Birman genetic problems

Does anyone know anything about arrythmyogenic right ventricular
cardiomyopathy in Birmans? This is a rare genetic heart disease which
is always fatal, and my seal-point Birman is presently dying from it
at 11 1/2 years. He belongs to the old Birman gene pool in the UK and
Europe which in the mid-1990s was found to carry a number of genetic
defects because the gene pool was too small. My cat's litter-mate, a
blue-point Birman, died ten years ago, aged a year and a half, of a
genetic inability to process magnesium, which resulted in feline
urinary tract disease and kidney failure. I read a number of articles
about the crisis in Birman breeding, and am informed that now the
breed is healthy, but I cannot find further information on this. Can
anyone help?

Liz

(Liz) wrote:

I read a number of articles
about the crisis in Birman breeding, and am informed that now the
breed is healthy, but I cannot find further information on this. Can
anyone help?

What are you trying to find out? Cardiomyopathy has been a problem in a few
genetic lines of Birman cats but on the whole the breed has no particular
health problems associated with it. Apparently your cat was one of the
unfortunate few from a genetic line that carried certain defects.

Here is all I could find about the disease
http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/cont...ll/102/15/1863

and this quote from a Waltham symposium:
"Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC)

This form of cardiomyopathy has only recently been recognized in cats, and is
characterized by fibrofatty infiltration of the right ventricle, resulting in
marked right heart enlargement.9 Affected cats may be asymptomatic, may be
syncopal in association with arrhythmias, or may have right-sided heart
failure."

I take it your cat is showing signs of heart failure since you say he is dying.
However, this note does seem to indicate the condition is not necessarily
always fatal.

Good luck and I hope your cat can be treated in some way to prolong his life.

(Liz) wrote:

I read a number of articles
about the crisis in Birman breeding, and am informed that now the
breed is healthy, but I cannot find further information on this. Can
anyone help?

What are you trying to find out? Cardiomyopathy has been a problem in a few
genetic lines of Birman cats but on the whole the breed has no particular
health problems associated with it. Apparently your cat was one of the
unfortunate few from a genetic line that carried certain defects.

Here is all I could find about the disease
http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/cont...ll/102/15/1863

and this quote from a Waltham symposium:
"Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC)

This form of cardiomyopathy has only recently been recognized in cats, and is
characterized by fibrofatty infiltration of the right ventricle, resulting in
marked right heart enlargement.9 Affected cats may be asymptomatic, may be
syncopal in association with arrhythmias, or may have right-sided heart
failure."

I take it your cat is showing signs of heart failure since you say he is dying.
However, this note does seem to indicate the condition is not necessarily
always fatal.

Good luck and I hope your cat can be treated in some way to prolong his life.