On Dec 28, 4:06 pm, "Gary Brown" <garyjbr...@charter.net> wrote:

I'm glad that it wasn't serious for Snowy.  I hope the same for Suzy.
You are right that it's impossible not to worry though!  I guess the
bright side is that whatever it is it's been caught early.
-------
The worst case scenario in my experience is that Suzy may have to take some
heart medication (which is not expensive). Alex has had a heart murmur since
at least the age of 2. He is now almost 17. He had an echocardiogram when
the murmur was heard (or maybe a few years later), and they saw he had some
cardiac hypertrophy (enlargement). The vet put him on diltiazem. It was
explained that the diltiazem wouldn't stop progression, but it hopefully
might avert a crisis. Alex had a follow-up echocardiogram several years
later. The hypertrophy had not progressed. The vet told me he didn't need
the medicine, and I didn't give him any after that.

Now, at age 17, at his most recent checkup, the vet thought that the murmur
may have progressed to a "gallop," which is obviously more concerning. After
discussion, we agreed not to do another echocardiogram because the outcome
wouldn't affect the treatment. The vet told me I could put Alex back on the
diltiazem or another medication if I wanted (which I am going to do) but
explained that the world of veterinary medicine really doesn't know if the
medication is helpful or not. She said they used to advise that cats with
heart disease should also get low-dose aspirin twice a week to prevent blood
clots, but the evidence now demonstrates that the likelihood of clot
formation is the same whether the cat is given the aspirin or not.

So, basically, the bottom line (IMHO) is: Don't worry. See what the
echocardiogram shows. Worst case scenario is that Suzy will need to go on
diltiazem (or maybe atenolol, I think is the other one they use). Reality is
that in all likelihood Suzy will continue to live a long and happy life even
without medication.

Please keep us updated.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.