped and ended with a bleeding lip. As you can expect, I felt very hopeless.
I never stopped trying. What eventually worked for me is teaching my cat to accept being petted while being locked underneath my legs while I crouch on the floor. I gave her lots of love in this position, for a few seconds at a time (after all, she still didn't like being immobilized). At first, I locked her in the bathroom with me when doing this. Eventually she realized that nothing bad happened. Since I could keep her so still, from this I moved to 10 seconds of Aerokat, no meds. She did not struggle so much. Eventually I moved to meds.
It took months, but these days I go up to her, where she is sleeping, with the Aerokat in hand, I show it to her, tell her it's time. She no longer runs, but greets me and waits to be put into the usual position. She associates that position with the Aerokat and with positive attention so much now, that she starts purring as soon as she is between my legs, and instead of the Aerokat flap doing a single flap per breath, it does a whole bunch per second because she's purring through the entire process, twice a day.
You can do it. Don't give up on your cat. Maybe what works for you isn't exactly what is shown in the video. But you can do it and your cat does eventually realize it helps them feel better. Good luck to whoever reads this.
Thank you so much for your reply! You can be proud of yourself and of your kitty for your perseverance! I think your comment can certainly help people to don't give up.
My cat is turning 7yrs next month and we’ve had the AeroKat for a month and not doing well. When it was just the AeroKat I trained w him multiple times a day leading up to 7 quick breaths at once, great! When I added the meds, he’s just a butthead. I’ve tried having him on the dining table and holding him under my armpit so my left hand on his chest and right hand holding the mask. Nope, he wriggles away. So I’ve tried getting on the floor w him between my legs and he still just resists it. He’s fed at 630a and 630p. I’ve given meds at 8pm as his asthma attacks were at night but if I do it before dinner, thinking dinner would be a reward, he was worse. I guess frustrated and distracted, he wants dinner, not meds. Idk what to do! I’m at my wits end, I know it’s only been a month but I feel so frustrated that he’s doing worse now w the meds added when he really needs it. What’s the best way to retrain him? To hold him without him wiggling and running away.
Thank you , I just started two days ago and my cat is terrified and struggling. I thought I was doing it wrong 😢
Thank you for this comment! I just got the device yesterday, and my cat is not food driven, so training her feels impossible. But your story and methods have encouraged me, and I’m glad you took the time to write it. Thank you! I hope your kitty is still doing well! ✌🏻
Reading these comments does really help! I had trouble even getting the thing set up in the first place. I haven’t tried it with my cat yet, I don’t have much faith that we’re gonna get very far he’s a biter does anyone have any suggestions as to some kind of gloves I could wear, not so much for this but I also have to give him steroid pills twice a day for now and then probably once a day for the rest of his life. I had no idea cats could even get asthma,Thanks for your help!
Thank you so much for your video. It gave me the courage to believe I could actually do this for my cat Toby. We did our first real dose this morning with success!
What a great video! My kitty is 17 and has asthma now. I am so worried she will be unable to tolerate the mask over her face. Your video has given me hope that I can work with her and make it a pleasant experience. I liked your suggestion to pre load the chamber first so you don't scare them with the sound of the inhaler. Thanks again this was so helpful.
Thank You!!! We were just prescribed this for one of our female cats, and the product instructions and video left us unhelped and certain of a battle. We were actually laughing at how little the advice understood the sensitivities of cats. Your video realistically gives cat-tailored advice that will actually help our little Brooklyn feel safe and easier to engage.
I wonder why this video doesn't have more views. It's really helpful! Thank you ❤️
Thanks for the compliment
Thank you so much for this video. I had to laugh at the scenes with the kitties struggling and refusing the Aerokat - that’s my reality with my Chloe right now. The video and others’ comments give me hope that Chloe will eventually come around and accept I’m not actually torturing her! 😸
Loved your video, thank you for helping me to learn how to get my cat used to the Aerokat first. Just found out last week he has asthma. How your video helped is how you teach us to get our fur babies used to the device first. Two thumbs up.
How did you manage? I am about to try it on my cat, right now just trying to get him used to it without medication.
This is so helpful. Thank you for making a video about the difficulties and how to address them. I was laughing with my vet techs yesterday about how picturesque they make it seem in other videos. 😄 Appreciate the time put into this video!
Sacha, thank you for kindly answering my post about my problem getting my kitty Annikah to use the Aerokat. I kept gently working with her and finally she has started inhaling the medicine and making the counter move. She gets her full dose of medicine now and is breathing much better. It did take me 6 weeks of gentle encouragement but thankfully we finally have success! Thanks so much for your help.
I just purchased meds and an Areokat, for my kitty. She has episodes daily, and her liquid medication was not helping her.
Thank you for this video. I want the best for my Gucci, and I appreciate you posting this.
Thank you very much for the helpful information!
Very helpful! Thank you so much. 🙏
Thanks for the tips!
Great video, thank you!
Thanks a lot, i find it very useful
Been trying that with my cat also with favorite treats but I didnt work for him, he struggles unless there are 2 people giving him de medication, then he knows he is outnumbered. So my method is using a bath towel to wrap the cat up like a burrito
My cat has just been diagnosed with asthma 1 month ago. He was admitted for a lung infection which revealed the asthma diagnosis. He was initially on oral steroids but has been started on the inhalers. I started out by introducing the inhaler and associating it with treats just as most videos adviced.He was initially okay w me putting the inhaler over his face but once i started introducing the inhaled steroids, he has started to dislike the spacer. I think he does not like the smell of the meds.
I still have to gv him the inhaler though as he is on tapering dose of the oral steroid and im worried about systemic effect of prolonged oral steroid use.
Its been less than 5 days and im hoping that by continuing with positive associations with the inhaler ie treats and pets, he will finally come to the inhaler by himself.
Im actually a paediatrician and treating asthma in children is my bread and butter but its a different challenge all together to see a cat having respiratory distress and it broke my heart when my fur baby was diagnosed with asthma.
I hope he will respond well to the treatment and live a long comfortable life. I love him so so much.
He is not really a 100% his old self yet but his appetite has improved and wants to play occasionally.
Don't give up too soon. End with something he really likes. Wet food, snacks, soups, desert, whipped cream. I really don't care. Most cats feel after a while that the use of the inhaler benefits them. Literally gives them 'more air' to breathe. And if it doesn't work, a low oral dose of steroids is not the end of the world (although I do admit, local steroids are better). Cat's are way less prone to systemic side effects compared to dogs or humans (I presume.... that's your area of expertise...) Greetings Sacha (Vetererinarian)
Thanks, this was really helpful. Maxie and I are going to give his Aerokat a first gentle try this evening.
Hope things went well for you both
@@nightgarden26 He doesn't love it, but sits still and tolerates it very well. His asthma is very mild, bit it must help. I also make it worth his while by giving him a nice treat of a brothy fish packet after (which also clears the residue from his mouth). He doesn't run away, and as long as I fill the chamber just prior to covering his nose, he stays put in my arms.
@@celere1 my cats has just been diagnosed with asthma 1 month ago
@@alyahamzah1952 I am sorry to hear that, and hope the treatment is going well. This nebulizer works great. I highly recommend introducing it slowly and especially spraying the inhaler before putting it over your cat's nose. It makes just the sort of terrifying noise that cats hate, although after a couple of months I could even do that. Remember to watch the air flap and count breaths too. Good luck in your cat's treatment!
One other thing that helps is that I treat my cat to a partial packet of kitty broth after each dose. The flavor is very nice (looks so anyway) and it helps rinse away the bad taste and risk of fungal infection that was noted.
Thank you for the video. I am trying to get my cat used to aerokat.
Just curious: how are you and your cat doing?
Thank you for the video my cat got used to it fast. But i do press the inhaler before i put on the mask .dont want to startle him.
My cat was diagnosed with asthma 5 months ago and was first given the antibiotics and some pills which stopped her attacks but the vet said those are too dangerous on a long term so we use areocat now and she gets ventolin and fixotide 2x per day 1pumo of each and she takes 25 breaths each time. But still has an attack almost like shown in the video almost every day. I just gave her the meds and she got an attack a minute after. I dont get it. I took her to 2 different vets and they both said its a mild case. Shouldnt the meds stop the attacks or at least make them less frequent? Should i give her more medicine? Maybe more pumps not just one? Im so lost, mt heart is breaking seeing her having those attacks on a daily basis :(
Nice voice
I hope I get this to work. I did mask training with my cat for a month where he licked treats off of the mask and I could get it on his face for a couple seconds. At the end of the month he had an asthma attack and I tried to give him some meds. He HATES the sound of the inhaler. I held him and he took meds for maybe 4-5 breaths. The next day he whined and ran off even when I tried to give him his favorite treat. I am going to keep trying but man this set back has left me saddened.
The vets said he has very mild asthma and he has an attack 1-2 times a week (that we notice) and they last for 45-90 seconds. He is 2 years old and a sweet cat but doesn't like being picked up or handled.
Please god let this work.
You say he HATES the sound of the inhaler. I'm not sure I understand. An Aerokat inhaler/mask does not make a sound. And if your cat hates the sound of releasing the medication into the mask, do that away from the cat and place the mask on his face later. To prevent too much loss of medication in the mean time: release a double dose in the chamber before you move towards your cat. Don't give up, follow through, find the best treats you can think of and your cat will forget you and in the end notice that you mean well and starts feeling better. Good luck trying!
@@zumbafavourites the inhaler makes a small puff noise. I don't know. I put my hand on the end of the mask as I depress the inhaler and then immediately walk into the room and put it on his face. He has had some consistent doses lately.
In the video, you say that, contrary to the manufacturer's instructions, it's better to pre-load the chamber with one puff in addition to whatever the vet has recommended. Would you please explain why? Can this method result in over-medicating the cat? It would seem to me to be wasting a dose. If that's not so, why not? Thanks in advance for your help.
What I mean is, when you're in the phase that your cat is just getting used to having the aerokat placed on his face, the hissing sound of filling the chamber can scare the cat too much to cause a setback. If you preload the chamber, and in severe cases use an extra dose to compensate for the loss of medication that happens because the chamber is not on the cat's face instantly, they accept this procedure more easily. Once the've accepted this strategy in a relaxed fashion, stop preloading and use it as the manufacturer prescribes. In the first phase you're glad if your cat breathes into the device a few times, so I'm not so scared of overdosing.
Thank you.
please remember in the beginning of the video when the cats were fighting the chamber, it did NOT have the bronchial dilator in it.
I'm still having a problem with the aerokat. I worked with my kitty who is 17 yrs old for over 3 weeks getting her use to the mask and chamber. She was doing pretty good with that part so three days ago I started with the medicine. She might get the green counter flap to move once or twice but that is about all. She gets frantic because I am holding the mask on her face and the flap isn't moving to let in the air and medication. I take the mask off for a bit to give her a break and try again and the green counter won't move. I don't know what the problem is maybe her age and she isn't inhaling strongly enough. I know she is breathing but it seems like it's too difficult for her to take big enough breaths. I tried to hold it more firmly on her face and that didn't help and just upset her more. I keep trying because the prednisolone tablets she is on for her asthma aren't good for her heart. I don't know what else to do, I'm going to keep trying and hope it starts working better for her.
Hi, So sad, when it's a struggle... I'm curious though, during the practice weeks, could she manage movement of the green counter flap without too much effort? It should be easy. If not, can you move the flap with the smallest breaths you can take? (of course without medicating yourself ;-).It should be easy, otherwise the flap might be moist/sticky of defect. If it moves without effort but not if you add the medicine, then your kitty is probably noticing (tasting/smelling) the medication and doesn't like it. As a result she would hold her breath as long as possible. Thinking outside the box, but is there something she really likes, that has a strong taste? Tuna or something? Put a small piece inside the inhaler, add the puffs of medication, let her sniff it and after a few sniffs give the tuna (or better, a fresh piece so she doesn't have to wait for you to wrestle the piece of Tuna out of the inhaler). Don't try to make her move the flap 10x at first, but make a slow learning-by-reward curve for her. I think that when she notices that her asthma improves, she'll accept it more readily. Then you probably don't need the tuna anymore (or only as a reward afterwards). Only downside: daily cleaning of the inhaler... One last tip: freeze the Tuna in small chuncks so a tin lasts longer and doesn't get spoiled.(I hope there's not a lot of mistakes in my English). Greetings Sacha.
@@zumbafavourites Thank you so much for your suggestions. The treat is a good idea and I will work on that. She has finally taken a few deep breaths and the flap opens all the way so I know it is working. I am being very gentle with her and she has done better but still isn't breathing normally into the mask every time yet to get her entire dose. Her vet said to keep her on the tablets while she is getting use to using the inhaler. I hope in time she will breath normally and can get all her breaths in with the medication. The Aerokat came with two masks, a larger and a small. Which size are you using? I have been using the smaller one. Thank you so kindly again for responding and helping me with my kitty. I'll let you know how she does. Your English is perfect:)
What if you don't have weeks to train your cat? My cat developed bronchitis symptoms very fast and is struggling to breathe, but goes berserk if i try to put the mask anywhere near his face
Dear Mike. If you don't have weeks to train your cat AND your cat goes berserk if you move to quickly....... it's even more important that you take it slowwwwww......... And with a lot of positive enforcement techniques. Please contact your local vet for advice in the mean time. Maybe he or she can prescribe (palatable) oral corticosteroid medication while you keep practising with the Aerocat. Struggling to breathe might mean something else on top of the bronchitis. So I'd advice you to contact your vet anyhow. Towel wrapping and forcing the Aerokat on your kitty will not help you nor the cat in the long run. Good luck!
@@zumbafavourites The vet says it's just bronchitis (he just had an xray of his chest). He can't have oral steroids because he's on medication for other things. But he likes lying on his back and being played with, so I held him like that after he'd calmed down and he is now ok with the aerokat! Rewarded him with lots of pets. Proud of my kitty.
@@Mike-hb4qz that's great news! What works for your cat is golden!
@@zumbafavourites Sadly my efforts were in vain as my poor kitty had an inoperable tumor in his neck. The bronchitis turned out to be a red herring. We were getting on so well with the Aerokat too... he was a really special kitty. I suppose the lesson for others is to be wary when these breathless symptoms onset rapidly, not that there was anything we could have done...
@@Mike-hb4qz ohhh that's really sad. I mentioned that really struggling to breathe is often caused by something else.... I'm so sorry for you and your kitty...
How many times in day we have to do it?
It depends on what type of inhalermedication your cat is on and the severity of its asthma signs. Most of the time you'll end up with once or twice daily. Ask your vet for advice!
my cat refuses it breathe in this
Take it slow. First let your cat get used to it, gently... After a while he/she will breathe into the aerokat.