Reggie does have mild HCM; only some slight thickening in the left ventricle, but NOT in the left atrium which the doctor told me is when it is really bad. She said his asthma is totally unrelated so we can probably get him started on some steroids for that. She agreed with the radiologist too that his asthma is mild and should stop with the steroids. So, this doctor needs to speak and send the lab results to my current vet for follow up....BUT...she was very surprised b/c Reggie has NO heart murmur....both her and my regular vet confirmed they don't hear any sort of heart murmur, so that is good I guess?! Really, when I think about it, the only reason we found out about this mild thickening was b/c he coughs from his asthma which led to the chest x-ray to this...Like the cardiologist said yesterday, if she was just doing a routine exam on him she would have had no reason to suggest an echocardiogram for him, so this makes me think how many other sphynx' could have this and not even know it! Reggie's breeder told me both his parents are clear of HCM, but I'm wondering if one of them has it midly and doesn't even know it.
Like the doctor told me today, the "good" thing about HCM is that it is so variable. They just don't know if/when it will progress, if at all, from animal to animal....He could live a very long life if it doesn't progress, or he could get worse. She is concerned because of his age (he'll be 1 year old in April), but said we should check again in 6 months to see if there has been any changes. Then, after that, maybe check once a year. She is not putting him on any medications for the heart just yet; she said though in 6 months, even if there has been no changes, we still might put him on medication then....I guess we'll wait to see what she recommends. She was a very good cardiologist though and didn't rush me at all with my questions...for $600 she shouldn't! haha! (But I got Care Credit and can pay in 3 payments, interest free). Of course they couldn't get Reggie to lay on his side "like a normal cat", so she wrapped him up in the blanket I brought with him and sat him in her lap and did the ultrasound that way. What a character he is. Marley is so much better at the vet's compared to Reggie!
If anyone has advice pertaining to mild HCM, please let me know. I've heard that adding taurine to his diet is good for heart conditions. Anyone familiar?
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17 comments:
I'm glad Reggie's condition is so mild. Pixie was diagnosed when she was about 5 and she lived to be almost 13. When she was first diagnosed, she had a grade III/VI at that time, and she had an enlarged atrium and mitral regurgitation due to valve dysplasia (whew!).
I know that a taurine deficiency can cause heart problems in cats, but as long as you are feeding a good quality diet, that should not be a problem.
Pixie was on lots of different medicines during her lifetime. If Reggie ever does need to be on meds for his heart, the one suggestion I have is that Plavix worked much better than baby aspirin. At the time, Plavix was still considered experimental in cats. But Pixie stopped having her syncopal episodes soon after starting it.
Sounds like pretty good news. My Babe has had a heart murmur all her life and she's going on 18 yrs. Cats seem to find a way to deal with whatever. We're sure Reggie will do just fine. Plus he has you to do all the worrying
so he doesn't have to.
I am very glad that Reggie's condition is so mild. I am hoping and praying that it never progresses.
With eyes like that, Reggie must get better.
I'm glad Daisy came to visit because her Pixie lived a long time wit it. She will be a big help.
I wish I had suggetions for you, but we're sure you'll find great info on the blogosphere from kitties and beans who'be lived thru it.
We are so glad his condition is mild. purrrrrrrrrrs.
He certainly looks adorable in that photo!
We're hope Reggie will have many more years with you.
We hope it never progresses...funny how Reggie's asthma led to this discovery.
I am glad to hear that Reggie's condition is mild and I hope it doesn't progress. You should find a lot of information from the cat blogosphere.
Thanks for the report on Reggie!! Looks like you caught it early and now you can monitor it!! Purrrs to Reggie and Marley!
you r so cute mommie wants to noze kees yoo
Purrs to you, I hope you are well for a long time.
We too hope it doesn't progress. In some ways, we are glad Reggie has a mild case of asthma, just because it led to you finding out about this sooner rather than later. We are purring for you.
Tavi, Cody, Camie and Miss Jade
We're glad that Reggie only has mild HCM - it seems like your cardiologist was very thorough in checking him out, whether Reggie liked it or not...hehehehehe. We don't know anything about HCM, but we like the fact that he doesn't need medication for it at the moment, but that he's going to be closely monitored. We're sending our purrs to him, to Marley and to you,
{{{hugs}}}
Gypsy & Tasha
When I was diagnosed this fall at the age of 2 1/2, my heart murmur was a grade III. I take 1/4 atenolol twice a day and that has brought it down to a II. I have some mitral regurgitation and it seems to have helped that as well. I am new to HCM too, but so far so good. Pixie is my role model.
Tiki
We are sending love and prayers and are relieved to read that Reggie's condition is manageable. We're wishing you all many fun-filled years together! Reggie is such a beauty! Our mom adores his coloring.
Hi! Found your blog this morning, and I'm on my way out the door to work (at an all cat veterinary hospital) and want to talk to you some more about HCM. It's good you had your heart checked out, and your vet is right, it is a very very variable disease.I will try and get back to you tonight with some links and info (I also have had 3 HCM cats, diagnosed between 3-5 years of age as is most common and they all lived to their mid teens).
Even though your case is currently mild, one think you do have to be careful of is using steroids (prednisolone, Depo Medrol etc). Ask the cardiologist about their recommendations, ok.
Also, I tried to click on Follow You on your blog but couldn't find the link, only the words Followers and the photos...can you help?
Teri and the cats of Furrydance
http://furrydancecats.blogspot.com
You may have already visited these links, in your search to learn more about HCM, but I am posting them here rather than email you so others can visit these sites if they want to learn more about HCM and hearts in general
http://maxshouse.com/hypertrophic_cardiomyopathy.htm
http://www.catclinicofroswell.com/medicalhandouts/detail23d5.html?handoutid=6
http://www.indianwalkvet.com/feline%20hcm.htm
http://www.vetgo.com/cardio/index.php
http://74.125.45.132/search?q=cache:ZyoxAiAxWuYJ:www.veterinaria.uchile.cl/publicacion/congresoxi/prafesional/am/18.doc+left+auricular+chamber+prominence+in+kitten&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=25&gl=us
http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedings.plx?CID=WALTHAMOSU2002&PID=2979
http://www.nfchcm.com/papillary_muscle_articles.htm
http://www.catloversvet.com/mitral%20valve%20dysplasia.htm
http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~jr888793/anatomy.html
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