Detecting Heart Disease in Cats
Diseases affecting their heart, kidneys and other organs can develop as cats age. The most common diseases of older cats are cancer, renal or kidney disease, diabetes, hyperthyroidism (disease of the thyroid gland), dental disease and heart disease. Because cats age seven times faster than we do, examinations done by your veterinarian twice a year can help detect problems earlier when they can still be treated. Diagnostic tests such as blood work, ECG, ultrasound and blood pressure monitoring can help detect problems sooner.
A common heart disease that develops in cats is hypertrophic cardipmyopathy (HCM). Cardiomyopathy is found more often in cats than in dogs. HCM is an acquired heart disease that affects the walls of the heart causing them to become abnormally thick. As the heart walls get thicker, heart function decreases. The heart muscle eventually thickens and stiffens decreasing its ability to contract and pump the blood. The narrow heart chamber holds a smaller volume of blood, so less blood is pumped out of the heart with each beat of the heart., This results in the amount of blood that once filled the heart is less than it should be and the heart muscle can’t contract as well to move the blood out of the heart into the body. The diseased heart has to pump faster and harder than normal to keep the blood flowing throughout the body. The resulting pressure begins to back up the blood into the lungs causing edema and congestion and eventually leads to congestive heart failure.
Sometimes, the faulty heart can have changes in the conduction system that tells the heart when to contract. Arrhythmias may develop in the diseased heart resulting in sudden death, similar to young athletes that die during practice.
Cardiomyopathy can also cause feline aortic thromboembolism or FATE. Occasionally, blood clots can dislodge and clog the arteries going to the rear legs. The dislodged blood clot causes blockage of the blood flow to the legs resulting in severe pain and paralysis. The blood clot is sometimes referred to as a saddle thrombus. About 40% of the cats recover from a saddle thrombus with intensive therapy and may regain use of their legs over time. However, these cats can still risk develop another episode and will continue to suffer from the primary heart condition.
Cats are sometimes good as masking underlying physical problems and early detection is key to helping these cats live a full life. A cat that is fat and lazy and doesn’t move around a lot, may actually have a heart disease. Of course not all fat and lazy cats a have heart disease, but the only way to tell is with full exams by your veterinarian. Diagnostics needed to detect heart disease in cats includes an EKG, blood pressure monitoring and doppler ultrasound to measure the thickness in the heart. The thickened walls of the heart can be seen with ultrasound and is a screening tool for cats as well as our young athletes.
Special medication can be given to help cats with their heart function and reduce the edema in their lungs. The prognosis for a cat that has already developed the congestive heart failure is guarded, and even with medication, survival rates are 12-18 months after diagnosis and sudden death can occur at any time.
Develop a wellness plan with your veterinarian for early detection and diagnostics. By detecting diseases earlier, changes in diet and medication can help your cat live longer.
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