An attack of wheezing usually stops as soon as your pet expels whatever it is that's tickling her airways. If the attack lasts 30 minutes or less, and your pet isn't wheezing on a regular basis, you probably don't have to worry about it, says William H. Craig, D.V.M., a veterinarian in private practice in San Antonio.
To make your pet more comfortable, however, you may want to pump some humidity into the air since this will be very soothing for the irritated airways, says Dr. Feinman. "If you don't have a humidifier, you can bring the pet into a steamy bathroom while you bathe or shower."
Allergies are trickier to control because it is often difficult to figure out what, exactly, your pet is allergic to. If the wheezing began recently, ask yourself what is new in your pet's environment, says Dr. Feinman. Are you cleaning the floors with a different cleaner? Did friends bring you a bouquet of pollen-filled flowers? Have you recently changed litter? Try to think of anything that occurred at the same time as the wheezing. Then, when you have a list of suspects, try eliminating them, one at time. If the wheezing goes away, you will have a pretty good idea what to avoid in the future.
You may find it helpful to keep your pet inside as much as possible during the spring and summer months. This is particularly important during the early morning and evening hours, when pollen counts tend to be highest.
"To help eliminate your pet's wheezing over the long haul, remove pollens and dust with a household air filter," says Lynne Boggs, D.V.M., a veterinarian in private practice in Austin, Texas.
For additional relief, you may need to give your pet an over-the-counter antihistamine. For dogs, vets usually recommend Benadryl -- about one milligram for every pound of dog, three times a day, says Karen L. Campbell, D.V.M., associate professor of dermatology and small animal internal medicine at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine at Urbana-Champaign. For cats, Chlor-Trimeton is a better choice. The usual dose is half of a four-milligram tablet for every 10 pounds of cat, twice a day, she says. To be safe, however, check with your vet before giving human medications to pets.
Since wheezing can also be caused by aerosol sprays and smoke from fireplaces, cigarettes, and incense, you may want to keep your pet in an area where the air stays relatively clean, Dr. Boggs adds.
To help your cat breathe more easily, you may want to switch to a dust-free litter. At the very least, buy plain, unscented litter since the chemicals that give litter its scent may irritate the airways, causing wheezing and gasping, says Dr. Boggs.
Although wheezing itself usually isn't a problem, it may be a sign that something more serious is going on. To be safe, call your vet if the wheezing lasts a half-hour or longer, says Dr. Feinman. This is particularly true if your pet seems generally under the weather or hasn't been eating as well as usual.
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