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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 |
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3-year-old cat w/ dilated cardiomyopathy
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3-year-old cat w/ dilated cardiomyopathy
{{{{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 |
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3-year-old cat w/ dilated cardiomyopathy
"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. |
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3-year-old cat w/ dilated cardiomyopathy
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 |
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3-year-old cat w/ dilated cardiomyopathy
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 |
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