Possible hip dysplasia and heart problem?

Last wednesday x-rays were taken of the lungs and hind-legs of my 2 year old Burmese cat Zeya. Both x-rays showed abnormalities and were send to a radiologist for evaluation. I expect a call from my vet this week with the results of that evaluation. It makes me quite nervous waiting for the results, so I guess I kind of need to tell the story.

This is what is going on:

As a kitten Zeya had trouble jumping. I mentioned that to the vet at the time, but a fysical exam showed no abnormalities. The vet thought it would improve as she grew older. This did not happen. Zeya still has trouble jumping. She regularly miscalculates a jump and falls down. She will also regularly hesistate before jumping as if she needs more time before she can make the jump. Recently I saw that she walks abnormally. She swings her hind-legs outwards when she steps forward. She does this some of the time, not always. This is what it looks like:



As you can see, her walking is a little weird, but not too bad at all. She can run and play just fine. However, since she also had trouble breathing I decided to combine the x-rays. The x-rays of her legs showed that the right hip was formed a little abnormally. The vet mentioned the possibility of hip dysplasia, but wanted to refer the x-rays to the radiologist for further examination. 

The chest x-ray was abnormal as well. At the top of the right lung the x-ray showed white clouding. According to the vet this could be either scarring from an earlier pneumonia or it could be an enlarged heart. Zeya does have a history of rhinotracheitis, which she got for the first time when she was only 7 weeks old or so. As far as I know she never had pneumonia.

Zeya also has a heart murmer. She had a heart echo when she was 6 months old, which showed the murmer was caused by turbulence in the pulmonary artery. The radiologist said that this could be an early sign of pulmonic stenosis (which in turn can lead to an enlarged heart). This was not a certainty however. 

This is the part I am most worried about. I fear something is very wrong with Zeya's heart. About two weeks ago she suddenly had trouble breathing. She panted with her mouth wide open and tongue outside, had trouble swallowing and sounded like she had severe asthma. She was in panic. I rushed her to the vet, but when I got there she breathed normally again. The vet told me to wait and see how it developed further. A few days later she had trouble breathing again, this time without the asthma sounds and now it lasted only a few minutes. The strange thing about all this is that it happens when she is calm and quiet. Just walking around or even when she lies down to sleep. 

I do hope I'm so wrong, but this just does not feel right at all. 

Sorry about the long story.

I hope it is nothing seriously wrong with your baby. Sending major feline mojo!

Thank you, that is so sweet!

Have you contacted her breeder to see if anything came up with littermates/relatives?  Could help rule out stuff.
 

The breeder is not an option unfortunately. She turned out to be in it for the money.

I've heard their dad died a few weeks ago. He was very ill when the breader rehomed him. I hope to hear this week what it was he died from. 

Zeya had a cardiac ultrasound today. Even though she has a murmur her heart is in good condition. I was surprised to hear that the diagnosis made in the earlier ultrasound was wrong. She does not have abnormal turbulence in the pulmonary artery. She does have a minor problem with her mitral valve however. The specialist said this could not cause her breathing problems. 

The specialist also had a look at the x-rays and told me he saw nothing wrong with her lungs either. This is good news ofcourse, but now I still do not know what is causing her problems.

No word yet on the hip x-ray unfortunately. 

SO glad her heart looks good! We need to take our Flowerbelle for an ultrasound. We took her in for coughing, knowing it could be heart related. The vet heard a murmur (for the first time - Flowerbelle is 9, so this was new, not just due to stress at the vet), saw an enlarged heart, thickened arteries in her lungs that appear to be the cause of her high blood pressure (had her blood pressure taken, it's high - but can't find any underlying reason for it), and her lungs were cloudy - it presented as maybe asthma, but definitely bronchitis (the bronchitis "overlaid" the asthma). The vet thought maybe the scarring on her lungs and the thickened artery walls might be due to heart worm. We went back through her history. She was severely riddled with lung worm (so badly, in fact, she was literally drowning from them). The vets (we work with three different vets at three different practices) are now in consensus that the former terrible lung worm infestation is the source of the scarring and arterial wall thickening.

We had her treated for bronchitis. That helped the coughing.

The x-rays also caught her hips (accidentally) - and they show significant deterioration in her ball joint. So not displasia, but arthritis.

The x-rays were sent to a cardiac specialist and a radiologist for their opinions. The radiologist and the cardiologist felt her heart was not enlarged, but it was just the angle and the way the x-ray was taken (she was on her stomach, not her back - or something).

BUT.... because of the heart murmur and the high blood pressure, we're taking her for the cardiac ultrasound. :nod:

We've gotten her blood pressure under control with the use of Norvasc (brand name - generic is amlodipine besylate here in the US).

There is a test that can be done to look for the enzymes created when the wall of the heart is deteriorating, making it fairly easy to diagnose Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. I imagine it would be available there? But from what the vets have seen, there's no reason to administer the test? It's a simple bood test: http://www.idexx.dk/animalhealth/laboratory/probnp/

Based on the x-rays, the sound of the murmur, and the opinion of the radiologist and cardiologist, no one has felt we should check for HCM. But we'll see what the cardiac ultrasound indicates.

Flowerbelle started coughing again. So we took her back for another x-ray to check on the asthma. She has early-stage asthma. :nod: Normally, the vet would want to prescribe steroids for this. But steroids are contra-indicated in a cat with high blood pressure. So are the usual treatments for arthritis (chrondroitin/glucosamine and/or hyaluronic acid). I don't know if arthritis treatments would help your baby or not - they certainly wouldn't correct the situation. I just have no idea if it would help ease any potential pain or discomfort? :dk: But I'm just sharing our experience.

So I went searching. And the one thing I found that can help arthritis AND asthma and is not contra-indicated for high blood pressure, is an omega 3 supplement. In cats, this has to be animal-based, not plant based. I'm currently using a salmon oil supplement, but I'm about to switch to giving her 500mg of krill oil a day.

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So with your baby, it seems they've ruled out any lung problems? The spots they see are scarring, not clouding? That would be very good news.

I have mitral valve prolapse. All it means in my case is that I have to take antibiotics prior to dental work, and during times of intense stress or physical activity, my heart sometimes races a little bit. I also have asthma, and I don't cough from the heart situation, but I do cough from the asthma. :lol3:

Since her lungs are clear, I'm wondering if the coughing is hairball related? Has she ever had problems with hairballs before? That was part of what was so tough with Flowerbelle. She's had issues with hairballs before. I can now tell the difference between a "hairball" hack and an asthma cough (the asthma cough is drier, and the hairball cough is somewhat "wet" sounding). Fortunately, we've not heard either for some time. :cross:

So has anyone discussed with you what can be done about the hip dysplasia?

Vibes for you baby, and please keep us posted!

P.S. Zeya is a BEAUTIFUL girl! :lovegrin2

I watched the whole video and did not see a limp from her hip problem. Maybe it is less noticeable to me because I never saw a cat with HD before, but both hips seemed normal to me. I would think if a cat has HD, it can't run.

Is she declawed? My first cat was usually cautious and hesitant about jumping after she was declawed, but was still able to jump on chairs and beds.

LDG said:

P.S. Zeya is a BEAUTIFUL girl!

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Thank you! I think so too   She has become so muscular over the last few months. I've come to call her "gespierde spijker", which means something like muscular nail, but it sounds so much better in Dutch 

Thank you also for sharing Flowerbelle's story! I hope all is well when you get the ultrasound done. Make sure you go to one who has Doppler equipment. It is amazing what they can see with that. I know for sure now that Zeya's heart is fine (besides the valve problem, which is minor). The radiologist measured the heart and compared it to the numbers that were taken last time. She definately does not have HCM. He also checked the blood flow and everything. I could actually see at the monitor what the problem was with the valve and how the blood flowed back a bit. So thank you so much for the tip (or is the correct word hint?) about the Idexx test, but I don't think it is necessary at the moment. 

LDG said:

Flowerbelle started coughing again. So we took her back for another x-ray to check on the asthma. She has early-stage asthma. 

 Normally, the vet would want to prescribe steroids for this. But steroids are contra-indicated in a cat with high blood pressure. So are the usual treatments for arthritis (chrondroitin/glucosamine and/or hyaluronic acid). I don't know if arthritis treatments would help your baby or not - they certainly wouldn't correct the situation. I just have no idea if it would help ease any potential pain or discomfort? 

 But I'm just sharing our experience. 

So I went searching. And the one thing I found that can help arthritis AND asthma and is not contra-indicated for high blood pressure, is an omega 3 supplement. In cats, this has to be animal-based, not plant based. I'm currently using a salmon oil supplement, but I'm about to switch to giving her 500mg of krill oil a day.
 

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I actually started her on omega 3 fish oil just a few days ago! And it was a line you wrote in another topic that made me decide to go for it. I also researched supplements and found that omega 3 would be beneficial for both her joints and her heart. When I read your post that it is beneficial for asthma as well, I started her on it right away. I feed raw and would normally rely on fish and/or game for their omega 3, but I've been out of fish lately and she's started to dislike game. So she needs it.

I've been looking into supplements for her joints as well, but wanted to wait until the results from the radiologist about her hips were in before ordering any. I haven't found a supplement with the ingredients you mention. Do you have a brand name for me? I'm not sure if the same brands are sold here, but I can always try. I've also considered taking her to a holistic vet who is an advocate of raw feeding and knows a lot about supplements. He is an hour away though. One thing I'd like to ask him is whether supplements would do anything to prevent the joints to deteriorate. Another thing I'd like to ask is about the use of vitamin C in cats. I've seen joint supplements for cats that include vitamin C, but I was wondering if these were safe since vitamin C acidifies the urine, which can cause oxalate crystals if it gets too acidic.

LDG said:

So with your baby, it seems they've ruled out any lung problems? The spots they see are scarring, not clouding? That would be very good news. 

I have mitral valve prolapse. All it means in my case is that I have to take antibiotics prior to dental work, and during times of intense stress or physical activity, my heart sometimes races a little bit. I also have asthma, and I don't cough from the heart situation, but I do cough from the asthma. 

Since her lungs are clear, I'm wondering if the coughing is hairball related? Has she ever had problems with hairballs before? That was part of what was so tough with Flowerbelle. She's had issues with hairballs before. I can now tell the difference between a "hairball" hack and an asthma cough (the asthma cough is drier, and the hairball cough is somewhat "wet" sounding). Fortunately, we've not heard either for some time. 

So has anyone discussed with you what can be done about the hip dysplasia?
Vibes for you baby, and please keep us posted! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The radiologist said today that the white spots were nothing and that he saw nothing abnormal in the chest x-rays. No scarring, no abnormal clouding, no donuts. He said her lungs were fine. I fear that my vet will say the cause does not need to pursued further because of this. I'm not sure I agree. Something is causing this troubled breathing and I'd like to know what. I heard today that early asthma does not need to show up on an x-ray, so that the x-ray is clear, might not be conclusive evidence that she is fine.  

What worries me as well is that she also coughs, which does not sound too good either. At first I thought this was a remnant of the rhinotracteitis she had before (that is what the vet said when I told her about it before), but now I think it might all be related. I don't think it is caused by hairballs. I've found only one hair ball in the last two years, so I highly doubt it. What do you think when you see this video? If was made last year, but she still coughs that way, only not as much and not als long any more. 



No word on the hips from the radiologist yet. I guess I have to wait a little longer. 

Thanks again for sharing Flowerbelle's story. I wish you both the best of luck at the cardiac ultrasound! 

EmilyMayWilcha said:

I watched the whole video and did not see a limp from her hip problem. Maybe it is less noticeable to me because I never saw a cat with HD before, but both hips seemed normal to me. I would think if a cat has HD, it can't run.

Is she declawed? My first cat was usually cautious and hesitant about jumping after she was declawed, but was still able to jump on chairs and beds.

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That is right. She does not limp.   I didn't say she did though. She swings her back legs outwards when she steps forward. The x-ray showed an abnormallity, which might be HD, but it's not sure yet. That is why the word "possible" is in the topic title.    The x-rays were sent to a radiologist for a consultation. I'm still waiting for the results. 

No, she is not declawed. I would never declaw a cat. I think it is cruel (and it is prohibited in the Netherlands).

burretje, why not call the holistic vet and see if you can schedule an appointment (not sure how payment arrangements would be made) - but for a phone consultation? The questions you need to ask aren't necessarily dependent on seeing the cat, especially if you get copies of the medical reports? :dk: Just a thought. My holistic vet does long distance consultations.

I know there are limited studies of most of the ingredients. There are also studies that indicate that glucosamine and chrondroitin don't do much for joint support. However, my holistic has seen the supplement for animals really help animals in pain. I didn't pursue the research because of Flowerbelle, but for my husband. It seems to me that the combination of these things is what helps the most. I don't know what the dose would be for a cat, but this is the supplement I've ordered for my husband: I think I learned the most about it on earthclinic.com, and then researched the MSM and hyaluronic acid (HA) (basically the "lubrication" in the joints) separately. HA in the states is available as an injection into the joint, and I understand it's used extensively in horses, and becoming more popular with dogs. There is definite controversy over the use of HA orally, the extent to which there is some benefit, and further discussion on whether you want to use high molecular weight or low molecular weight oral HA. But given the success people have been seeing with their arthritis using this specific supplement, I'm thinking they've got it right. :lol3: And it is a reputable company that makes what are considered high quality supplements. Though how important this particular brand is, I don't know. There are quite a few available here with this combination of ingredients by a number of manufacturers. :nod:

This was an interesting piece by the "expert" on HA: http://www.drpasswater.com/nutrition_library/Sardi.html

We're going to be back at the holistic vet soon with one of the cats for his annual. I'm going to ask her to determine if the supplement above is safe for cats (I believe it is), and if so, what an appropriate dose would be. From the work I've done, it seems to me it might help prevent the deterioration expected with age in "at risk" cats. (My overweight Billy is the kitty I'm thinking of using this with, BEFORE a problem starts).

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As to Zeya coughing, I have to agree - that doesn't seem like a hairball cough. I know there's a member of TCS that has asthma that's never been detected on an x-ray, so perhaps that is the situation? :dk: Too bad she hasn't had that cough while at the vet!

burretje said:

That is right. She does not limp. I didn't say she did though. She swings her back legs outwards when she steps forward. The x-ray showed an abnormallity, which might be HD, but it's not sure yet. That is why the word "possible" is in the topic title. The x-rays were sent to a radiologist for a consultation. I'm still waiting for the results. 

No, she is not declawed. I would never declaw a cat. I think it is cruel (and it is prohibited in the Netherlands).

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I did not know you live where declawing is illegal.

Unfortunately, I did not know what declawing is or that is causes disability in 1994. Now I know better for next time.

Do you have any idea why HD was not diagnosed after the x-rays?

LDG said:

burretje, why not call the holistic vet and see if you can schedule an appointment (not sure how payment arrangements would be made) - but for a phone consultation? The questions you need to ask aren't necessarily dependent on seeing the cat, especially if you get copies of the medical reports?

Just a thought. My holistic vet does long distance consultations.

Click to expand...

LDG said:

I know there are limited studies of most of the ingredients. There are also studies that indicate that glucosamine and chrondroitin don't do much for joint support. However, my holistic has seen the supplement for animals really help animals in pain. I didn't pursue the research because of Flowerbelle, but for my husband. It seems to me that the combination of these things is what helps the most. I don't know what the dose would be for a cat, but this is the supplement I've ordered for my husband: I think I learned the most about it on earthclinic.com, and then researched the MSM and hyaluronic acid (HA) (basically the "lubrication" in the joints) separately. HA in the states is available as an injection into the joint, and I understand it's used extensively in horses, and becoming more popular with dogs. There is definite controversy over the use of HA orally, the extent to which there is some benefit, and further discussion on whether you want to use high molecular weight or low molecular weight oral HA. But given the success people have been seeing with their arthritis using this specific supplement, I'm thinking they've got it right. 

 And it is a reputable company that makes what are considered high quality supplements. Though how important this particular brand is, I don't know. There are quite a few available here with this combination of ingredients by a number of manufacturers. 

This was an interesting piece by the "expert" on HA: http://www.drpasswater.com/nutrition_library/Sardi.html
We're going to be back at the holistic vet soon with one of the cats for his annual. I'm going to ask her to determine if the supplement above is safe for cats (I believe it is), and if so, what an appropriate dose would be. From the work I've done, it seems to me it might help prevent the deterioration expected with age in "at risk" cats. (My overweight Billy is the kitty I'm thinking of using this with, BEFORE a problem starts).

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Thank you for this information. I'm interested to hear what your holistic vet says about the supplement. 

LDG said:

As to Zeya coughing, I have to agree - that doesn't seem like a hairball cough. I know there's a member of TCS that has asthma that's never been detected on an x-ray, so perhaps that is the situation? 

 Too bad she hasn't had that cough while at the vet!

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I've been thinking to get a rhinoscopy done. Maybe they can find out what is wrong that way. 

EmilyMayWilcha said:

I did not know you live where declawing is illegal.

Unfortunately, I did not know what declawing is or that is causes disability in 1994. Now I know better for next time.

Do you have any idea why HD was not diagnosed after the x-rays?

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Yes, I'm sorry for my blunt reaction earlier. I had just read the topic about the declawed kitty who is in so much pain from it. I'm sure we all try to do the best we can with our cats and learn along the way.

HD is very difficult to diagnose from an x-ray. You need an expert with loads of experience to do so correctly. This is why my vet said it could be HD, but she was not sure. It is also why she sent the x-rays to a radiologist for a consultation. He has been on holiday for the last two weeks. He should be back now, so I expect to get the results soon.

burretje said:

Thank you for this information. I'm interested to hear what your holistic vet says about the supplement. 

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I'll keep you posted!

burretje said:

I've been thinking to get a rhinoscopy done. Maybe they can find out what is wrong that way. 

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Interesting. I wonder if that would help? Doesn't a rhinoscopy look at/remove infection from the sinuses? Because it seems the coughing would be from something in the lungs? :dk:


Keep us posted too, please!

You are right! I used the wrong word. I meant a bronchoscopy. They can looked at the airway and upper lungs with that. There is a video here if you are interested: http://www.mcvoordieren.nl/film-bronchoscopie

Oh, I've never heard of a "bronchoscopy," but given endoscopy, and rhinoscopy, it makes sense. I would consider that! :nod:

My vet called with the results today. She told me the chest x-ray was clear according to the radiologist (which I knew allready). Since the cardiac ultrasound was ok as well, I got the feeling she wanted to leave it at this. I don't.

A coughing cat is not normal and a cat that has difficulty breathing is not normal either. I don't care if nothing has been found yet. Something is wrong. I felt like I had to argue to get it examined further. In the end we agreed to send her to an ENT specialist. Depending on what they say, she might get another referral to a lung specialist. 

I forgot to ask whether I can take Mya to the specialist as well. She also coughs, which I'd like to have looked at. 

She also told me the radiologist thought the hips were fine, but something another bone looked a little rough. I forgot which one, so I'll have to ask again on monday. 

I feel confused now. Why do I have to argue to get a referral to a specialist? The vet said she did not see the breathing episode. This is true, but it should not be a reason to not take it seriously though, should it? 

In the end, we are the voice for our kitties. I think, perhaps, many vets are not used to the passion that many of us feel about the furry members of our family. :heart2: :rub:

Interesting on the dysplasia. I wonder what it means, something about another bone looking "rough?" :dk:

Yes, I think this is true. I see them as my children and I think many people here do. Thanks for the support 

I'm not sure if we decided on the right specialist. She said I could either go to an ENT specialist or to a lung specialist. Since the lung x-ray was clear she said she'd start at an ENT specialist, which could decide on another referral if necessary. Poor Zeya, she hates vets. And now I'm going to put her through more examinations with even more vets. The ENT specialist works at the university clinic, which is a teaching hospital. I really don't want this for her... But I don't want her to be sick unnoticed either. 

I do regret I didn't ask more questions about the hind legs   I got kind of cought up in the discussion about the breathing and coughing that I forgot to ask more about the legs. I thought of that a while after I hung up, but it was too late to call back (she called real late at 8 pm) and now they are closed for the weekend. I think she said it was somewhere around the pelvis, but I'm not sure any more.