Bear 1/28 AMPS 215, +1 230, +3 132, +7 120, PMPS 269

Meredith Bear’s Mom

Meredith Bear’s Mom

Member Since 2022
Hi everyone,

Bear’s echo results came back. Here is what the vet said:

I received Bear's echo results, it looks like they found papillary muscle hypertrophy, which is an equivocal finding for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. More information regarding that disease can be found via the following link:

https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=8661009

Overall, his disease is mild at this time. The cardiologist recommends monitoring his sleeping respiratory rate (more info in the paragraph below), and rechecking the echo in 1 year as long as he does well (sooner if clinical signs develop- outlined in the article above).

I don’t have the report in hand but asked for it to be sent.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

previous post: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...239-pmps-328-2-395-6-133.273519/#post-3039726
 
Sorry to hear about the HCM, but I'm glad it's mild. I've seen other cats here living with HCM for years, and passing from something else.

I have had two cats with HCM, Neko being one of them. And both with some Maine Coon heritage, though not purebred by any means. Both were my favourite breed - shelter cats. First kitty had an echo, and was scheduled for a second followup, but three days before had a thromoboembolism. Interesting to see the article called it an uncommon complication. I've learned a lot more since then. Neko was diagnosed mildly HCM early 2013. Her acromegaly condition commonly causes HCM (enlarged heart). Her heart issues didn't really start until 3 years later. In 2013 she wasn't given any meds. She did have a heart murmur, and I was told to get the vet to check her heart whenever Neko was in there, and note if the murmur level or locations changed.

Checking his RR (resting respiratory rate) is a good idea. When he is resting (or sleeping, not dreaming), count the complete number of in and out breaths per minute. I used my phone timer for that. Normal is typically in the 20-30 range. Some cats run a bit lower. After Neko's first heart failure, I found she was typically in the lower 20's. When she got up to 26, still normal range, that was too high for her.

Other common things I found between both kitties was interest in food. Both really loved eating, but both went off their food leading up to episodes. First kitty did some coughing. I've seen lethargy also as a symptom to watch for, though in age 14-15 year old cats, it's not always obvious.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Sorry to hear about the HCM, but I'm glad it's mild. I've seen other cats here living with HCM for years, and passing from something else.

I have had two cats with HCM, Neko being one of them. And both with some Maine Coon heritage, though not purebred by any means. Both were my favourite breed - shelter cats. First kitty had an echo, and was scheduled for a second followup, but three days before had a thromoboembolism. Interesting to see the article called it an uncommon complication. I've learned a lot more since then. Neko was diagnosed mildly HCM early 2013. Her acromegaly condition commonly causes HCM (enlarged heart). Her heart issues didn't really start until 3 years later. In 2013 she wasn't given any meds. She did have a heart murmur, and I was told to get the vet to check her heart whenever Neko was in there, and note if the murmur level or locations changed.

Checking his RR (resting respiratory rate) is a good idea. When he is resting (or sleeping, not dreaming), count the complete number of in and out breaths per minute. I used my phone timer for that. Normal is typically in the 20-30 range. Some cats run a bit lower. After Neko's first heart failure, I found she was typically in the lower 20's. When she got up to 26, still normal range, that was too high for her.

Other common things I found between both kitties was interest in food. Both really loved eating, but both went off their food leading up to episodes. First kitty did some coughing. I've seen lethargy also as a symptom to watch for, though in age 14-15 year old cats, it's not always obvious.
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Hi Wendy,

Thank you so much for this, it really makes me feel a lot better. I’ll start checking his resting heart rate. I appreciate you commenting!!:bighug:
 
I'm not a vet so can't really help you with what the results meant - but looks like mostly what you already said in your first post. The only additional section that was nice to see was the anesthesia and fluids recommendations. That might be good to have for the future. Make sure if he ever needs surgery in the future, that the vet involved sees that part of the report.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
I'm not a vet so can't really help you with what the results meant - but looks like mostly what you already said in your first post. The only additional section that was nice to see was the anesthesia and fluids recommendations. That might be good to have for the future. Make sure if he ever needs surgery in the future, that the vet involved sees that part of the report.
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Thank you! Yes, I thought that part was interesting also.
Should I change my signature to reflect anything about this? I added heart murmur but not sure if there’s anything else that might be helpful.
Thank you :)
 
You could probably replace heart murmur with mild HCM. Lots of kitties have heart murmurs that are benign. What goes in the signature are things that might impact either meds or treatments going forward. For example, the caution about fluids might be important should he get ketones back again.
 
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