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large heart normal?
Hi, our cat had a chest x-ray three months ago that showed everything normal
but the vet said her heart looked mildly enlarged. He advised just rechecking in three months, since she had had iv fluids that day during a dental cleaning. We just had her recheck x-ray and he said her heart looks the same. He said there is no sign of heart disease and since she acts normally (active, no panting after exercise, eating normally, etc.) he said he thinks that although her heart is larger than normal, it could just be normal for her. He said the size of the heart is within the range of normal sizes and is not abnormally shaped. I asked about an ultrasound to be sure, and he said he doesn't think it's necessary but will arrange for one if we want the reassurance. I think we probably will have the ultrasound, but my question at this point is whether anyone else has had a cat whose heart was large but it didn't turn out to be any sort of health problem? Our cat, btw, is six years old, normal weight, and has always been more active than our other cats. |
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On 03 Nov 2003 22:09:21 GMT, ospam (Yngver) wrote:
Hi, our cat had a chest x-ray three months ago that showed everything normal but the vet said her heart looked mildly enlarged. He advised just rechecking in three months, since she had had iv fluids that day during a dental cleaning. We just had her recheck x-ray and he said her heart looks the same. He said there is no sign of heart disease and since she acts normally (active, no panting after exercise, eating normally, etc.) he said he thinks that although her heart is larger than normal, it could just be normal for her. He said the size of the heart is within the range of normal sizes and is not abnormally shaped. I have a dog with an alarged heart. There are two kinds. One is just larger in size than normal for their body size. Stays the same throughout life. The other is whern there is a physical poblem causing it to get larger over time. I got my dog when she was 4 years old and underweight. I learned about her enlarged heart when she was 5 and a bit plump. She was on the couch, and I pulled her toward me by holding her sides. She yelped, which seems very odd for the light sqeezing I had done. I knew she had been kicked by her previous owner, so I wondered if there was an old rib injury. I took her to the vet for an x-ray. He said he heart was a bit larger than normal for such a small dog, and it had become obvious because she was overweight. With the heart being large, and the fat taking up space, it meant she had no room inside when squeezed, so it did hurt. The vet had several things to say.One, he recommended coming back in 6 months to see if it got any larger. If not, then there was probably no underlying problem. He said I could get an ultrasound, but that it was expensive and unnecesary unless the new x-ray showed a change. He also advised against over activity. In the case of my dog, it is very obvious that her windpipe is being pressed upon by her heart. He was able to show this to me in the x-ray, plain as day. So, because of this, if she gets too active, then her heart could actually close off her windpipe and cause her to stop breathing. So, I was told that she must take breaks every 10 minutes when exercising. So, no agility for her, and long walks require lots of breaks or a stroller (we get a lot of funny looks). And also to keep her weight down. I can always tell when she is gaining weight, because she will start coughing more, usually at night, which is a classic sign of heart problems. It pushes on her windpipe, so she coughs. I was where you are now. Scared by the diagnosis and dying to know more to calm myself down. I started searching online at vet websites. I even went to the local univeristy and looked through books on heart issues, and I finally spent $100 and ordered the book "Small Animal cardiovascular Medicine" by Mark Kittleson and Richard Kienle. It is an awesome book, and though intended for vet students, it really helped calm my fears. I was able to read about the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. The main examples in the book are dogs and cats. And I felt a lot better learning that the prognosis is good. Smaller animals can have an enlarged heart all their lives with no problems as long as their weight is maintained well. With my dog, I changed her diet. She is an easy keeper. She gains weight on air, and gets less food than our other shelties. So, I cut some of her kibble and replaced it with french cut green beans (no salt added). This cut her calories and provided filler so she feels like she got a meal, and doesn't finish before the other dogs and fixate on their food. It's been 5 years, and she barely coughs. If I hear it start up, I work on her diet and exercise. Other than that, no real problems. Sometimes, she plays really hard and gets out of breath. I will stop her and make her wait until her breathing is okay before letting her resume. I suspect that your own situation is similar to mine. Just a little larger than normal for her size, and no underlying health problem. Just keep her weight good, and be aware if a cough develops, or she gets out of breath. Meghan & the Zoo Crew Equine and Pet Photography http://www.zoocrewphoto.com |
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"m. L. Briggs" wrote in message ... I have heard that well trained athletes have larger hearts -- also slower beats. Anybody able to confirm this? Since the heart is a muscle, yes, this is true. You can cause your own heart to slow down by doing regular cardio-vascular exercise. However--an enlarged heart usually means that the heart is having to work too hard. In humans, it can cause complications. I have heard of very fat people and also people with valve problems developing enlarged hearts. My sense of it at the time is that it is not a good thing. |
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"m. L. Briggs" wrote in message ... I have heard that well trained athletes have larger hearts -- also slower beats. Anybody able to confirm this? Since the heart is a muscle, yes, this is true. You can cause your own heart to slow down by doing regular cardio-vascular exercise. However--an enlarged heart usually means that the heart is having to work too hard. In humans, it can cause complications. I have heard of very fat people and also people with valve problems developing enlarged hearts. My sense of it at the time is that it is not a good thing. |
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