Polyp: what is it?
Polyps are benign growths, stalked structures that can grow anywhere on an animal's body. Often they do not cause any problems and the pet lives with polyps all its life, and the owners do not even suspect such a problem.
But polyps in the nose definitely cause discomfort, they block the flow of air and the cat simply begins to experience difficulty breathing, the sense of smell may disappear, and snoring (wheezing) sounds occur.
Important! It is impossible to visually see a polyp in the nose in cats; for this you will need to use a rhinoscope - thin endoscopic equipment that can be inserted into the nasal cavity. Fluoroscopy and tomographic examination are also required.
According to statistics, nasopharyngeal polyps take 2nd place in veterinarian practice after lymphoma. Polyps “love” young animals from 4 months. up to 2 years, but this does not mean that it cannot occur in older individuals after 10 years of age.
Reasons for the formation of polyps
Some veterinarians believe that nasal and nasopharyngeal polyps are an inherited genetic mutation that is passed on from parents. The theory is based on the connection between the tendency to cancer and polyps. It is known that tumors, especially cancerous ones, are a hereditary disease or the result of a gross violation of the rules for keeping animals.
Other veterinarians believe that polyps in the nose and nasopharynx are a secondary reaction to a respiratory virus that causes structural changes in cells due to inflammation. Common viruses thought to be associated with the formation and growth of polyps are calicivirus and herpesvirus. Even after complete recovery, the cat may develop polyps due to the growth of scar or modified tissue.
The true cause of polyposis: what is it?
A polyp is an excessive (hypertrophied) growth of cells in the nasal mucosa. The impetus for this can be any factor, from mechanical damage to a systematically occurring inflammatory process. Since the mucous membrane is forced to constantly fight for the course of the normal immune process and mitigate pathological reactions, its protective functions are weakened. And then compensatory mechanisms come into play - hypertrophy, an increase in the area of the mucous membrane due to its growth. As a result of this, polyps are formed.
Doctors at the RosVet VC explain that the exact causes of the appearance of polyps have not yet been identified; the entire etiology exists more in theory, but in practice, in any case, they have to deal with the consequences and remove polyps from the nose of cats.
What can cause a polyp:
- infectious, chronic inflammation of the upper respiratory tract (runny nose in a cat);
- allergic reactions to any irritants, from plant pollen to room fragrances;
- anatomical features of the nasal cavities.
Formed polyps always pose a danger to the cat, as they block the already narrow passage of air through the upper respiratory tract. In addition, the drainage of mucous deposits from the nasal cavity becomes worse; when eating, polyps in the nasopharynx cause significant discomfort, and the growth of polyps from the nasopharynx through the eardrum can cause hearing loss and otitis media.
Causes
Polyps are benign growths of the epithelium. The exact reason for their appearance has not yet been clarified. Some veterinarians indicate that males are affected more often than females, but officially the disease does not have a gender predisposition. Others consider the tendency to form polyps to be a hereditary problem, pointing out their frequent detection in Maine Coon kittens.
The most likely cause of nasopharyngeal polyps is the reaction of the nasal mucosa to chronic inflammation. The impetus for the formation of these growths can be:
- viral, bacterial or fungal infection;
- allergy-induced runny nose or feline asthma;
- congenital disorders of the structure of the nasal passages.
Polyps are found in very young cats aged 4 months to 2 years. If any growths are detected in the nose or throat in older cats, a tumor, such as lymphoma or carcinoma, is more likely to be suspected, although benign polyps are occasionally found in adult cats.
Clinical signs of the presence of polyps
The owner, at the beginning of the formation of the polyp, will not notice anything. The tumor itself grows slowly, so a sharp deterioration in the cat’s condition is not expected. The severity of the symptoms themselves directly depends on where the polyp is established and the direction of its growth.
As the area of the polyp increases, it is natural that breathing becomes impaired; it is this symptom that forces the owner to seek help from a veterinary clinic.
Additional signs include:
- difficulty swallowing and grasping food;
- inflammation in the upper respiratory tract;
- nasal discharge;
- grunting, sniffling sounds;
- sneezing, dysphagia.
When bacterial microflora joins the inflammation, mucous discharge from the nose can change its character to purulent. Nosebleeds often occur.
Normally, breathing warms and moisturizes the inhaled air, the nose cleanses it of dust (a natural filter), and everything that settles is expelled out with secretions.
Polyps, blocking the nasal passages, completely eliminate normal breathing and make natural processes impossible. The cat switches to breathing through the mouth and, as a result, pharyngitis, laryngitis, laryngotracheitis, etc.
History and clinical symptoms
The history usually includes a variety of information depending on the location of the polyp or polyps. Cats with nasopharyngeal masses typically have respiratory symptoms, and cats with ear canal polyps have a history of otitis externa. In cats with diseases of both the nasopharynx and the external auditory canal, the middle ear is usually affected. Sometimes the development of an inflammatory polyp occurs subclinically, and it is found accidentally during a general examination or during endotracheal intubation during anesthesia.
Oropharyngeal lesions cause the following clinical symptoms: wheezing, nasal discharge, sneezing, voice changes, dyspnea and dysphagia. Discharge from the nasal cavity and the development of an infectious process associated with rhinitis and sinusitis may occur against the background of impaired air flow. Clinical symptoms of external auditory canal masses include otorrhea (dark brown ceruminal or purulent discharge), head shaking, and a mass in the ear canal. Symptoms of otitis media or internal otitis media may be present: head tilt, nystagmus, and imbalance.
What is used at the RosVet Exhibition Center
The veterinary clinic has all the equipment necessary to identify nasal polyps and remove them. The best diagnostic results occur when using endoscopic techniques - rhinoscopy. If the polyp has grown into the outer ear, otoscopy will help. But the “gold standard” remains CT, which accurately determines the location of nasopharyngeal polyps.
Rhinoscopy at the RosVet VC is a therapeutic and diagnostic procedure, performed using the thinnest endoscope, which allows you to examine the nasal cavity and its structures (mucous, bone, cartilaginous). Based on the results, the doctor makes an accurate diagnosis and prescribes treatment.
With the help of rhinoscopy, you can also perform some micro-operations and take tissue or secretions for examination.
The danger of polyps is that they tend to grow and block communication between the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. In this case, inflammation and sinusitis develop, blood vessels are compressed and blood circulation is disrupted, which provokes otitis media and tonsillitis.
This is why cats often arrive in extremely poor condition and with signs of inflammation of the middle ear. Sometimes nystagmus and vestibular disorders develop, and the cat sits with a characteristic tilt of the head. If the polyp has grown greatly, breathing problems, swallowing, and refusal of food may occur, even to the point of exhaustion.
Antegrade (anterior) rhinoscopy , it uses a rigid version of optics, at the end of which there is a camera and a light source. The doctor examines the mucous membrane only in the anterior part of the nasal cavity, noting its changes.
Treatment of polyps
After diagnosis, depending on the severity, treatment is prescribed. This is a necessary measure, since only the right approach will help reduce the risk of relapse. Despite the complexity of the disease, getting rid of it has a high probability of a successful outcome. There are 2 main methods for polyp removal in cats :
In most cases, treatment of nasal polyps in cats is performed surgically. This method is productive not only as a way to get rid of symptoms. According to statistics, surgery helps prevent relapses in 98% of cases. Often, before surgery, the nasal passages are cleaned. In this way, you can almost certainly protect your cat from further polyps.
If masses are found in the nasopharynx area, it is worth applying tension, followed by traction. Once the leg comes off, medication can be used. Corticosteroids and antibiotics are usually prescribed. These can be drops, tablets or even injections. This therapy lasts about 14 days and helps prevent relapses. And the drugs themselves reduce the overreaction of the immune system.
One of the key points in the process of treating nasal polyps in a cat is proper care. The animal's face must be kept clean. The nose and eyes need to be constantly cleared of secretions. Often your pet has problems with appetite. To aggravate it, you can heat food.
Obviously, removing nasal polyps from a cat is a necessary measure. In this matter, you should trust only the opinion of experts. Proper care and care for your pet will make treatment as calm and productive as possible. The animal will breathe easier and will feel comfortable and safe. The main thing is to identify the symptoms of the disease in time and go to the clinic.
Hello! Our story is as follows. The cat is 1 year 2 months old. Health problems began from an early age, when he was injured for the first time at the age of three months - he and his sister were rushing around the apartment and, in all likelihood, knocked over a flower pot on Platoshka. They took me to the clinic - nothing was broken, just a severe bruise, but they advised us to add calcium to our diet. Added. At first he only ate meat products and baby puree. Tema... that’s where we put some calcium tablets for cats. Then, at the age of 6 months, we castrated him, and, in my opinion, after that, sores began to fall on our Platoshka one after another like a snowball: at first his eyes began to water, he began to sneeze and breathing became difficult during moments of active play - he was sniffling, as if something was happening. Something in my nose was bothering me. They took tests and told us that it was an allergy to something. They prescribed a course of dexamethasone... They started injecting him, but a few days later a new misfortune happened: during the next games with his cat sister, something went wrong, we don’t know exactly what happened, but after the next race he was found lying in the kitchen... and meowing ... couldn’t get up on his paws at all... We rushed to the clinic, took an x-ray, which showed that the spine was intact, but very much curved in the chest area and generally crooked. This whole thing puts pressure on his lungs, prevents him from breathing normally, and because of this, his heart is also incorrectly positioned, etc. There was no sensitivity in the limbs. Only the front paws and tail responded a little. They assumed that some nerve was pinched in him... they prescribed a bunch of medications... melgamma, it seems, something with neurochegotam, the same dexamethasone... In general, they nursed him for a long time... first he began to crawl, then little by little he tried to walk... They left. While they nursed him and gave him all sorts of injections, the runny nose and sneezing stopped, his eyes almost did not water. But once they got him back on his feet, the medication ended, and the runny nose and sneezing reappeared. We took tests again, nothing really turned up, the doctors suggested some kind of infection, or maybe an allergy (they hadn’t decided at that time), prescribed us antibiotics and sent us home. They treated me for a long time, changed antibiotics, and took tests. As a result, we finally found out that we have chlamydia and herpes. A course of regular antibiotics was prescribed. We treated it and it seemed like there was an improvement. But after a short time (a week and a half) everything manifested itself with even greater force. The cat practically stopped eating (he could no longer breathe normally, he was constantly breathing through his mouth, literally suffocating), he stopped drinking, terrible dehydration set in... In the end, they advised us to be examined for nasal polyps (they did find an adequate veterinarian in our city), but the problem is that we do not do such research. We got ready to go to Kazan, but the cat (most likely due to continuous courses of antibiotics) suffered another misfortune - he began to reject food. As soon as he eats, after some time he vomits... he lost terribly weight, there were only bones and skin in the literal sense... In this state, there was no question of going to another city to conduct research on polyps, it was necessary to urgently save the cat... They lost it in this way 2 more weeks until he more or less came to his senses and we decided to go on a trip. Let's go to Kazan. There, they first did a CT scan, where they were horrified by what they saw - the polyp had grown very much. It closed the left nostril completely, almost the right one too, leaving a narrow gap and grew inside the larynx. And he touched his left eyeball a little... Urgent surgery... they removed all these polyps for him, cleaned everything... Now the cat is breathing freely. He sneezes sometimes, but the doctor warned that there would still be such sneezing for 2-3 days... well, he gave us a not very comforting prognosis: the polyps will grow again... for some after 3 months, for others after 2 years, but they still grow... In connection With this comes the question: perhaps anyone has encountered a similar problem and someone managed to defeat these polyps so that they do not grow any more? We would be grateful for any useful information.
Treatment of nasal polyposis in cats
It is important for a pet owner to understand that self-healing is impossible! The intervention of a veterinary surgeon is necessary, since the polyp can only be removed from the nose using surgical techniques.
At the RosVet VC, endoscopic methods are used predominantly, as they are easy to use, effective and safe. The polyps are grabbed with special forceps and cut off along with the stem. Particular preference is the removal of polyps with a diode laser, where, along with the removal of the tumor, cauterization of the vessels occurs (minimum bleeding) and tissue disinfection.
The removed polyp is necessarily sent to the laboratory for examination to establish its nature and calculate further risks of the development of new formations in cats.
After surgery, antibiotics and corticosteroids are prescribed to prevent bacterial infection and reduce swelling of the tissues in the nose.
Important! There are practically no relapses after endoscopic removal of polyps. But if the cause of nasal polyposis becomes known, its owner must be eliminated.
If you notice that your cat is breathing suspiciously, or has characteristic symptoms indicating that something is blocking its nose, do not hesitate. Call the RosVet VC by phone + and make an appointment. The clinic is open 24 hours a day!!!
Diagnosis of nasal and nasopharyngeal polyps in cats
The “foundation” of diagnosis is anamnesis. Before visiting the veterinarian, the owner needs to restore as accurately as possible the timing and intensity of behavior changes, the appearance of strange symptoms, etc. The doctor should know whether your cat was sick, took medications, came into contact with stray animals, was injured, etc. It is better to write down all information.
Your veterinarian will begin the diagnostic process by examining your cat's mouth, nose, and ears using an otoscope. The soft palate often “hides” polyps and an accurate diagnosis will require a hardware examination - a skull x-ray or computed tomography. Hardware examinations are carried out under anesthesia, so preparation (diet, heart examination, blood tests) may be required.
Even if examinations confirm the doctor’s diagnostic guesses, to definitively confirm the benignity of the tumor (that is, to make sure that the tumors are polyps), you will need:
- General blood analysis.
- Biochemistry of blood serum.
- Biopsy, if removal of the tumor creates a risk of heavy bleeding.
