Chronic Upper Respiratory Tract Disease in a Cat

Sam, an 11-year-old, neutered Persian cat, has an 8-year history of recurring and progressively worsening chronic upper respiratory disease. He is presented because of loud breathing and head shaking while sneezing nonproductively over the past 3 days. The patient is reportedly withdrawn and less interested in eating but is still drinking. The patient has received amoxicillin previously (most recently, 5 weeks ago); he also receives glucosamine with chondroitin sulfate for arthritis. His weight is stable and BCS is 4/9. No oral lesions are seen. TPR is normal, but tracheal- auscultated sounds are harsh. CBC reveals stress lymphopenia and mild monocytosis. Serum chemistry values are within normal reference intervals, and urinalysis is unremarkable.

AZT = azidothymidine, BCS = body condition score, CBC = complete blood count, DNA = deoxyribonucleic acid, FHV-1 = feline herpesvirus type 1, GI = gastrointestinal, NSAID = nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug, TPR = temperature, pulse, respiration