Congestive heart failure

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davect

davect

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So it seems my Andy has thrown me another curve ball. Looks like he has congestive heart failure. We just found out two weeks ago that he has a minor valve leak. They found that while doing pre-anesthesia testing for a dental procedure and imaging. He was fine until last night when suddenly had breathing difficulties. He'll be at the hospital overnight.

I know what congestive heart failure is and how it's treated, but I'm looking to get some "real life" experiences from people rather than textbook information. Can this be treated long-term or is it generally something that can be treated for a short time before nothing more can be done? Or is it one of those "it depends" things? I'd appreciate any input.

Thanks!
Dave, Andy and Sammy
 
Hi Dave,
So sorry you and Andy are going through this. It was pretty traumatic for us almost 15 months ago. Waldo was dx with RCM. At the time they gave him two days to live but he responded so well to medication they changed it to two months. That was 15 months ago. He has had a very good quality of life until recently.

Waldo even enjoyed being an indoor outdoor kitty with the use of a zip line. He still loves going out to munch on grass, sit in the sun and chase lizards.

Recently however he has taken a turn for the worse. He is refusing to eat the Vet says because he just doesnt feel well. We are still giving his meds with some pepcid in hopes he can turn this around, otherwise we will have to be making some serious decisions soon.

My prayers are with you and Andy in hopes you have some quality time together like we have with our funny little guy.(His picture is my avatar) Waldo is about 15 years old.

jeanne
 
What kind of valve has the leak? I know that in dogs, a mitral valve leak (the most common valve leak in dogs) progresses very slowly over several years. Some dogs never need treatment. Even if they do, CHF is not always the end result. Preventative measures include keeping weight in check, high quality food, and supplements such as CoQ-10 and fish oil. CHF can also be managed successfully for quite some time and sometimes can even be reversed for a while. I do not know about cats, but maybe if you googled it - cats CHF - you might find something similar.

Judy
 
CHF can really cover a wide base of heart problems.....I also know it can be a Catch 22 situation....lasix to pull fluid off but not too much or you go the opposite and need to give fluids. Hope was dx'd over 4 years ago with RCM and is doing great with her meds. The longest we go without a heart check is 3 months ( I use to do it every 2 months, I've gotten braver :mrgreen: ) my choice to do heart checks, Cardiologist said I could go longer. No sign of anything except she stopped needing her insulin after 4+ years of b.i.d. shots.

http://maxshouse.com/Cardiology/myocard ... he_cat.htm
 
The vet called and said the medication helped a great deal and he is breathing OK without oxygen. :smile:

Next question is...should I ask if I can bring him home rather than stay overnight? Or is it best to let them keep an eye on him for a while? Just trying to keep the bills to a minimum without sacrificing his health. nailbite_smile
 
I'm the first one to say go to a Cardiologist and get the real low down on him and what meds, etc. When it comes to heart I go to a Cardio vet only. If he is breathing well now and on meds, I would ask the vet his opinion of bringing him home tonight or if he needs another night spent there.
 
Hope + (((Baby)))GA said:
I'm the first one to say go to a Cardiologist and get the real low down on him and what meds, etc.
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A cardiologist performed an EKG and an echo cardiogram on Andy 2 weeks ago. That's when they found the leaky valve and weren't too concerned. Lungs were clear then too.

Thanks everyone for the feedback so far. Very helpful as always! Although I find it ironic most of my recent posts on this board have nothing to do with Andy's diabetes!
 
Do you know if the vet has spoken to the cardiologist since them about the breathing problem? I cannot handle breathing problems.....they scare me to death.
 
Hope + (((Baby)))GA said:
Do you know if the vet has spoken to the cardiologist since them about the breathing problem?
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She didn't say anything. This an emergency facility so I highly doubt they spoke with the cardiologist who did the initial exam 2 weeks ago. I will consult my regular vet tomorrow (if they're open).
 
Oops! Just gave Andy his Lasix 12 hours early (was thinking 2x daily rather than 1x daily). I suppose as long as he has water available there's not much to worry about? I figure it's better to be slightly dehydrated than to have fluid around the heart and lungs...especially since he got a much higher dose at the emergency vet...
 
Hi Dave. I know nothing about heart problems, but I wanted to give a welcome shout out to you and Andy.
 
tuckers mom said:
Andy, have you made an appointment with a cardiologist yet?
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Not yet. Andy had a followup with our regular vet for something else yesterday and she wants me to set an appointment next week with the cardiologist. I forgot his name, but I think he's affiliated with VCA VREC in Norwalk. They also offered to do the echocardiogram at half the regular price. Not sure if that's because I whined about the thousands of dollars I've spent on Andy in the last three weeks or if they feel guilty for possibly missing something the first time around. Regardless, I'll take the discount!
 
You'll probably be seeing Fenollosa, he's at the VREC I think two days a week, what I love about him is he's awesome, but he also understands cost. He tries to avoid the expensive tests if he can.
 
Hmmm...wow...turns out Andy has a particular heart valve disease (I forgot the name) normally found in dogs. The cardiologist has seen the condition in only five cats! WTF?

Looks like another diabetic kitty that will be done in by something other than diabetes...
 
HI Dave,

I do feel for you as I had similar problems with Oscar during the Christmas season. The local vets tried him on Predisilone (for the breathing)and nearly killed him. He is now settled on Lasix, aspirin & heart med and is doing well although he doesn't have a leaky valve it seems to be more about a partly enlarged heart? But the vets tend to label it as Cardiac Failure. I am now giving him Lasix once a day as the weather has been hot and I worry about dehydration (specialist warned me) if he is breathing a little heavier at night time I will give him the 2nd dose. Like you it cost a fortune to start but I figure once you know what's wrong you can deal with it. We live in the outback so Oscar doesn't have regular checks as it distresses him to travel but he is doing well now the breathing is controlled. His diabetes went into remission with diet late last year (lucky).

The specialist said he may have as little as six months (in January) but may live for years, at the moment he is really well. Lots of energy to play and has even been catching mice that are brave enough to come inside (recent rains have caused an influx) he is an indoor cat and 10 years old. It does seem from Oscar and others that Cardiac Failure can be managed with meds. Good Luck.

Cheers Joan
 
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