Hi guys. Update from this thread about finding a heart murmur in Pia at a routine exam: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/321299/heart-murmur-im-worried-advice
So I got her the heart scan, and it's hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). I'm freaked out. From the research I'm doing, treatment options seem so limited, and the progression of the disease so unpredictable.
She's started Atenolol, which seems to be pretty much all there is until they get to congestive heart failure, at some relatively unpredictable point in the future. They said the thickening of the heart is fairly early stage. Her heart rate was fast and there's the murmur obviously, but otherwise it's still functioning relatively well.
I don't know what to expect. The vet was encouraging that she could live to 12 or 13, but all the reading I've done makes the disease sound so random. He said to possibly do blood panels every 3 to 6 months, but didn't recommend doing regular scans.
Does anyone have any help or experience with diagnosis in a younger cat?
So I got her the heart scan, and it's hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). I'm freaked out. From the research I'm doing, treatment options seem so limited, and the progression of the disease so unpredictable.
She's started Atenolol, which seems to be pretty much all there is until they get to congestive heart failure, at some relatively unpredictable point in the future. They said the thickening of the heart is fairly early stage. Her heart rate was fast and there's the murmur obviously, but otherwise it's still functioning relatively well.
I don't know what to expect. The vet was encouraging that she could live to 12 or 13, but all the reading I've done makes the disease sound so random. He said to possibly do blood panels every 3 to 6 months, but didn't recommend doing regular scans.
Does anyone have any help or experience with diagnosis in a younger cat?
Last edited: