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Treatment

If the diverticulum is small and is not causing significant clinical signs, your veterinarian may only recommend a change in diet for your cat. A soft, bland diet, given frequently and followed by copious liquids, will most likely travel through the esophagus to the stomach unhindered. If the diverticulum is large, or is associated with significant clinical signs, surgical resection will probably be recommended. The potential for food being drawn into the lungs, and leading to aspiration pneumonia makes the importance of dietary management key to avoiding fatal complications. Fluid therapy, antibiotics, and aggressive care will be called for if aspiration pneumonia is present. Nutrition given via tube will also be necessary. Your veterinarian will prescribe medications for your cat on the basis of the diagnosis.

Living and Management

Your doctor will want to monitor your cat for evidence and prevention of infection or aspiration pneumonia. You will need to maintain a positive nutritional balance throughout the disease process. Cats with diverticula and impaction (i.e., food material that is packed tightly) are predisposed to perforation, fistula, stricture, and postoperative rupturing of the incision. For this reason, your veterinarian will want to revisit your cat on a regular schedule. Prognosis is guarded in patients with large diverticula and overt clinical signs.