heart murmur

abnihon

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Jun 3, 2005
Messages
294
Purraise
3
Location
New York City
At a routine vet visit, we were told our 3 year old Maine Coon may have a heart murmur. The vet told me that it could be cardiomyopathy and he could just drop dead suddenly one day (!). So I was of course a little upset. He recommended a $500 echo to test for it.
My fiance was a little skeptical and encouraged me to seek out a second opinion. So we're taking him to a large animal medical center next week to see a veterinary cardiologist to get a second opinion.
If they suggest an echo too then I guess we'll just do it.
I'm so nervous!
What should I expect?
If it is cardiomyopathy how long can he live and what type of treatment would he have to be on? What is the cost of feline cardiac medications?
I'm so nervous for him! And I'm about to get married in 4 weeks and this is adding a lot of stress and I'm so nervous now about going out of town for our wedding/honeymoon!
I just hope we get good news at the cardiologist next week.
We were considering getting another Maine Coon, but now I'm not so sure since I've heard this does run in the breed.
 

blueyedgirl5946

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Sep 10, 2005
Messages
14,593
Purraise
1,695
What kind of symptoms does your cat have. Some symptoms typical of cardiomyopathy include weakness, lethargy, fainting, difficulty breathing, lack of appetite, abdominal swelling, vomiting, difficulty using hind legs. I had a cat who had cardiomypathy. She was very sick and that is when the vet found it. She had not been diagnosed with a heart murmur. Is your cat sick? I would certainly go for another opinion.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

abnihon

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Jun 3, 2005
Messages
294
Purraise
3
Location
New York City
He has no symptoms at all! Very active, good appetite.
 

eilcon

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Mar 22, 2005
Messages
11,094
Purraise
1
Location
Cincinnati
Did your vet say what grade the heart murmur is? They're rated on a scale of 1-6, depending on the severity. A murmur isn't necessarily a symptom of cardiomyopathy, but could be. Also, did the vet do an xray to see if your cat's heart is enlarged? That's what my vet recommended before referring my male cat, Peter, for a cardiac ultrasound, which confirmed Peter has mild HCM (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy). Pete has a grade 2 murmur and the xrays showed a slightly enlarged heart.

Pete was diagnosed four years ago (he'll be 6 years old in July) and his last ultrasound showed no further progression of the disease. Pete gets 1/2 a baby aspirin twice a week to keep his blood thin, and a low dosage of a beta blocker daily to regulate his blood pressure and prevent blood clots. His meds average about $20 every 3 months. Pete's shown no other symptoms and is an otherwise healthy, active boy.

Good luck with your kitty. Feel free to PM if you have any questions/concerns.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

abnihon

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Jun 3, 2005
Messages
294
Purraise
3
Location
New York City
Thanks! I think he said 2/6. He just recommended the echo. Maybe the cardiologist next week will suggest x-ray. Do they also measure your cat's blood pressure?
The cost of meds seem reasonable, I was worried they could be hundreds of dollars a month (like some human meds without insurance....)
I'll let you know how it goes next week!
 

otto

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 7, 2008
Messages
9,837
Purraise
197
Yes blood pressure can be taken too.

Let us know what happens at the cardiologist. It's wonderful you are doing all you can for your sweet boy.
 

brookesphynx

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Nov 21, 2009
Messages
210
Purraise
1
Location
Tampa Bay, FL
I have lots of experience with cardiomyopathy (unfortunately...). Specifically, HCM (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy).

I lost my first sphynx, Harold, to the disease about a year and a half ago. But, he was not diagnosed with it until he was very sick, in congestive heart failure. By the time they go into CHF, the prognosis is usually only a matter of months. Because HCM is quite common among the sphynx breed (and also Maine Coons, Ragdolls, and some other breeds, though all cats, dogs, and people can have it), I've had all of my sphynx scanned by echocardiogram. Last March, another one of my boys was diagnosed with it.
The difference here, is that it was caught very early, so his prognosis is much better. Nelson (my current HCM+ boy) is showing no outward signs of having heart disease, except that he has some fainting episodes. They were much more frequent before he was on medication. Other than that, his only symptoms were a murmur (grade 2-3) and an enlarged heart on x-ray.

He is currently on 2 meds: A diuretic, Lasix, to keep fluid out of his lungs, and a Beta Blocker, Atenolol, to treat his high blood pressure. The vet bills upfront for diagnosing his condition, his echo, blood work, measuring heart rate and BP, and getting him on the proper dose of meds were close to $1500. Now that he's regulated and on a maintenance dose of medication and doing well, his monthly expenses are very low - less than $20/month. And he will have echo's every 6 months to monitor his progress. However, I have to always be prepared for any emergency trips to the ER that might pop up. I went through it with my first boy that passed away - and that is where the big expenses come in...

Each cat is different - I know people who have HCM+ cats that have lived many, many comfortable years with no problems.

Given the breed, and their pre-disposition to this disease, I would agree with your vet about getting the echo. It's the only way to diagnose or rule out cardiomyopathy. A vet can look at an x-ray and see and enlarged "valentine" heart and give a pretty good diagnosis, but the cardiologist will also be able to look at other measurements - for example, the size of the left atrium, or they'll be able to see any clots, and they can tell you if your cat is a high risk for thromboembolism and medicate accordingly.

Also, I wouldn't let the fear of HCM stop you from getting another Maine Coon, the breed that you love so much. Just make sure you support a breeder than scans their breeding cats yearly for the disease. It's the only way we can stamp out HCM.

Best of luck to you! A murmur does not always mean HCM. Fingers crossed.
 

mews2much

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 19, 2007
Messages
13,424
Purraise
27
Location
Central Valley,California
My Meeko has a 2/3 heart murmur and she will be 10 next month.
She has had it since she was a kitten
Go ahead and get the echo and 2nd opinion.
 

carolina

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 17, 2008
Messages
14,759
Purraise
215
Location
Corinth, TX
My Hope has a 2/6 heart murmur, and like your has no symptoms.
She did have an x-ray done, which showed no enlarged heart. Per my doctor as long as she shows no symptoms, such as lethargy, low energy, I should not worry about it; as she gets older an ultrasound has been advised.
I am not stressing about it right now...
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #10

abnihon

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Jun 3, 2005
Messages
294
Purraise
3
Location
New York City
Ok, we just got back from the cardiologist. He does have cardiomyopathy

(not hypertrophic though) He said the left ventricle is enlarged and the intra-ventricular septum is thin.
He gave us a prescription for an ace inhibitor and recommends a follow up echo in about a year.
Poor Samson... I just hope he still can live a long and happy life...

We were thinking about getting another Maine Coon kitten from the same breeder (actually the same father as Samson)
Does this mean it runs in his family and we shouldn't?
I have to ask the breeder if she tests for it.
But I've heard those genetic tests aren't even that helpful because it just isolates one gene and having the gene doesn't mean you'll get heart disease and cats can also get heart disease without having the gene. So it's sort of meaningless.
Any thoughts?
 

brookesphynx

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Nov 21, 2009
Messages
210
Purraise
1
Location
Tampa Bay, FL
Originally Posted by abnihon

Ok, we just got back from the cardiologist. He does have cardiomyopathy

(not hypertrophic though) He said the left ventricle is enlarged and the intra-ventricular septum is thin.
He gave us a prescription for an ace inhibitor and recommends a follow up echo in about a year.
Poor Samson... I just hope he still can live a long and happy life...

We were thinking about getting another Maine Coon kitten from the same breeder (actually the same father as Samson)
Does this mean it runs in his family and we shouldn't?
I have to ask the breeder if she tests for it.
But I've heard those genetic tests aren't even that helpful because it just isolates one gene and having the gene doesn't mean you'll get heart disease and cats can also get heart disease without having the gene. So it's sort of meaningless.
Any thoughts?
I'm glad you opted for the echo, and I'm so sorry to hear this news... what type of cardiomyopathy does Samson have?

My only experience is with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy - which IS (in many cases) passed genetically. I'm not sure if the other types of cardiomyopathy are also passed genetically, but I personally would not get a kitten from the same lines because of this. I'm sure you'll alert Samson's breeder about his diagnosis, and if she isn't scanning her cats, hopefully she will have them scanned now.

You're absolutely right about the genetic marker for HCM - it only tests for one particular gene, and there are many that cause the disease. It's not 100%, and because of that, it's still recommended that breeders scan their cats by echo every year even if they have the genetic testing done. The benefit of the genetic testing is that, yes, the cat may never develop HCM, but the breeder can remove that cat from their program and avoid passing the gene to future generations and spreading the disease - so I wouldn't say it's pointless - it's just not a perfect diagnostic tool...

My biggest hope is that you've caught Samson's disease early - you say he has no clinical signs, right? It was just a murmur detected during his routine exam? Did the cardiologist grade his condition (mild, moderate, or severe)? It sounds like he's on a rather low dose of meds and doesn't need a recheck for another year...that sounds hopeful to me!! My HCM+ boy has to come in for rechecks every 3 months...

Watch Samson carefully for subtle changes in his breathing, appetite, energy level. Take notice if you see him sitting upright, "perched" on his front legs with his elbows out. That might be a sign of fluid building in his lungs and the vet may have to medicate him for that if it starts happening down the road. Talk to your vet about possibly getting him on a low sodium diet.

I know many people who have had happy cardiomyopathy kitties for years. Each case is different. Learn everything you can, but don't let the internet scare you...stay hopeful and kiss that boy every day.
 
Top