Routine Boarding Takes Serious Turn for Cat
Submitted by Dr. Diane Delmain, medical director, Bay Hill Cat Hospital
Several weeks ago a young domestic short hair was brought into our hospital for boarding, but it was quickly evident that there was something off about this 15 month-old feline. One of our technicians noticed that her breathing was accelerated and asked one of the on-duty doctors to examine her. Closer inspection revealed that the kitten’s heartbeat was normal, with no sign of a cardiac murmur. However there was a slight abdominal push to her respiration that warranted concern. The owner gave permission to take radiographs.
An emergency echocardiography was performed by our mobile veterinary radiologist, Dr. Karen Morrow. The procedure revealed diastolic dysfunction and an extreme case of Feline Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy—a condition where the heart muscle becomes increasingly enlarged forcing it to work much harder to pump blood throughout the animal’s body. FHC symptoms frequently include lethargy, poor appetite, and troubled breathing or panting. Such a severe case at such a young age is usually genetic in nature, and poorly responsive to treatment.
After much discussion with the owner, we decided to give the cat baby aspirin, twice weekly, to decrease the risk of thromboembolism (blood clots). Having come in for boarding and then suddenly being subjected to a full veterinary exam, the young cat was understandably distressed. We decided that it would be best for her health, both physical and mental, to stick with an aspirin regimen. The stress of catching her 2-3 times daily to administer cardiac medications would out-weigh the benefits of such medications given the severity of her heart disease.
This case definitely illustrates why pre-operative ECG and/or Cardiopet ProBNP test is a good idea. Imagine if she had come in to be spayed or declawed! If she had not been stressed by the initial car ride to the hospital in the first place, her severe heart disease would have been undetectable in a routine physical exam. Given this case as an example, it would be wise to incorporate the use of electrocardiogram and/or Cardiopet proBNP testing as part of your pre-anesthetic protocol in cats exhibiting clinical signs that deviate in any way from the norm.
The images above show the dialated LA and thickened ventricle. They show how thick the LV is, and how little room there is in the ventricle in diastole.
Story and images submitted by Dr. Diane Delmain, medical director at Bay Hill Cat Hospital