Restrictive cardiomyopathy, what can I do?

[Peter_and_Monkey]

Hi all,

Monkey, who was diagnosed to have Restrictive cardiomyopathy. The reports are attached.


A brief history of Monkey is he is 14 years old. He got diabetes in April 2020, and we regulated his BG with insulin. He did bloodwork three months ago and his result was perfectly normal, he does not have CKD.

Recently Monkey has had seemingly heavy breathing and bloated belly, these should be related to cardiomyopathy. Also, Monkey lost some weight, from 13 lb to 12 lb, he is still heavy in terms of weight, however, I found that the muscle mass around his spine is less than before. I wonder if this is triggered by the departure of Penpen (his father) that he was deeply attached, three weeks ago. Monkey is still eating and drinking as normal, but he is less energetic than other cats.


My question is: What should I do? where can I seek help? Is there any group that is specialized in this?

 

[fionasmom]

Welcome to The Cat Site! Monkey is certainly a beautiful boy. My Jamie has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy which is similar. We do see a veterinary cardiologist for his condition.

I am sorry for your loss of PenPen. Certainly that might have an effect on Monkey since it is still so recent.

From looking at your report, it seems that you have consulted a cardiologist already? Or did the usual vet do the echocardiogram? If you have not consulted a cardiologist, I would recommend that. If the echo was done by only an ultrasonographer or radiologist, you might want to find a specific cardiologist, even if the other two are DVMs. The report that you received seems very complete with recommendations and steps for you to follow at home and you should do all of them.

The only reason I am recommending a cardiologist, if you did not see one (one vet is listed as Cardiology) is that Jamie's echo was done by his regular vet and a vet who only does ultrasounds. They prescribed meds that the cardiologist did not want him to take.

You are in Hong Kong? Are there specialists you can consult? Would your vet consult with a specialist in a teaching hospital in another location? That is not uncommon at all. You have evidently taken very good care of Monkey for all his years with you.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

fionasmom gave you better information than I could have. I will only add, if there is a university in your area with a good veterinary school, they will be being taught cutting edge medicine with the newest equipment and diagnostic tools. This might be worth exploring.