Pronosis 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?

--

Niel H

"Niel Humphreys" wrote in
message ...
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?

--

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!)

"cybercat" wrote in message
...

"Niel Humphreys" wrote in
message ...
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?

--

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?

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.

--

Niel H

"Niel Humphreys" wrote in
message ...
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?

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

"Phil P." wrote in message
news:6wcMf.1545$d61.1475@trnddc05...

"Niel Humphreys" wrote in
message ...
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?

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.

--

Niel H

"Niel Humphreys" wrote in
message ...
"Phil P." wrote in message
news:6wcMf.1545$d61.1475@trnddc05...

"Niel Humphreys" wrote in
message ...
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?

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.

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.

"Phil P." wrote in message
news:EYoMf.1661$d61.360@trnddc05...

"Niel Humphreys" wrote in
message ...
"Phil P." wrote in message
news:6wcMf.1545$d61.1475@trnddc05...

"Niel Humphreys" wrote in
message ...
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?

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.

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.

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.
--

Niel H

"Niel Humphreys" wrote in
message ...
"Phil P." wrote in message
news:EYoMf.1661$d61.360@trnddc05...

"Niel Humphreys" wrote in
message ...
"Phil P." wrote in message
news:6wcMf.1545$d61.1475@trnddc05...

"Niel Humphreys" wrote
in
message ...
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?

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.

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.

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

"Phil P." wrote in message
news:XzyMf.1779$d61.461@trnddc05...

"Niel Humphreys" wrote in

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.

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.
--

Niel H

"Niel Humphreys" wrote in
message ...
"Phil P." wrote in message
news:XzyMf.1779$d61.461@trnddc05...

"Niel Humphreys" wrote in

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.

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.


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.
--

Niel H