Cat struggling to swallow

Hi I have a 16 year old female cat. She has been absolutely fine with no health issues but about one month ago she stopped eating hard food. We took her to the vets and three weeks ago she had a tooth extraction. She was fine for the first 2/3 days but she started to wheeze and struggle to eat. We’ve taken her back to the vets twice and she’s been given antibiotics but they don’t seem to be working. she is very wheezy (noisy when she breathes) and while she has an appetite, she really struggles to swallow so she’s not eating much. The vet thinks we should give her more time but it’s been three weeks since the operation and it doesn’t seem right. She’s really struggling. He said her heart and lungs sound fine. Any ideas?

Hello!  Your vet should have more information than I can possible give you by now, because they have hopefully been able to listen to the noisy breathing and pinpoint where in the tract the 'wheeziness' is coming from.  If it is the throat, this can be because of the ET tube, for example.  If it is from the chest, they should have some idea whereabouts and whether they suspect an infection or nasal congestion or fluid build-up or something else.  Have they concerns about the heart?  Might the airway or nostrils have becoming narrowed or interrupted during the procedure?  Might the stress of the dental have had an impact on the latent viruses that sometimes reside in cats' upper respiratory tracts?  I think it's reasonable to ask what they think is causing the sound, whether it is getting worse, better or the same and what you can expect to happen as a consequence of it.  This should give you some idea as to what can be expected in the future.  If the vet is unable to tell you what is or might be causing it, then they may want to do more tests e.g. imaging, or even to refer to a third party. We look forward to hearing what you find out.

What you describe could be anywhere on a spectrum from extremely worrying to 'to be expected in certain circumstances.'  Because I know very little of your cat or the circumstances, it is not for me to pass judgement on this case.  It sounds as though your vet has seen the case since you heard the sound and has given some antibiotics, but also sounds as though you would appreciate more communication.  In this position, it seems to be a good idea to make a list of things that you don't understand and to call your vet back / revisit with it.  Meanwhile, if you feel that an animal's breathing is deteriorating at any time, it may well be appropriate to call the emergency line for triage (i.e. to review the case and see whether it needs to be seen e.g. as an emergency).