Sad news my friends Nelson is HCM pos

Oh man... I was hoping this was not going to be the case.... I will look for her thread now...

Thank you! I am heartbroken. Even though I was pretty sure this would be the outcome, I still wasn't ready for it... It did happen so fast - he was tested back in November and didn't have it, and now he has Moderate HCM.

I can only take peace knowing that I've caught it in it's earliest stages and hope that he's one of the lucky ones that can live for years with medication. I'll do whatever I can for him, and let him go if he's suffering.

Originally Posted by BrookeSphynx

Thank you! I am heartbroken. Even though I was pretty sure this would be the outcome, I still wasn't ready for it... It did happen so fast - he was tested back in November and didn't have it, and now he has Moderate HCM.

I can only take peace knowing that I've caught it in it's earliest stages and hope that he's one of the lucky ones that can live for years with medication. I'll do whatever I can for him, and let him go if he's suffering.

Click to expand...

Oh honey, I am so sorry... Let's all hope and pray for the best outcome as possible

Hi Brooke. I'm sorry to hear this. I hope Nelson is in the lucky bunch for those with this condition.

Oh, I am SO sorry! Hope he is one of the better cased!!!

I hope your kitty does okay. My cat Abby has heart disease too. She always had a heart murmur and they did an ultrasound and ECG and although the ultrasound showed no signs of heart disease her ECG wasn't very encouraging. They think she has HCM too. Hopefully both kitties will live good lives. I know what you mean about letting him go when he starts to suffer. I feel the same way with my girl. We can hope they will be with us for a good long time yet.

I'm so sorry to hear about Nelson. I'll be sending lots of vibes his way.

For what it's worth my sweet boy, Peter, was diagnosed with mild HCM four years ago. He's been on daily medication since then and his last ultrasound showed there'd been no further progression of the disease.

Hi everyone. I wanted to post an update on Nelson. He started having trouble last night and had to spend today at the vet having his blood pressure and heart rate checked. His blood pressure is high normal but his heart rate is very high. He also had mild pulmonary edema - a small amount of fluid in his lungs. So, he's started on medication - lasix, a diuretic for the fluid in his lungs and atenolol, to lower his heart rate. Right now he's on a fairly low dose of each med. My last cat that passed from HCM was on very high doses of the same meds, so when his condition got worse, there was no room to increase the meds to help him. At least with Nelson, we're starting with low doses and have room to breathe...

The prognosis from my vet isn't great. He hopes we can give him another good year, maybe two if we're lucky. I am heartbroken, but am going to stay strong for my boy, and cherish every single moment I have left with him. Thank you for all your caring and kind words.

for all the other HCM kitties, too!

I hope you're right, Jacky. I can only hope more people can learn about HCM in sphynx because of Nelson's story. That's the only good that can come of it.

My friend Cheryl posted his picture and story on her website.

The other breeder that sold him to me still has no idea he has HCM, and I just found out it was illegal for her to adopt him from the SPCA and then sell him to me. But, if the SPCA finds out about it, they might take him away from me and put him to sleep so I'm afraid to contact them for more information about where he came from to try and trace his lines.

Originally Posted by mews2much

Brooke,
The word has to get out.
So many people on the other site know nothing and will get a sphynx from anywhere just to have one.
I agree contacting them could cause a problem.
I would not want Nelson to be pts just because of that.
I am glad Cheryl posted Nelsons story on her site.
So many breeders do not test for HCM
and Sami told me the breeder that sold a sphynx to my sister lies about scanning.
She tells people she scans but does not so my sister asked for a copy of a scan and she has none.

Click to expand...

Wow, Jacky. I hope your sister is able to make that breeder pay for her sphynx to get scanned. That would be the right thing for her to do. That's why I've started telling people on the other site to not only ask if they scan, but get proof. It's too easy to lie about it.

Do you know Cheryl's website? I'll PM it to you so you can see what she put up about Nelson if you don't know it. I'm lucky to have her nearby - an ethical and responsible breeder and a great friend. Florida is full of BYB's.


Nelson started his meds today. THANK GOD he is easy to pill!!!
I just opened his mouth and threw both pills in at the same time and he swallowed them, no problem. He's so easy going, doesn't stress easily...good traits for a heart patient.