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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / March 2006Pronosis for bad heart
Never rains, just as we've got Q eating and not throwing it up my other old boy 'Worf' had a fit yesterday. Took him straight to the vet who thinks he has something similar to asthma but more seriously it looks like his heart is enlarged and diseased - you can see the whole of his chest beating from the outside. X-ray on Monday to find out more. Last night he had another gasping fit and was panting for a while afterwards but seems OK this morning. Can anyone advise what the prognosis might be for a cat with pretty bad heart problems - should I be preparing myself to say bye bye to my friend of 14 years?  SignatureNiel H > Never rains, just as we've got Q eating and not throwing it up my other old > boy 'Worf' had a fit yesterday. Took him straight to the vet who thinks he [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > a cat with pretty bad heart problems - should I be preparing myself to say > bye bye to my friend of 14 years? I had an ultrasound done for my cat who had little fainting like fits, and it turned out her heart was structurally sound, so the doctor put her on a beta blocker and she has no fits as long as I keep her on it. His theory is that her heart rate had been too fast for too long (due to undiagnosed hyperthyroid) so she had developed arrythmia and actually fibrillated at times, I guess. What does the vet say? The ultrasound cost me $265. The vet had to call in a guy to come do it, as they don't have the equipment. They shaved Booboos little tuxedo chest, otherwise did not harm a hair on her. (She was mad, but Abu BooBoo stayes that way!) >> Never rains, just as we've got Q eating and not throwing it up my other > old [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > so she had developed arrythmia and actually fibrillated at times, I guess. > What does the vet say? No, this is definitely a heart problem. When he is lying there you can actually see his chest sides pulse in beat with the heart at normal speed. It is separate from his breating as you can see the normal breating 'in and out' of his tummy a bit further back. The vet had a good long listen with a stethoscope to what was going on and wasn't happy. Worf had a minor wheezing fit at the vets too which helped to demonstrate his symptoms. The vet is a small 'one man' practice and he knows all my cats by name so the same person sees them every time which also helps as he is familiar with them. Having said that, today he's not fitted and seems happy with big purrs when he got his combing this evening. SignatureNiel H > Never rains, just as we've got Q eating and not throwing it up my other old > boy 'Worf' had a fit yesterday. Took him straight to the vet who thinks he [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > a cat with pretty bad heart problems - should I be preparing myself to say > bye bye to my friend of 14 years? How is his heart enlarged; in a ball shape or valentine-shape? His breathing difficulty might be due to pulmonary edema. Speak to your vet about a diuretic (furosemide/Lasix). If he prescribes a diuretic, mention a potassium supplement since rapid urine formation caused by diuretics increases potassium excretion and could lead to hypokalemia. If I were you, I would consult a veterinary cardiologist. Best of luck, Phil >> Never rains, just as we've got Q eating and not throwing it up my other > old [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > How is his heart enlarged; in a ball shape or valentine-shape? Will know after the X-ray tomorrow. > His breathing difficulty might be due to pulmonary edema. Speak to your > vet > about a diuretic (furosemide/Lasix). If he prescribes a diuretic, mention > a > potassium supplement since rapid urine formation caused by diuretics > increases potassium excretion and could lead to hypokalemia. Will do. > If I were you, I would consult a veterinary cardiologist. I don't think we have them over here in the UK, certainly not where I live which is about 100 miles from the nearest large City which is likely to have a big vet practice (Manchester). Around here in Wales we just have smaller vet practices with 1 or 2 vets, usually running the practice from their own house. SignatureNiel H > >> Never rains, just as we've got Q eating and not throwing it up my other > > old [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] > vet practices with 1 or 2 vets, usually running the practice from their own > house. Ask your vet if he deals with an ultrasound service-- ultrasonographers that travel around to local practices. An echocardiogram would be superior to an x-ray. Best of luck. Phil. >> >> Never rains, just as we've got Q eating and not throwing it up my >> >> other [quoted text clipped - 49 lines] > an > x-ray. Ah, yes, he did mention the possibility of an ECG but wanted to see if the X-Ray would provide al the information first. > Best of luck. Cheers. SignatureNiel H > >> >> Never rains, just as we've got Q eating and not throwing it up my > >> >> other [quoted text clipped - 52 lines] > Ah, yes, he did mention the possibility of an ECG but wanted to see if the > X-Ray would provide al the information first. Don't go by the x-rays alone- I've seen cats with HCM have normal x-rays as well as normal ECGs. An echocardiogram is the best diagnostic tool for heart disease in cats. An echo will also let you know if your cat is at risk for aortic thromboembolism. How's his breathing? Phil > "Niel Humphreys" <admin@sznzozwzdzoznzczozmzpzuztzezrzs.co.uk> wrote in >> [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > heart disease in cats. An echo will also let you know if your cat is at > risk for aortic thromboembolism. Just dropped him off and on the G.E. authority form the vet had stated he was being put under for X-Ray, ECG and Endoscopy so he's getting all 3. > How's his breathing? It alternates between laboured and fine, laboured usually after a coughing fit or trotting up the stairs. Last night he tried up jump onto the cardboard box he likes to sleep on at night & it took 2 attempts, when he got up there he was visibly panting & it's only about 2 feet high.. This morning he was perfectly fine. The vet said it seems like he has something akin to asthma at the initial exam, I imagine this is what the endoscopy is for? Anyway I will know more this afternoon but I have already decided I am not going to keep him alive for my benefit just because I don't want him to die if it means he will be in pain or have no real quality of life. SignatureNiel H >> "Niel Humphreys" <admin@sznzozwzdzoznzczozmzpzuztzezrzs.co.uk> wrote in >>> [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > for my benefit just because I don't want him to die if it means he will be > in pain or have no real quality of life. Oh dear, it doesn't look good. Vet was out and I spoke to his wife who says they want to keep him overnight to wait for the results of the ECG. She sounded quite sad on the phone, not her usual self, so I am preparing myself for bad news when I phone again this evening to speak to the vet himself. SignatureNiel H >>> "Niel Humphreys" <admin@sznzozwzdzoznzczozmzpzuztzezrzs.co.uk> wrote in >>>> [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > myself for bad news when I phone again this evening to speak to the vet > himself. Just spoke to the vet again. Worf has Cardio Myopathy so it's a case of phoning the vet each day to see how whether he is responding to the treatment or not. He's breathing a lot easier now since they drained a lot of fluid from his chest where his lungs should have been. Guess it's fingers crossed time. SignatureNiel H > >>> "Niel Humphreys" <admin@sznzozwzdzoznzczozmzpzuztzezrzs.co.uk> wrote in > >>>> [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] > of fluid from his chest where his lungs should have been. Guess it's fingers > crossed time. Niel, Did your vet mention which type of cardiomyopathy Mr. Worf has? One form of cardiomyopathy (dilated) often responds and even resolves with simple taurine supplements. Did your vet prescribe a diuretic to help control fluid build up? It may not be as bad as you think. There are some truly wonder drugs for treating feline heart diseases- especially hyperthrophic cardiomyopathy. Keep the faith, Phil >> Just spoke to the vet again. Worf has Cardio Myopathy so it's a case of >> phoning the vet each day to see how whether he is responding to the [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > taurine supplements. Did your vet prescribe a diuretic to help control > fluid build up? We didn't discuss much, he just said that he wants to keep him there and make sure he gets the drugs (he has a knack for hiding pills and spitting them out later) and enforced rest (from my hyperactive 1 year old kitts). I assume he knows his stuff as he is very well thought of in the area so trust his judgement. Will ask him tonight when I phone in for a progress report. > It may not be as bad as you think. There are some truly wonder drugs for > treating feline heart diseases- especially hyperthrophic cardiomyopathy. Hope so, I just hope we haven't caught it too late. SignatureNiel H Worfy's home. :o) He responded very well to the treatment and I have just picked him up from the vets. He has to take HyperCard coated tablets three times a day to manage the cardiomyopathy but aside from a shortened lifespan the vet seems happy that the disease is manageable. Yay!!! SignatureNiel H > Worfy's home. :o) > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Yay!!! Super, Niel. I was hoping your experience would be similar to mine with my Boo. I could not be more pleased that it is. Do try pilling Worfy as he is eating his canned food, if indeed you feed him canned food. Doing this has turned a twice-daily battle into an easy task. After she has taken a couple of bites of food, I toss the pill to the very middle of the back of her throat and hold her head up, gently stroking her throat until she shows me that she swallowed. (I hold her head because she tries to shake it to get the pill to the side where she can work it out with her tongue.) There are actually times now when she does not even try to spit it out, she just dutifully swallows so she can get her hungry little face back in her food! Good luck with everything. May Worfy have many healthy years. >> Worfy's home. :o) >> [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > little face back in her food! Good luck with everything. May > Worfy have many healthy years. Yea, that will be interesting, Worf is the master at hiding pills and then scuttling off to spit them out somewhere. I imagine at 3 times a day he will slowly get used to it. At least he's happy being handled and more or less lets me do anything to him when lying on my lap. First one in a few hours so will see how it goes. I free feed my cats with kibble so hiding a pill in a chunk of wet isn't an option (tried it before anyway and he susses it straight away). Little Thor, one of the 1 year old 'twins' who long ago decided Worf's his best friend had been following him around since he came back. Worf's a bit of a lone cat so isnt too happy but always gives in - they're sleeping sort of next to each other now under one of the radiators. lol SignatureNiel H |
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