Posts Tagged ‘aging cats’
Heart Disease in Cats
As cats get older, problems with their heart, kidneys and other organs can occur. Cancer, renal or kidney disease, diabetes, hyperthyroidism (disease of the thyroid gland), dental disease and heart disease are the most frequent diseases found in aging cats. Cats age seven times faster than humans and examinations done by your veterinarian twice a year can help detect diseases earlier when they can still be treated. Diagnostic tests such as blood work, ECG, ultrasound and blood pressure monitoring can help detect problems sooner.
The most common heart diseases that affect cats is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Cardiomyopathy is found more frequently in cats than in dogs. HCM is an acquired heart disease that affects the muscular walls of the ventricles causing them to become abnormally thick. As the disease progresses the pumping capabilities of the heart decreases. The wall of the heart gets thicker and stiffer reducing it’s ability to contract and pump the blood efficiently. The chamber of the heart is smaller, so less blood is pumped out of the heart., This results in the amount of blood that once filled the heart is less than it should be and the heart muscle can’t contract as well to move the blood out of the heart into the body. The diseased heart now has to pump harder and faster than it once did just to keep the blood flowing throughout the body. As the blood backs up into the lungs, edema develops resulting in congestive heart failure.
Sometimes, the faulty heart can have changes in the conduction system that tells the heart when to contract. Irregular conduction can occur in the diseased heart resulting in sudden death, similar to young athletes that die during practice.
Another problem that can occur from the cardiomyopathy is a disease called feline aortic thromboembolism (FATE). Occasionally, blood clots can dislodge and clog the arteries going to the rear legs. The dislodged blood clot causes blockage of the blood flow to the legs resulting in severe pain and paralysis. This condition is sometimes referred to as a saddle thrombus. About 40% of the cats recover from a saddle thrombus with intensive therapy and may regain use of their legs over time. However, these cats can still risk develop another episode and will continue to suffer from the primary heart condition.
Cats are very good as masking underlying physical problems so early detection is key to helping these cats live a full life. A cat that is fat and lazy and doesn’t move around a lot, may actually have a heart disease. Of course not all fat and lazy cats a have heart disease, but the only way to tell is with full exams by your veterinarian. Diagnostic tests, such as, EKG, blood pressure monitoring and ultrasound can help the veterinarian detect heart disease. The thickened walls of the heart can be seen with ultrasound and is a screening tool for cats as well as our young athletes.
Medications can help cats with their heart function, reduce the edema in their lungs and may help reduce the blood clot formations. The prognosis for a cat that has already developed the congestive heart failure is guarded, and even with medication, survival rates are 12-18 months after diagnosis and sudden death can occur at any time.
Develop a wellness plan with your veterinarian for early detection and diagnostics. By detecting diseases earlier, small changes in diet or medications can help your cat live longer.
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