CT scan pros and cons?

[Hog Boss]

Hello
I have an 18 month old boar who has had what seems like a mild nasal congestion on and off for the last 8 months. No discharge and otherwise seems well.
When he has it he makes a slight hooting noise when eating as if his nose/breathing is congested like when we have a cold.
The first time it happened in April we took him to the vet who said his lungs and heart sounded clear but as a precaution he was prescribed bisolvon powder and meloxicam for 2 weeks. It cleared up but has recurred mildly on and off since then.
This last week however it recurred and it was much worse, accompanied by an occasional chesty sounding cough. When he coughs it's like it clears the congestion for a bit. But the congestion would come back even when he wasn't eating so of course we had him in to see the vet again. He did a big cough just before our appointment that seemed to clear the congestion.
Again the vet couldn't hear anything on his lungs or heart and so prescribed bisolvon and meloxicam again to treat the symptoms. That was two days ago and we have barely heard any noises since. The vet also suggested a nebuliser which I've bought today but just waiting for the F10 antiseptic ready to use solution to arrive that I've ordered online.
The vet couldn't diagnose the cause and without any discharge it is unlikely to be an infection or obstruction - but she couldn't rule that out for sure. It could be come kind of allergy or sensitivity thing. She suggested further investigations, i.e. x-ray or CT scan.
I would like a diagnosis so we know how to take care of him better, keep him healthy and make life nicer for him. However both of those require general anaesthetic, which I am reluctant to put him through unnecessarily due to the risk of death and also as he will hate it and not understand what's happening to him.
The x-ray cost would be around £600 and the CT around £1400. She explained the CT would give greater detail than the x-ray but she cannot guarantee a diagnosis will be evident even with CT.
A scan may rule things out which I guess is sometimes just as helpful.
Trying to weigh up what to do in his best interests but finding it hard to make the right decision for him.
If anyone has any similar scenario experience they can share I'd been keen to hear what you decided/why and what happened.
Thanks

 

[FloofMomster]

Hello
I have an 18 month old boar who has had what seems like a mild nasal congestion on and off for the last 8 months. No discharge and otherwise seems well.
When he has it he makes a slight hooting noise when eating as if his nose/breathing is congested like when we have a cold.
The first time it happened in April we took him to the vet who said his lungs and heart sounded clear but as a precaution he was prescribed bisolvon powder and meloxicam for 2 weeks. It cleared up but has recurred mildly on and off since then.
This last week however it recurred and it was much worse, accompanied by an occasional chesty sounding cough. When he coughs it's like it clears the congestion for a bit. But the congestion would come back even when he wasn't eating so of course we had him in to see the vet again. He did a big cough just before our appointment that seemed to clear the congestion.
Again the vet couldn't hear anything on his lungs or heart and so prescribed bisolvon and meloxicam again to treat the symptoms. That was two days ago and we have barely heard any noises since. The vet also suggested a nebuliser which I've bought today but just waiting for the F10 antiseptic ready to use solution to arrive that I've ordered online.
The vet couldn't diagnose the cause and without any discharge it is unlikely to be an infection or obstruction - but she couldn't rule that out for sure. It could be come kind of allergy or sensitivity thing. She suggested further investigations, i.e. x-ray or CT scan.
I would like a diagnosis so we know how to take care of him better, keep him healthy and make life nicer for him. However both of those require general anaesthetic, which I am reluctant to put him through unnecessarily due to the risk of death and also as he will hate it and not understand what's happening to him.
The x-ray cost would be around £600 and the CT around £1400. She explained the CT would give greater detail than the x-ray but she cannot guarantee a diagnosis will be evident even with CT.
A scan may rule things out which I guess is sometimes just as helpful.
Trying to weigh up what to do in his best interests but finding it hard to make the right decision for him.
If anyone has any similar scenario experience they can share I'd been keen to hear what you decided/why and what happened.
Thanks

What's been going on with your little guy? I have a very similar case with my 3 year old boar. Did you get the CT scan or are you just doing the nebulizer?

 

[Piggies&buns]

What's been going on with your little guy? I have a very similar case with my 3 year old boar. Did you get the CT scan or are you just doing the nebulizer?

This member is not regularly active (not logged on since January) so you may not get a reply

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[Hog Boss]

What's been going on with your little guy? I have a very similar case with my 3 year old boar. Did you get the CT scan or are you just doing the nebulizer?

Hey Floofmonster
Yeah we got the CT scan in the end. I was worried he could be suffering as you know how they hide things. He got through the general anaesthetic absolutely fine but they were not able to get a line into his little legs to put the contrast solution in so the results were not as clear as they might have been.
They were able to rule out any masses or infection in his lungs so that was a big relief but they did find some old scarring on one lung but they don't think that is causing the current problem.
They did however also find moderate degenerative joint disease and also some nodules in his neck.
For treatment the vet advised we put him on his nebuliser for about a month alongside meloxicam to see if any improvement. Then we had to try him off the nebuliser and meds for 3 weeks to monitor any change.
In the end we didn't notice any real change. He still gets his congestion/cough sporadically. No better, no worse. It's not continuous and he seems to clear it himself with a big cough. He is eating fine and running around fine although we do give him joint support biscuits now.
The vet suggested possible asthma/allergies but difficult to diagnose/find a trigger. It seemed like grasping at straws.
I am glad we got the nebuliser as we have it on standby to use in future whenever we need .
The nodules on his neck they aren't sure of. They're fairly sure it's not lymphoma as they said it's quite rare in a younger animal and he would have gone downhill quickly which he hasn't.
All we can do is keep monitoring him and take him back to vet if he gets any worse.
He seems happy enough at the moment and doesn't seem to be suffering so we just keep a close eye on him and enjoy his antics for now. I'm glad I know his joints might be sore and we've been able to help him with supplements for that at least.
I hope you boar is okay. Feel free to share ideas thoughts with me on him. I know it can be a worry.
Hog Boss

 

[sport_billy]

Hey Floofmonster
Yeah we got the CT scan in the end. I was worried he could be suffering as you know how they hide things. He got through the general anaesthetic absolutely fine but they were not able to get a line into his little legs to put the contrast solution in so the results were not as clear as they might have been.
They were able to rule out any masses or infection in his lungs so that was a big relief but they did find some old scarring on one lung but they don't think that is causing the current problem.
They did however also find moderate degenerative joint disease and also some nodules in his neck.
For treatment the vet advised we put him on his nebuliser for about a month alongside meloxicam to see if any improvement. Then we had to try him off the nebuliser and meds for 3 weeks to monitor any change.
In the end we didn't notice any real change. He still gets his congestion/cough sporadically. No better, no worse. It's not continuous and he seems to clear it himself with a big cough. He is eating fine and running around fine although we do give him joint support biscuits now.
The vet suggested possible asthma/allergies but difficult to diagnose/find a trigger. It seemed like grasping at straws.
I am glad we got the nebuliser as we have it on standby to use in future whenever we need .
The nodules on his neck they aren't sure of. They're fairly sure it's not lymphoma as they said it's quite rare in a younger animal and he would have gone downhill quickly which he hasn't.
All we can do is keep monitoring him and take him back to vet if he gets any worse.
He seems happy enough at the moment and doesn't seem to be suffering so we just keep a close eye on him and enjoy his antics for now. I'm glad I know his joints might be sore and we've been able to help him with supplements for that at least.
I hope you boar is okay. Feel free to share ideas thoughts with me on him. I know it can be a worry.
Hog Boss

Thanks for coming back to answer this question Really kind of you.

Hope your piggy continues to do well.