HCM - your experiences/what to expect

flob

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Following this thread, I eventually managed to change vet surgeries - much to the detriment of my bank balance
- and took Dudley in for investigation. Consequently, he was diagnosed with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. Despite a delay in diagnosis, it seems he is, at least, still in the early stages of the disease. His x-rays also showed a minimal amount of fluid on his lungs and around his heart, for which he's been prescribed some diuretics - Frusemide? Can't read the vet's handwriting, but I'm sure it's something like that


Now that I finally know what I'm dealing with, I'm wondering who else has experience of cats with this illness, and what to expect from it. Would appreciate your personal take on things if you've been through a similar situation.

Thanks in advance.
 

eilcon

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I'm sorry to hear that Dudley has HCM, but it's good that it was diagnosed early. My cat, Peter, was diagnosed with mild HCM in March. My vet had detected a grade 2 heart murmur on two occasions and xrays showed that
Peter had a slightly enlarged heart. He was then referred for a cardiac ultrasound, which confirmed the HCM. He's currently taking a low dosage of atenolol (a beta-blocker) daily to regulate his blood pressure and prevent clots, along with 1/2 of a baby aspirin twice a week to keep his blood thin.
He hasn't shown any other symptoms, has a great appetite and is very active. Just had him in for a check up yesterday and the vet couldn't detect his murmur, so it appears the meds have slowed (or even halted) the progress of the disease. My vet feels that because we caught the disease early, Peter's prognosis is good.

Hope this helps and I hope Dudley stays healthy. There's a great online support group for cats with heart disease that I've found very helpful too.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/feline-heart/
 

xocats

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I read your previous thread.
You trusted your gut feelings and got another opinion.
I applaud your tenacity.
Without a doubt .... you saved Dudley's life.


Eileen's kitty, Peter, is a wonderful example of how well a kitty can do when HCM is diagnosed and treated early.

I looked at your boy's photo...
Sweet Dudley is a handsome boy with really soulful eyes.


Please keep us updated about his progress.
I'm sending lots of healthy vibes to your sweet boy.


Welcome to TCS
 
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flob

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Eileen - I actually read your recent thread regarding Peter's progress, and was sort of hoping you might make an appearance here
Great news with his latest check-up; I hope he can keep things up. Does he manage to take his meds fairly well, or is he as bad as Dud?


From the picture in your signature, he actually reminds me quite a lot of Dud.. looks very inquisitive, as though he has a lot of character - proper sweetie


Thanks a lot for your link to the Yahoo! group. Have taken a quick glance at it, and it looks as though it might be quite informative. Hope to get a better chance to read through it later.


xocats - Thanks for the compliment! Oh, and for the welcome, too


I'm very relieved that I was eventually able to do the right thing for Dud, and hopefully he'll live as lengthy and fulfilled a life as possible from now on


I looked at your boy's photo...
Sweet Dudley is a handsome boy with really soulful eyes.
He says thanks, and blushes
He does look gorgeous, though I say so myself..
 

eilcon

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Thanks for the compliment. Peter is a real sweetheart and extremely inquisitive. He's into everything!


I love your picture of Dudley. What a gorgeous boy - love those eyes!


Peter is generally pretty good about his meds. I'm almost always able to get away with mixing it in with his wet food. If not, and I have to pill him, he takes it out without too much fuss.

I'm still learning as I go with this, so I'll be anxious to see how Dudley progresses. I'll be sending lots of vibes for both of you. Please keep us posted!
 
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flob

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Thought I'd thank you again for the link to the Yahoo! group, Eileen. Have been reading through the messages all evening, quite interesting and informative stuff
I now know the correct name for the diuretic Dudley's on ( Silly vet spelt it wrong
), and it surprised me to discover that Fortekor is also used to treat heart diseases - my oldest cat, Willow, takes it for his CRF.

Peter is a real sweetheart and extremely inquisitive. He's into everything!
Sounds exactly like Dud, whose favourite pastime is watching people eat/walk up and down the stairs. The way he does so, you'd never know he'd seen such a thing before in his life.. You'd think he'd get bored, but alas.. *shakes head fondly*

Don't suppose you have any more pics of Peter - or any of your cats, the more, the merrier - on show anywhere?


Oh, and Dud would thank you for your compliment if he weren't fast asleep on my bed as I speak
 

eilcon

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Glad you've found the Yahoo group helpful! I found a lot of great info there when Peter was first diagnosed.

Dudley sounds like quite a character. Peter's favorite past time, after eating, has to be tormenting my three female cats. He's a typical little brother.


Here's a pic of Peter and Claire, his littermate:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y183/eilcon/DSCN6353.jpg

And my favorite shot of him (he looks so confident!)
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y183/eilcon/DSCN5965copy.jpg

Any more of yours?
 
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flob

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He's a typical little brother.
Heehee, they're lucky to live with their brothers and sisters, whether or not they appreciate it all the time


Peter and Claire look almost identical in expression in the first pic, both gorgeous.

And he looks quite regal in the second, with his paws tucked in tidily and his head held high. Methinks he's a pampered cat



As for mine, you can find a few pics of Willow, Daisy and Dudley here
I should have mentioned that sleeping is also a hobby of Dud's..quite a few funny sleeping pictures in that mix
 
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flob

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I have a follow-up question...

Is vomiting at all likely to be a symptom/by-product of HCM? I still think it's happening because of the speed at which he eats, but thought I'd better check anyway.. He just had some cod for breakfast, after being without food overnight because there was no tinned/dry food left. He gobbled the food down *so* quickly and greedily
Tried to slow him down, but my efforts were pretty futile, and now 5 mins later it's all up again. It's the same thing every time he throws up. Always shortly after eating, and always 3 times in a row..


Any suggestions on keeping the food in his stomach as opposed to over my floors?
 
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flob

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*Bump*, because I'm still wondering about the above question..


Am also wondering about the hot weather.. I remember the vet giving some advice for the hot days, if he seems to be struggling, which he does today. However, I can't for the life of me remember what that advice was..
He's been quite lethargic and wheezy all day.
 

booktigger

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Not sure about HCM, but you could try giving him his food in 2 helpings, or raising his food - but I would suggest contacting the vet first just in case he wants to see him about it. And if you can't remember the vets advice, IW ould contact the vet again.
 

eilcon

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Sorry for not catching this sooner. Are things any better with Dudley? I don't really have any answers for you, since vomitting hasn't been a problem with Peter. Has Dudley been coughing or gagging along with it? I'd definitely check with your vet.

Also, I checked out the link with pics of all your kitties. They're adorable!
 

techiegirl

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Sebastian was diagnosed with HCM in October of last year. The drug you were prescribed is called Furosemide; the brand name is Lasix. First off, I am so sorry to hear the diagnosis; it is not a good one. Most of what you read will not leave you hopeful. I did not think Sebastian would be here at Christmas last year, but he is still hanging in there and going strong - runs to the food bowl every night when he gets canned food.
And he will be 16 tomorrow!!

He was not acting right one morning and I took him to the vet - he had a fever so they gave him fluids and put him on an antibiotic and by the afternoon he was able to come home. He was fine that night and the next morning, but that afternoon when I got home, he had labored breathing and was quiet. So I took him to Urgent Care and they did some xrays and he was in congestive heart failure. They thought it could be HCM and that the fluids given by my vet pushed him over the edge.

It was touch and go - he was hooked up to a catheter, had a nitroglycerine patch on his ear, was put in an oxygen cage and I visited him severel times thru the night. He made it through the night and in the morning he was transported to a Crtical Care facility where he stayed for 3 days to have an echocardiogram done and be stabilized. The echo confirmed HCM.


He now takes Diltiazem, Lasix and Enalapril twice a day, 1/2 baby aspirin every third day, and a vitamin supplement to help prevent anemia. The dosages have been adjusted a bit, but fortunately they were pretty right on in the beginning. Sometimes it can be tough finding the right dosages. It is a balance between not dehydrating them too much and yet keeping the fluid out of the heart. Sometimes if he is breathing a little more rapid, I give him a bit more Lasix. You will learn to count breaths that is for sure!!

Eukanuba I believe has a cardiac diet. With Sebastian tho, it is important for him to just eat and he also has magacolon so we have not changed his diet at all. One thing I know for sure is that you don't want to give him anything with salt and since fish is salty I would think that a no no. Check with your vet. And if possible, find a vet in your area that is familiar with HCM. Not jst that has heard of it, but who has experience in treating it. My original vet is no longer my vet for this reason - she did more harm then good cuz she thought she knew about it but in reality I ended up knowing more then she did from researching.

I have a bunch of really good links but most of them are at work - I will post them Wednesday when I am back, ok?

I have a mobile vet that comes to the house to see him when necessary cuz he can't take the trip cuz he freaks out too much.

I have been told that he most likely will just pass away in his sleep, as most cats with this do.
It is really hard and it is just day to day. I just have learned to love him more, take more pics, tell him I love him, kiss him on the head every morning before I go to work..... just enjoy every extra minute I have with him.

Good luck and I will get those links for you Wednesday!
 
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flob

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Sincere apologies in advance for such a scatterbrained/disorderly reply..the heat is messing with my head


booktigger - Thanks for your input. I'm now giving him smaller portions more often, and so far, so good, as far as I can tell. Our oldest cat, Willow, often vomits as well due to his age and his CRF, and so it's sometimes hard to tell who did what..

Eileen - I don't think Dud's feeling all that great at the moment, due to the heatwave we're currently going through over here, though today seems to be one of the better days recently
.

Since the Furosemide was prescribed, he seems to be coughing a bit more frequently, but less severely. I'm putting that down to the weather and coincidence, for the time being. Only seen him gag on one day, which he was doing before the diagnosis anyway. I called the vet on that day, took his advice, and temporarily upped the dosage of meds, which seemed to help. I'll be mentioning the vomiting to the vet when we go for Dudley's check up next week; hopefully he'll be able to put my mind at rest..

I'm not sure what the weather is like at the moment where you live..how is Peter coping? Hope he's still going strong.

Oh, and thanks for the compliments re my kitties, glad someone else shares my opinion


techiegirl - I very much appreciate your addition, it was very helpful and informative


I'm sorry to hear about what poor Sebastian has been through, and continues to go through. Taking/giving all those meds must be a nightmare, for a start!
It sounds as though he's doing well at the moment, at least, and I hope he continues as he is for as long as possible.

I have a couple of questions for you.. :

First of all, forgive my ignorance, but could you tell me what the functions of Diltiazem and Enalapril are? Are they similar to Lasix, or something completely different?

Second of all, re salt in the diet - The vet who diagnosed Dudley specifically mentioned that there was no real evidence of sodium having any adverse effects, and so not to change his diet/omit sodium from it. I've been continuing to feed him fish on several occasions, since he loves it so much, and sometimes won't eat anything else if he's not feeling all that well. What's your opinion on this..?

As for your advice regarding a vet who specialises in treating HCM, I will definitely keep my eye out for something which is fairly easy to reach, but I don't think I'll be getting my hopes up too much, given the compromises I've already made to get to the vet who's treating Dudley at the moment
I look forward to your helpful links on Weds


Sometimes if he is breathing a little more rapid, I give him a bit more Lasix. You will learn to count breaths that is for sure!!
I've also done this a couple of times on the advice of the vet, and I'm beginning to learn to count his breaths every day as well
Thankfully he's most often in the "normal" range, at the moment, despite the heat.

I think that's about the gist of what I wanted to say..can't think straight because of the heat


Oh, Happy birthday to Sebastian! I'm sure you'll be spoiling him even more than usual
I don't suppose you have any picures of the birthday boy?
 

eilcon

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Poor Dudley. I hope all goes well at the vet next week. Peter's been feeling the heat too, although it's been cooler the past few days. Earlier this week, though, we had temps in the 90's, along with it being very humid. My apartment is partially air conditioned, so Peter's pretty good about seeking out the cool spots.
 

techiegirl

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I am soooooo sorry for taking so long to get back to you!!! This is what happens when you work 7 days a week.


Originally Posted by Flob

techiegirl - I very much appreciate your addition, it was very helpful and informative


I'm sorry to hear about what poor Sebastian has been through, and continues to go through. Taking/giving all those meds must be a nightmare, for a start!
It sounds as though he's doing well at the moment, at least, and I hope he continues as he is for as long as possible.
thanks! He is doing very well.
Giving the meds is actually not bad at all. As with anything, it takes time and practice and making it an enjoyable experience for him. When I give him the pills I tell him what each is for and tell him they are to help him. It's quick and he gets to eat right after so he is a happy camper.


Originally Posted by Flob

I have a couple of questions for you.. :

First of all, forgive my ignorance, but could you tell me what the functions of Diltiazem and Enalapril are? Are they similar to Lasix, or something completely different?
They are completely different but are often prescribed with the Lasix (Furosemide) as a complete treatment plan when needed.

Diltiazem - is a calcium channel blocker - it relaxes the blood vessels so that the heart does not have to work/pump as hard. It also increases the blood and oxygen supply to the heart.

Enalapril - is an ACE inhibitor and dilates the blood vessels and so allows the blood to flow smoother, thus reducing blood pressure and opening up more blood vessels for circualtion so the heart does not have to work as hard. Think of pinching a garden hose and the pressure that builds at the faucet (the heart). When you stop pinching, it opens up the flow and allows the water (blood) to flow right thru with no back pressure.

Lasix (Furosemide) - causes an increase in urination, thus reducing the buildup of fluid in the tissues.

Baby Aspirin - will thin the blood and reduce chance of thrombo… clot

Originally Posted by Flob

[Second of all, re salt in the diet - The vet who diagnosed Dudley specifically mentioned that there was no real evidence of sodium having any adverse effects, and so not to change his diet/omit sodium from it. I've been continuing to feed him fish on several occasions, since he loves it so much, and sometimes won't eat anything else if he's not feeling all that well. What's your opinion on this..?
IMHO, it is more important that a cat eats something than eats none of the "right/best/perfect" food. If he is not going to eat the food he is supposed to eat, then just feed him what he will eat. I have read that HCM cats should not get added sodium so I limit what he gets, but my vet also agreed it was more important that he just eat and voted against switching to a Low Na food (esp since he also has Megacolon and we didn't want to mess with that.) I just don't give anything else that has salt. Tho I do give a treat every now and then. I want him to at least be happy!

Here are the links I was telling you about. They have helped me immensely!
http://maxshouse.com/hypertrophic_cardiomyopathy.htm

http://vetinfo.com/ccardio.html

http://members.aol.com/jchinitz/hcm/
Make sure to click on "A downloadable feline HCM information sheet is also available" which is a PDF file that has great info.

http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/repo...omyopathy.html

http://www.marvistavet.com
great for info on drugs

Originally Posted by Flob

[Oh, Happy birthday to Sebastian! I'm sure you'll be spoiling him even more than usual
I don't suppose you have any picures of the birthday boy?
I doooooo! Here's the man!
 
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flob

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Originally Posted by eilcon

I hope all goes well at the vet next week.
Thanks for the good vibes - looks as though they did their work nicely
Just back from this week's vet visit, and it's good news, all in all. The vet listened to Dud's chest, and thinks that the Furosemide has indeed helped clear the fluid on his lungs. He also showed me the original x-ray, and compared it with that of an older, heavier cat with the same illness. It put my mind at rest, though I did feel sorry for the poor mite who was carrying around all that extra weight - didn't look as though there was much space for its poor lungs to breathe at all
Have been given a further course of Furosemide to last until September, and after this, due to the decrease in temperature, the dosage could be lowered, or even put on hold completely, until the hot weather returns


tg - No worries about the late reply! I know how things can get on top of you, even when you're not working


Thanks for enlightening me re the additional drugs Sebastian is taking. I gather that if and when Dudley's illness progresses, he'll probably have to start taking an ACE inhibitor like Enalapril. Hope the tablets aren't too big, so that I'll still be able to give them to him in his food - he's an absolute terror to pill, otherwise


Thanks also for the excellent links - have them all bookmarked now! I had already visited the page which offers the downloadable information sheet, and found that to be especially helpful. The page on Max's house.com was also very informative and in-depth, very useful diagrams
Looks as though Max himself was quite the sweetheart, as well


Great pic, btw
I absolutely adore tabbies of all kinds, and he definitely qualifies
Did you make sure he had a special birthday?
 

rooneyandmuldoo

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techiegirl ~ I realize it's been like... 8 years since this thread, so you probably won't even get this. But my Maine Coon (17 yrs) was just diagnosed with HCM. I have been doing a lot of research/reading, and I have to say that your post is not only informative, with lots of good links and advice; but I really appreciate your philosophy about making the most of the last days. While I am not ready to let go of Jinx, my best bud (and never will be ~ as far as I'm concerned 17 is middle age
), I definitely am kissing him more, petting him more... every moment is bittersweet. I am definitely going to take some more photos!

Thank you.

Susan
 

lindagata

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My cat Salem was diagnosed with HCM , he only lived 6 more years. He passed a year ago, was 14 years old.He was in atenolol twice a day and later in a diuretic lasix. He had a couple of episodes that his heart was not working well. He was walking and suddenly laid down on his side meowing, when he tried to jump into my bed, he made an effort.It was so sad to watch him deteriorate so fast. Last couple of months was down hill . I noticed that he was coughing, thought it was a hairball but it continued specially at night. At the vet , he was having trouble breathing normally. His lungs were getting full of fluid, congestive heart failure, late stage of this disease. So, he needed a diyretic. Later on he seems to be doing fine when things got complicated with asthma. Then in a couple of weeks his breathing was not good. I decided to give him a therapy but the stress was too much for him to handle . He started gasping for air, throw up and on less than 2 hours he was gone.It was an agony and I couldn't do anything to help him. There was nothing that can be done. If I knew before, during this late stage , it would had been better to put him down.But is si difficult to make that decision and you hope that he will get better.He gave me the best 14 years that any cat that I had. Was very affectionate even with my granddaughter which was a baby. I miss him so much.My recommendation is to give them good quality of care, love and attention, you don't know for how long he is going to live. Once he reaches the final stage, don't wait too long to make the decision to put him down, Save him those agonizing moments when he can't breathe. He passed in my arms. I miss him so much.
.
 

rooneyandmuldoo

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Linda, I am so, so sorry. My best bud cat Jinxie has HCM (he is an 18-year-old Maine Coon). Your post is making me cry. I think you did the best you could, took good care of him, and helped him a lot. You did the right thing just in doing your best. Thank you for sharing your experience.  Susan
 
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