3-year-old cat w/ dilated cardiomyopathy

A month ago, my 3 year old cat Omar suddenly opened his mouth and
seemed to gasp for air. He's a big cat (20 lbs and looks like a Maine
Coon mix) so he often seemed a bit winded when he exerted himself. This
time his tongue was blue so my mother rushed him to the emergency vet.
There he was on oxygen for 13 hours before he could breathe on his own.
X-rays showed his lungs were full of fluid and one was partially
collapsed. The vets mentioned a number of tests that could be done, but
seemed to think it was asthma and/or pneumonia. For the next 2 weeks
Omar was on antibiotics, steroids, and an Albuterol inhaler. His
breathing remained labored. He's hard to pill, so I took him back in
for a long-lasting steroid shot. I noticed he seemed to go downhill
after this.

I then took him to my regular vet and she recommended an echocardiogram
at a veterinary specialist clinic. I took him in that day and they put
him on oxygen for 5 hours in addition to running the echo.

The results of the echo were devastating. The doctor says his left
ventricle is enlarged, and he had dilated cardiomyopathy. He warned us
that Omar could suddenly die at any time, but he also seemed kind of
baffled. My regular vet too says she hasn't seen a case of feline
dilated cardio in years due to the addition of adequate amounts of
taurine in commercial cat food. Omar was a stray for the first 7
months of his life, but ever since then he's been on a diet of Iams
and Purina One dry food with a little bit of Fancy Feast canned food
every morning.

When given pills, he starts breathing real hard and acts panicky, so I
asked the vet at the emergency clinic for alternatives (since he will
not eat his food with any medicine in it). They don't like giving out
needles to people, but I begged successfully for some injectable Salix
(diuretic). They also got my local compound pharmacy to make a
transdermal ointment of Enalapril (rubbed in the ear daily). I also had
taurine compounded in a tuna solution (no prescription needed for this
one) which isn't too hard to get down his throat. The veterinary
specilaist said a taurine deficiency is unlikely (as this is probably
genetic), but I should add 500 mgs a day anyway.

I know there are other helpful cardiac supplements (Hawthorn Berry,
CoEnzyme Q10) but I can't get any pills in him, and it's just too
expensive to have everything compounded into a liquid.

I feel like I'm on a deathwatch with this dear, sweet cat. He's so
gentle that all the other cats adore him. Now he seems lethargic and
eats only a little. My incessant crying isn't helping I know. Does
anyone have any ideas. Is there any hope??

Thanks,

Sheri

on Mon, 08 Jan 2007 19:05:02 GMT, wrote:

Does
anyone have any ideas. Is there any hope??

Oh, I am so sorry to hear this...

Were there any arrhythmias noted? If not, and if your cat does well over
the next couple of weeks, he might be okay. His prognosis really depends
on the specifics of his other symptoms.

I would run any supplements by the vet specialist before giving them to
your cat. They may be natural, but they are also often "drugs" too and
can have nasty side effects or interactions with the other drugs your cat
is taking. Keeping your cat's stress levels to a minimum is very
important, so pilling him is really not a good idea if you can avoid it.
If he likes his canned food better than kibbles, give him more canned
food.

It would be a good idea to weigh him every day, or even twice a day. The
best way to do this is to hold him and get on the scale. Then put him
down and weigh yourself. Subtract your weight from the first reading and
you will have his weight. A digital scale will make this easier. If you
notice any weight gain, get him to the vet specialist right away as it's
likely due to congestive heart failure. CHF causes fluid retention and
therefore weight gain. If this happens, they can put him on IV diuretics
and give him palliative care (which may include medicine for pain).

I'm sure he's picking up on your stress, so make a point of enjoying
every moment you have left with him. I hope he recovers and lives a
long, healthy life.

--
Lynne

{{{{Sheri}}}}... my heart truly goes out to you. Your post brings back so
many memories. I lost my beloved 12 year old Siamese cat 2.5 years ago to
the same disease and still miss Maxx every day. His cardiologist had said
it was genetic and that Maxx could go anytime within 3-6 months. Maxx had
also been fed quality foods throughout his life, so I know his diet didn't
have a taurine deficiency.

I only had 4 extra months with him after his diagnosis. Over the years with
him, Maxx would also seem winded after playful exertion, but I wrote it off
to the virus he had caught as a kitten that would show up once or twice a
year as eye leakage and nasal congestion.

I found this blurb at http://www.homevet.com/petcare/felcardi.html#prognosis

"Many cats will live up to three years if properly medicated. If clinical
heart disease is already present when cardiomyopathy is detected the
survival rate averages three months to three years. If the disease is
detected in its asymptomatic state however, your cat may live a long life
with close monitoring of the condition by your veterinarian or a veterinary
cardiologist. The survival rate averages about 6 months. The exception is
when CM is caused by hyperthyroidism. If hyperthyroidism is successfully
treated, the heart function will generally return to normal and the cat will
no longer require treatment."

On an off chance, you might want to have Omar tested for hyperthyroidism,
unless your vets have already done that. The very best luck to you and
Omar... I hope you can beat this.
hugs,
Linda
Tucker-cat photos: http://www.picturetrail.com/bluemaxx
Cat Surgery Fund eBay auctions: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZtwolegs

wrote in message
oups.com...
:A month ago, my 3 year old cat Omar suddenly opened his mouth and
: seemed to gasp for air. He's a big cat (20 lbs and looks like a Maine
: Coon mix) so he often seemed a bit winded when he exerted himself. This
: time his tongue was blue so my mother rushed him to the emergency vet.
: There he was on oxygen for 13 hours before he could breathe on his own.
: X-rays showed his lungs were full of fluid and one was partially
: collapsed. The vets mentioned a number of tests that could be done, but
: seemed to think it was asthma and/or pneumonia. For the next 2 weeks
: Omar was on antibiotics, steroids, and an Albuterol inhaler. His
: breathing remained labored. He's hard to pill, so I took him back in
: for a long-lasting steroid shot. I noticed he seemed to go downhill
: after this.
:
: I then took him to my regular vet and she recommended an echocardiogram
: at a veterinary specialist clinic. I took him in that day and they put
: him on oxygen for 5 hours in addition to running the echo.
:
: The results of the echo were devastating. The doctor says his left
: ventricle is enlarged, and he had dilated cardiomyopathy. He warned us
: that Omar could suddenly die at any time, but he also seemed kind of
: baffled. My regular vet too says she hasn't seen a case of feline
: dilated cardio in years due to the addition of adequate amounts of
: taurine in commercial cat food. Omar was a stray for the first 7
: months of his life, but ever since then he's been on a diet of Iams
: and Purina One dry food with a little bit of Fancy Feast canned food
: every morning.
:
: When given pills, he starts breathing real hard and acts panicky, so I
: asked the vet at the emergency clinic for alternatives (since he will
: not eat his food with any medicine in it). They don't like giving out
: needles to people, but I begged successfully for some injectable Salix
: (diuretic). They also got my local compound pharmacy to make a
: transdermal ointment of Enalapril (rubbed in the ear daily). I also had
: taurine compounded in a tuna solution (no prescription needed for this
: one) which isn't too hard to get down his throat. The veterinary
: specilaist said a taurine deficiency is unlikely (as this is probably
: genetic), but I should add 500 mgs a day anyway.
:
: I know there are other helpful cardiac supplements (Hawthorn Berry,
: CoEnzyme Q10) but I can't get any pills in him, and it's just too
: expensive to have everything compounded into a liquid.
:
: I feel like I'm on a deathwatch with this dear, sweet cat. He's so
: gentle that all the other cats adore him. Now he seems lethargic and
: eats only a little. My incessant crying isn't helping I know. Does
: anyone have any ideas. Is there any hope??
:
: Thanks,
:
: Sheri

wrote:
A month ago, my 3 year old cat Omar suddenly opened his mouth and
seemed to gasp for air. He's a big cat (20 lbs and looks like a Maine
Coon mix) so he often seemed a bit winded when he exerted himself. This
time his tongue was blue so my mother rushed him to the emergency vet.
There he was on oxygen for 13 hours before he could breathe on his own.
X-rays showed his lungs were full of fluid and one was partially
collapsed. The vets mentioned a number of tests that could be done, but
seemed to think it was asthma and/or pneumonia. For the next 2 weeks
Omar was on antibiotics, steroids, and an Albuterol inhaler. His
breathing remained labored. He's hard to pill, so I took him back in
for a long-lasting steroid shot. I noticed he seemed to go downhill
after this.

I then took him to my regular vet and she recommended an echocardiogram
at a veterinary specialist clinic. I took him in that day and they put
him on oxygen for 5 hours in addition to running the echo.

The results of the echo were devastating. The doctor says his left
ventricle is enlarged, and he had dilated cardiomyopathy. He warned us
that Omar could suddenly die at any time, but he also seemed kind of
baffled. My regular vet too says she hasn't seen a case of feline
dilated cardio in years due to the addition of adequate amounts of
taurine in commercial cat food. Omar was a stray for the first 7
months of his life, but ever since then he's been on a diet of Iams
and Purina One dry food with a little bit of Fancy Feast canned food
every morning.

When given pills, he starts breathing real hard and acts panicky, so I
asked the vet at the emergency clinic for alternatives (since he will
not eat his food with any medicine in it). They don't like giving out
needles to people, but I begged successfully for some injectable Salix
(diuretic). They also got my local compound pharmacy to make a
transdermal ointment of Enalapril (rubbed in the ear daily). I also had
taurine compounded in a tuna solution (no prescription needed for this
one) which isn't too hard to get down his throat. The veterinary
specilaist said a taurine deficiency is unlikely (as this is probably
genetic), but I should add 500 mgs a day anyway.

I know there are other helpful cardiac supplements (Hawthorn Berry,
CoEnzyme Q10) but I can't get any pills in him, and it's just too
expensive to have everything compounded into a liquid.

I feel like I'm on a deathwatch with this dear, sweet cat. He's so
gentle that all the other cats adore him. Now he seems lethargic and
eats only a little. My incessant crying isn't helping I know. Does
anyone have any ideas. Is there any hope??


This is NOT a deathwatch for your cat. I have a co-worker who went
through this exact same thing, and though it has taken dozens of trips
to the vet (for xrays and removal of fluid), her kitty has pulled
through and is doing fine, almost a year later. Have you asked your vet
about Rutin (sp)? This is an herb that you can get at GNC and isn't
that expensive. I know you're having troubles pilling him, but you can
put grind it and put it in food.

Another important factor is his diet. Have you considered upgrading to
a high-quality diet, such as Innova, Wellness, or Nature's Variety?

Rene

wrote:
A month ago, my 3 year old cat Omar suddenly opened his mouth and
seemed to gasp for air. He's a big cat (20 lbs and looks like a Maine
Coon mix) so he often seemed a bit winded when he exerted himself. This
time his tongue was blue so my mother rushed him to the emergency vet.
There he was on oxygen for 13 hours before he could breathe on his own.
X-rays showed his lungs were full of fluid and one was partially
collapsed. The vets mentioned a number of tests that could be done, but
seemed to think it was asthma and/or pneumonia. For the next 2 weeks
Omar was on antibiotics, steroids, and an Albuterol inhaler. His
breathing remained labored. He's hard to pill, so I took him back in
for a long-lasting steroid shot. I noticed he seemed to go downhill
after this.

I then took him to my regular vet and she recommended an echocardiogram
at a veterinary specialist clinic. I took him in that day and they put
him on oxygen for 5 hours in addition to running the echo.

The results of the echo were devastating. The doctor says his left
ventricle is enlarged, and he had dilated cardiomyopathy. He warned us
that Omar could suddenly die at any time, but he also seemed kind of
baffled. My regular vet too says she hasn't seen a case of feline
dilated cardio in years due to the addition of adequate amounts of
taurine in commercial cat food. Omar was a stray for the first 7
months of his life, but ever since then he's been on a diet of Iams
and Purina One dry food with a little bit of Fancy Feast canned food
every morning.

When given pills, he starts breathing real hard and acts panicky, so I
asked the vet at the emergency clinic for alternatives (since he will
not eat his food with any medicine in it). They don't like giving out
needles to people, but I begged successfully for some injectable Salix
(diuretic). They also got my local compound pharmacy to make a
transdermal ointment of Enalapril (rubbed in the ear daily). I also had
taurine compounded in a tuna solution (no prescription needed for this
one) which isn't too hard to get down his throat. The veterinary
specilaist said a taurine deficiency is unlikely (as this is probably
genetic), but I should add 500 mgs a day anyway.

I know there are other helpful cardiac supplements (Hawthorn Berry,
CoEnzyme Q10) but I can't get any pills in him, and it's just too
expensive to have everything compounded into a liquid.

I feel like I'm on a deathwatch with this dear, sweet cat. He's so
gentle that all the other cats adore him. Now he seems lethargic and
eats only a little. My incessant crying isn't helping I know. Does
anyone have any ideas. Is there any hope??

Thanks,

Sheri

can't say anything about the heart disease thing but I have an idea
about the pill giving issue; I got form my vets a small plastic device
which is supposed to help with administering pills to my cat
(hyperthyroid, pills twice a day, used to be a battle royale but now I
have it down to a fine art), I don't knwo what it's commercial name is
but it is liek a large hyperdermic needle type thing, you put the pill
ni one end hold it just inside the cats mouth, squeeze the other end
and the pill shoudl shoot down kitties throat with little fuss at all.

i say 'should' because jessie was much more freaked out at the sight of
me coming towards her with this enormous great contraption in my hand
than she was by the usual method of giving a pill, so i abandoned it
after a while and just got used to surprising her with a pill when she
had just woken up inthe morning and when she was snoozing inthe
evening. Ask you vet about these devices, pill givers? i dontl know
what they are called, cost me about £2 so hardly goign to break the
bank really.

another thingI found quite useful was to give her (and my other cat
previously who was also hyperthyroid) a treat of something afterwards,
whatever it si they like best, with jasper it was a few prawns, jessie
likes whiskas 'temptations' crunchy treats (whichis odd as she has no
teeth and can't really crunch them but she likes them so much she will
purr when she hears the box being rattled) this kind of 'conditions'
them into learning that after they have had the pill they will always
great a treat but you have to consistent and ALWAYS give a treat
afterwards, not fair and won't work otherwise.

in fact, with jasper i used to push the small pills into the cooked and
peeled prawns and he woudl eat them happily not knowing he had just
been given his medication. buy a few prawns if you cat likes them abnd
try that, cooked and peeled prawns, they are liek little fishy pockets
when the heads are off and you can hide a small pill inside easily. The
strong prawn smell seemed to hide the pill and jasper didn;t suspect a
thing (or else he just thought 'who cares? i am getting prawns for
breakfast again, hoorah!').

I would NOT crush the pills up at any cost, pills are usually made in
such a way that the absorption of the medication and active ingredients
inthe gut is regulated by the pill covering. The fact it is in pill
form helps to slow the absorption down and allow the mediaction to
enter the cat's system in a smooth and controlled manner as opposed to
in one big burst. Many types of piklls will say onthe side inthe
smallprint not to crush them but people rarely take much notice.

there are other things you can get form the vet, 'pill pockets' i think
they arecalled, something edible you can put the pill in and give to
your cat as a treat. I think they work with dogs but not sure if they
work with cats (who are not as stupid as dogs, lets face it) or whether
they even make them for cats. All the ones i have seen have been huge
great lumps which i reckon would choke a cat.

best of luck with it all, it is hard when such a beautiful and innocent
creature is suffering and possibly at deaths doors when there are so
many individuals in the world living who don't deserve it and who
create suffering and pain for others instead of relieving it and
causing no harm to anyone like your puss does. so many things in this
world are not fair.

jessie my calico has just come in to the room and sends your omar all
her purrs and head butts and hopes he gets better soon

love Bookie

wrote:
A month ago, my 3 year old cat Omar suddenly opened his mouth and
seemed to gasp for air. He's a big cat (20 lbs and looks like a Maine
Coon mix) so he often seemed a bit winded when he exerted himself. This
time his tongue was blue so my mother rushed him to the emergency vet.
There he was on oxygen for 13 hours before he could breathe on his own.
X-rays showed his lungs were full of fluid and one was partially
collapsed. The vets mentioned a number of tests that could be done, but
seemed to think it was asthma and/or pneumonia. For the next 2 weeks
Omar was on antibiotics, steroids, and an Albuterol inhaler. His
breathing remained labored. He's hard to pill, so I took him back in
for a long-lasting steroid shot. I noticed he seemed to go downhill
after this.

I then took him to my regular vet and she recommended an echocardiogram
at a veterinary specialist clinic. I took him in that day and they put
him on oxygen for 5 hours in addition to running the echo.

The results of the echo were devastating. The doctor says his left
ventricle is enlarged, and he had dilated cardiomyopathy. He warned us
that Omar could suddenly die at any time, but he also seemed kind of
baffled. My regular vet too says she hasn't seen a case of feline
dilated cardio in years due to the addition of adequate amounts of
taurine in commercial cat food. Omar was a stray for the first 7
months of his life, but ever since then he's been on a diet of Iams
and Purina One dry food with a little bit of Fancy Feast canned food
every morning.

When given pills, he starts breathing real hard and acts panicky, so I
asked the vet at the emergency clinic for alternatives (since he will
not eat his food with any medicine in it). They don't like giving out
needles to people, but I begged successfully for some injectable Salix
(diuretic). They also got my local compound pharmacy to make a
transdermal ointment of Enalapril (rubbed in the ear daily). I also had
taurine compounded in a tuna solution (no prescription needed for this
one) which isn't too hard to get down his throat. The veterinary
specilaist said a taurine deficiency is unlikely (as this is probably
genetic), but I should add 500 mgs a day anyway.

I know there are other helpful cardiac supplements (Hawthorn Berry,
CoEnzyme Q10) but I can't get any pills in him, and it's just too
expensive to have everything compounded into a liquid.

I feel like I'm on a deathwatch with this dear, sweet cat. He's so
gentle that all the other cats adore him. Now he seems lethargic and
eats only a little. My incessant crying isn't helping I know. Does
anyone have any ideas. Is there any hope??

Thanks,

Sheri

found a company in berkshire who sells it online (but i expect you are
inthe US of A) it is the Catac PIll Giver, costs £3.81, aso dirt
cheap, must be a pet shop or something on your side of the pond who
sells it or try the Catac website, best fo luck finding it, bookie

wrote:
A month ago, my 3 year old cat Omar suddenly opened his mouth and
seemed to gasp for air. He's a big cat (20 lbs and looks like a Maine
Coon mix) so he often seemed a bit winded when he exerted himself. This
time his tongue was blue so my mother rushed him to the emergency vet.
There he was on oxygen for 13 hours before he could breathe on his own.
X-rays showed his lungs were full of fluid and one was partially
collapsed. The vets mentioned a number of tests that could be done, but
seemed to think it was asthma and/or pneumonia. For the next 2 weeks
Omar was on antibiotics, steroids, and an Albuterol inhaler. His
breathing remained labored. He's hard to pill, so I took him back in
for a long-lasting steroid shot. I noticed he seemed to go downhill
after this.

I then took him to my regular vet and she recommended an echocardiogram
at a veterinary specialist clinic. I took him in that day and they put
him on oxygen for 5 hours in addition to running the echo.

The results of the echo were devastating. The doctor says his left
ventricle is enlarged, and he had dilated cardiomyopathy. He warned us
that Omar could suddenly die at any time, but he also seemed kind of
baffled. My regular vet too says she hasn't seen a case of feline
dilated cardio in years due to the addition of adequate amounts of
taurine in commercial cat food. Omar was a stray for the first 7
months of his life, but ever since then he's been on a diet of Iams
and Purina One dry food with a little bit of Fancy Feast canned food
every morning.

When given pills, he starts breathing real hard and acts panicky, so I
asked the vet at the emergency clinic for alternatives (since he will
not eat his food with any medicine in it). They don't like giving out
needles to people, but I begged successfully for some injectable Salix
(diuretic). They also got my local compound pharmacy to make a
transdermal ointment of Enalapril (rubbed in the ear daily). I also had
taurine compounded in a tuna solution (no prescription needed for this
one) which isn't too hard to get down his throat. The veterinary
specilaist said a taurine deficiency is unlikely (as this is probably
genetic), but I should add 500 mgs a day anyway.

I know there are other helpful cardiac supplements (Hawthorn Berry,
CoEnzyme Q10) but I can't get any pills in him, and it's just too
expensive to have everything compounded into a liquid.

I feel like I'm on a deathwatch with this dear, sweet cat. He's so
gentle that all the other cats adore him. Now he seems lethargic and
eats only a little. My incessant crying isn't helping I know. Does
anyone have any ideas. Is there any hope??

Thanks,

Sheri

finally foudn a link to somewhere which sells the pill giver thing I
was on about, it is a company is sudbury in suffolk but they may ship
it out to you if you ask nicely. I reckon postage will probably cost
more than the thing itself in fact

here is the link
http://www.furrypharm.com/shop/category.asp?catid=121

hopefully that will work.
bookie

"Rene S." wrote

Have you asked your vet
about Rutin (sp)? This is an herb that you can get at GNC and isn't
that expensive. I know you're having troubles pilling him, but you can
put grind it and put it in food.

Another important factor is his diet. Have you considered upgrading to
a high-quality diet, such as Innova, Wellness, or Nature's Variety?


Rutin is part of the C-complex, a bioflavonoid, if I recall
correctly. It is present in rose hips and the white stuff inside
the peel of an orange. Hesperidin is another part.

Thanks so much for all the info. I actually have a little gadget for
pilling a cat, though it may be different than the one you describe.
The problem is Omar acts like he's swallowed the pill, then I find it
lying on the couch the next day.

I also have two old hyperthyroid cats. My vet gave me methimazole pills
that she's says are okay to crush up (under a glass) and then mix in
wet food. They don't have a hard coating or a warning on the bottle, so
I guess it's safe to administer like this. The nice thing about
hyperthyroid cats is that they'll eat anything that doesn't crawl away.
Other sick cats are just the opposite. At least Omar's expressing a
little interest in food ... I'm praying I don't have to force feed him.

Thanks for all your well wishes.

Sheri

Lynne,

He had been gaining weight over the last few months. Now I wonder if it
was fluid retention. Since all this has happened, he lost several
pounds, but still doesn't look too svelte:-) I'm looking at how he's
breathing as an indicator of how much fluid has accumulated (it looks
close to normal since he's been on Salix). But I'll watch for overall
weight gain too.

I'm not sure about the specifics of his heart condition. The vet
specialist uses many technical terms, and I'm too upset to really
comprehend everything , except when he said "the prognosis is poor."
He's a very smart man, but I hope he's wrong on this one.

I spoke with a homeopathic vet about the supplements. She works with
the emergency and specialist clinics. She recommended L-Carnitine,
Vitamin E, CoQ10, and Hawthorn Berry etc. Now it really doesn't matter,
because I feel the stress of shoving pills down his throat all day is
too harmful. Maybe I'll eventually add CoQ10 to the regimen. Right
now he's so lethargic and seems to want to be left alone most of the
time. My heart is just breaking, but I know I have to be rational about
his treatment and prognosis.

Thanks for the info and encouragement,

Sheri